[MR] Wikipedia: Birth of Louis I, Duke of Orléans

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

On this date in 1372 Louis I, Duke of Orléans and brother of the French
King Charles VI (aka "Charles the Mad") was born. His birth really rates a
"ho-hum" in history. It was his spectacular death and its consequences that
are of interest.

As an adult Louis developed a reputation as one of France's greatest
womanizers. He was reputed to have included his own sister-in-law, the
Queen Consort Isabeau of Bavaria, among his many mistresses. His pleasures
would eventually be his downfall.

As a royal brother, Louis was a member of the king's council, and the
regency council which ruled during Charles' madder moments. Louis
frequently clashed with his cousins, the Dukes of Burgundy, particularly
with Philip the Bold, whom Louis accused of public corruption (both of them
likely had their hands in the till). Upon Philip's death in 1404, his son
John the Fearless became Duke of Burgundy. Their rivalry turned deadly when
Louis was accused of raping the wife of one of John's chief retainers.

On 20 November 1407, as Louis was leaving the Queen's house, he was set
upon by a group of assassins in the pay of John the Fearless. Louis was
dragged from his horse, daggered repeatedly, and left dead almost on the
Queen's doorstep. John never denied being behind the murder, and even had
an important cleric deliver a sermon justifying the killing of tyrants.

The major effect of the murder was civil war between two rival branches of
the House of Valois. The new Duke of Orléans, Charles, joined with his
father-in-law the powerful Duke of Armagnac. The Armagnac faction continued
the civil war against Burgundy even after Charles of Orléans was captured
at the Battle of Agincourt. (Charles spent the next 25 years of his life
writing poetry as a pampered "guest" of the English.) The Burgundians made
common cause with the English against France and the Armagnacs. The civil
war sapped France of much of its strength in the next phase of the Hundred
Years War with the English.

John the Fearless should have feared more. During peace negotiations in
1419, he was assassinated by the Armagnacs, with the almost certain support
of the future King Charles VII. John was succeeded by his son Philip the
Good as Duke of Burgundy. Through his possessions in the Low Countries,
Philip became one of the richest men in Europe and was a major player in
European politics independent of France.

See how one thing leads to another in history?

More about Louis, Duke of Orléans is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_I,_Duke_of_Orléans .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆