[MR] Wikipedia: Death of John the Bad

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble friends,

On this day in 1387 Charles II, King of Navarre, died in the most horrid of
circumstances. He was known as Charles the Faithless for his many broken
allegiances during the Hundred Years Wars and the later Spanish wars. He is
also known as Charles the Bad for the 60-70 people he claimed to have
poisoned, either personally or through agents. His victims might have
included the French King John II, though this was one he didn't brag about.
The King's possible death from arsenic poisoning remains an unsolved
mystery.

To make matters more interesting, Charles was King John's son-in-law,
through marriage to Joan of France. This gave him a claim on the French
throne from his maternal grandfather, Louis X, though this would have been
disallowed because of female descent under the Salic Law of France.
However, his great-grandfather was the French King Philip III through a
parallel all-male line.

Charles never got his butt even close to the French throne, which no doubt
rankled him greatly. He hated Navarre, and thought it was something of a
backwater. He much preferred his lands in Normandy, particularly the County
of Évreux, Mortain, and parts of Vexin and Cotentin, though here he was a
mere count. After 1361, Charles was stuck in Navarre, where he continued to
spin plots and betray his various allies. Although Navarre was a rather
insignificant kingdom, its location in the Pyrenees astride several
important mountain passes between France and Spain made it strategically
important, and Charles played this for all that he could.

His end finally came in 1387. At 54, Charles' body was debilitated and now
bedridden. His doctor ordered him wrapped like a mummy in bandages soaked
in brandy. Either through the mistake of a clumsy serving maid, or via the
hot coals used to warm his bed, Charles was flabéed in his bandages. He
lingered in great pain for almost two weeks before finally dying. Charles
II's end was greeted by many nobles of Europe as just punishment for his
various crimes and betrayals.

More about Charles of Navarre [one of my favorite villains] is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_Navarre .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.