France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

Notre-Dame cathedral of Rheims

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

Palace of the archbishop of Rheims

Palace of the archbishop of Rheims

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

Charles VI’s five uncles

This refers to his great-uncle Wenceslas I, duke of Luxemburg and Brabant, and his four uncles, Louis I, duke of Anjou, John I, duke of Berry, Philip, duke of Burgundy and Louis II, duke of Bourbon.

Wenceslas I, duke of Luxemburg and Brabant (d. 1383)

Wenceslas I of Luxemburg (133? - 1383), duke of Luxemburg and Brabant, as a consort to Joanna, duchess of Brabant. Son of John 'the Blind', king of Bohemia, and Beatrix of Bourbon. He became the duke of Brabant through his wife Jeanne, who inherited the duchy of Brabant after her father's death in 1355. He was one of Froissart's patrons. He contributed to Froissart's Meliador through his lyric poetry, inserted at intervals throughout this long Arthurian romance. He died in 1383.

Louis I, duke of Anjou (d. 1384)

Louis I of Anjou (1339 - 1384), first count then duke of Anjou, second son of king Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. He married Marie of Blois, countess of Guise, in 1360. He was appointed duke of Anjou in 1360 and king of Sicily in 1382; died in 1384. He spent several years in the South, but did not enjoy a good reputation in the region.

John, duke of Berry

John duke of Berry (1340 - 1416), third son of king John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg, brother of king Charles V of France, and uncle of king Charles VI. John married Jeanne d'Armagnac, the daughter of count Jean I and sister of count Jean II. John of Berry, with his brother Philip, duke of Burgundy, were dominant figures in the French kingdom and in French politics during most of Charles VI's reign, first due to the minority of the king, and later because of his insanity.

Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)

Philippe, known as 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy (1342 - 1404), fourth son of Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. The duke of Burgundy was a prominent figure in the government of France during the reign of his nephew Charles VI, especially after 1392 when the king began to suffer from recurring bouts of insanity that gave the dukes of Berry and Burgundy the opportunity to seize power from Charles VI's trusted administrators, known as the Marmousets. Philippe married Margaret de Male, countess of Flanders, and this marriage eventually not only reunited the duchy of Burgundy with the 'free' counties of Burgundy and Artois, but also brought the wealthy counties of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel under the control of the duke of Burgundy. Thus this marriage alliance, and the consequent marriages of the duke of Burgundy's children, created the basis for the Grand Duchy of the West, a quasi-independent state rather than a mere fief of the French crown.

Louis II, duke of Bourbon (d. 1410)

Louis II, duke of Bourbon (1337 - 1410); the eldest son of Pierre I, duke of Bourbon, and Isabella de Valois. He was king Charles VI's maternal uncle, and he married Anne d'Auvergne in 1371.

Richard of Besançon, archbishop of Reims (d. 1389)

Enguerrand VII de Coucy (d. 1397)

Enguerrand VII de Coucy (1340 - 1397), lord of Coucy, only son and successor of Enguerrand VI de Coucy. Enguerrand VII was considered to be among the most skilled and experienced of French knights in the fourteenth century; he was offered twice the position of constable of France, the highest military office in France, which he refused both times. A master of diplomacy, Coucy managed to maintain both his allegiance to the king of France and to his English father-in-law Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. However, Coucy resigned all of his English honours upon the accession of Richard II on 26 August 1377.

Olivier IV de Clisson (d. 1407)

Olivier IV de Clisson (1336 - 1407), one of the most important of the Breton barons, son of Olivier III de Clisson and his second wife Jeanne de Belleville. He was raised at the court of Edward III of England to which he escaped with his mother after his father was executed as a traitor to the French crown. He fought on the English side, together with Jean IV de Montfort, the future duke of Brittany, at the battle of Auray in 1364. But as he was not rewarded for his services as promised by the Black Prince, he became reconciled with the French crown in 1367 and became a 'good Frenchman’ before succeeding Bertrand du Guesclin as supreme commander of the French armies as constable of France in 1380. He became one of the most powerful men in France. He was not, however, always well-regarded by his contemporaries.

Guy VI de la Trémoille (d. 1397)

Guy de la Trémoille (1346 - 1397), a chamberlain of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy; later councillor and chamberlain of king Charles VI of France. Son of Guy de la Trémoille and Radegonde de Guérand. He married Marie de Sully and gained the title of lord of Sully. She was daughter and heir of Louis I, lord of Sully, and Isabelle de Craon. John Bell Henneman has noted that Marie brought with her to this marriage such a large inheritance that it made the fortune of her husband's family.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

Charles VI’s four uncles

This refers to Louis I, duke of Anjou, John I, duke of Berry, Philip, duke of Burgundy and Louis II, duke of Bourbon.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

Abbey of Saint-Thierry near Rheims

Rheims

Rheims on the river Vesle, France, administrative centre of the Marne canton, was unsuccessfully besieged by Edward III for a month at the end of 1359, as described in Book I of the Chronicles.

People of Rheims

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

Paris

Parisians

Paris

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

John, duke of Berry

John duke of Berry (1340 - 1416), third son of king John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg, brother of king Charles V of France, and uncle of king Charles VI. John married Jeanne d'Armagnac, the daughter of count Jean I and sister of count Jean II. John of Berry, with his brother Philip, duke of Burgundy, were dominant figures in the French kingdom and in French politics during most of Charles VI's reign, first due to the minority of the king, and later because of his insanity.

Languedoc

Languedoc, a former royal province in the southern-most part of France, to the north and north-west of Nîmes (comprising the Gévaudan, Vivarais and Velay). Today, the Languedoc corresponds to the regions of the Haute-Garonne, Aude, Lozère and Haute-Loire.

Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)

Philippe, known as 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy (1342 - 1404), fourth son of Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. The duke of Burgundy was a prominent figure in the government of France during the reign of his nephew Charles VI, especially after 1392 when the king began to suffer from recurring bouts of insanity that gave the dukes of Berry and Burgundy the opportunity to seize power from Charles VI's trusted administrators, known as the Marmousets. Philippe married Margaret de Male, countess of Flanders, and this marriage eventually not only reunited the duchy of Burgundy with the 'free' counties of Burgundy and Artois, but also brought the wealthy counties of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel under the control of the duke of Burgundy. Thus this marriage alliance, and the consequent marriages of the duke of Burgundy's children, created the basis for the Grand Duchy of the West, a quasi-independent state rather than a mere fief of the French crown.

Picardy

A historical province of France.

Normandy

Duchy to the north-west of the Île-de-France, bordered by the Channel; governed by the dauphin Charles, as Lieutenant of Normandy, until his accession to the French throne in 1364.

Louis I, duke of Anjou (d. 1384)

Louis I of Anjou (1339 - 1384), first count then duke of Anjou, second son of king Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. He married Marie of Blois, countess of Guise, in 1360. He was appointed duke of Anjou in 1360 and king of Sicily in 1382; died in 1384. He spent several years in the South, but did not enjoy a good reputation in the region.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).