[MR] Wikipedia: John the Good, King of France

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

A few years ago I read a now forgotten book from the UVA library on the
history of France. The author, a major French historian, described John II
(aka "John the Good") as the WORST king of France. I disagree. John would
be better described as the most unfortunate king of France. During his
reign (1350-1364) he had to face an internal war against private armies of
freebooters, the black death, and and a renewed English invasion during the
Hundred Years War. In addition, his sense of honor ranks John among the
most honest men in all of French history.

On this date, 19 September 1356, John personally led the French forces at
the disastrous Battle of Poitiers. Despite the presence of 17 body doubles
and matching entourages, John was recognized and captured, along with his
14 year-old son Philip (later Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy) who put up
a spirited defence of his father. John was turned over to the Black Prince,
who personally served him at table. John was still a prisoner of war, and
was taken off captivity in England. It was a cushy imprisonment. John was
loaned the Black Prince's Savoy Palace (later the site of the super-swanky
Savoy Hotel, and the Savoy Theatre where D'oyly Carte produced Gilbert &
Sullivan's famous comic operas). John was allowed his own court, including
a small orchestra, and was a frequent and honored guest at the English
court.

Under the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny, John's ransom was set at 3 million écus,
certainly a king's ransom. John was allowed to return to France to raise
the money, with suitable high-status substitute hostages given into English
custody. The hostages included John's own son Louis of Anjou, who was held
in gentle English confinement at Calais.

In 1362 Louis, perhaps tired of English food, decamped from Calais to
pursue his own dreams of a kingdom in Italy. John, already in poor health,
was scandalized by this breach of honor. Despite entreaties from his Dukes
to stiff the English, to preserve his honor John voluntarily returned to
England. He arrived in January 1364 to massive cheering crowds. Three
months later he was dead.

Modern medical scholars who have read the description of John's declining
health have suggested that he was poisoned with arsenic. Certainly the
English had nothing to gain by John's death. Although there is no firm
evidence, my favorite suspect would be an agent in the pay of Charles, King
of Navarre, better known to history as "Charles the Bad" (King John's
son-in-law). He switched sides in the Hundred Years War about as often as
he changed his shorts. When the ducal throne of Burgundy was empty, it was
given to John over an irate Charles, who had a nearly equal claim. Charles
sometimes bragged about how many enemies he had supposedly offed with
poison (over 60, including an unnamed Cardinal). Charles makes a perfect
suspect.

And the ransom? France stopped the payments after John died. Collecting the
balance was one of the excuses Henry V made for resuming his phase of the
Hundred years war some 50 years later.

You can read more about John the Good at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_II_of_France .

Yours Aye,

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