[MR] Wikipedia: Bal des Ardents

[Garth Groff via Atlantia]

Noble Friends,

I've posted in the past about Charles VI of France, House Valois, or 
Charles the Mad. One of the greatest tragedies in his life was the Bal 
des Ardents, held on this date in 1393. This was a masquerade party were 
the King and six of his high nobles and knights dressed as wildmen in 
pitch-soaked costumes. Not surprisingly, somebody caught fire, spreading 
the flames to the other dancers. Four men died from their burns, while 
the King and two others survived: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_des_Ardents . Had the King, or the 
Duke of Orleans died, the whole history of Europe would have been much 
different.

The King's insanity and the consequent weakness of France gave Henry V 
an opportunity to invade and press his rather dodgy claim to the throne 
(through the children of John of Gaunt). The madness also allowed the 
ascendency of the frequent regent, the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Bold, 
followed in that office by his son and grandson. The Dukes of Burgundy 
became some of the richest and most powerful men in Western Europe, and 
it was the grandson, Philip the Good, who arranged the marriage of Henry 
V and the princess Catherine of Valois. She passed her father's madness 
to the future Henry VI, and his insanity eventually led to the Wars of 
the Roses.

As for the Duke of Orleans, he may have been the actual father of the 
next French King Charles VII, and his conflict with the Dukes of 
Burgundy led to civil war which the English were able to exploit in 
their conquest of France.

Every act has consequences, and Charles VI's insanity reverberated down 
through history. Isn't it fascinating how all this stuff fits together?

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Who is Fascinated with the House Valois and its 
Burgundian Branch