Jean Ier of Burgundy

See also: Jean of Nevers, Jean of Burgundy

Jean Ier of Burgundy , known as Jean without Fear , duke of Burgundy, count de Flandre, of Artois and Charolais, Count Palatine of Burgundy, lord of Mâcon, Châlons and other places (May 28th 1371 with Dijon - September 10th 1419 with Montereau-Fault-Yonne), was close reconstituting old the Lotharingie; but fault of knowing to be binding to the English, this prince reformist did not manage to counter the reaction of the Armagnac party. It lost finally Paris and found death at the time of an interview with its rival Charles VII of France.

Biography

It is born the May 28th 1371 with the Palais from the dukes from Burgundy to Dijon. He is the oldest son of the duke Philippe II of Burgundy (known as Philippe the Bold one) and of the duchess and countess Marguerite III of Flanders.
He is the brother of Antoine of Burgundy, duke of the Brabant and Limbourg, and also count of Rethel.
He is initially count de Nevers in 1384, county which he gives up in 1404 with his brother Philippe

He marries, the April 12th 1385 with Cambrai, Marguerite of Bavaria, girl of Albert Ier, count of Hainaut, Holland and Zealand from which he has a son and seven girls:

Philippe the Good, his successor who marries in 1409 Michelle de Valois, girl of the king Charles VI of France then in second weddings Bonne of Artois, and in third weddings Isabelle of Portugal, mother of Charles Bold the, duke of Burgundy;
Marguerite of Burgundy (1393 - 1441), countess of Gien and Montargis, wife 1°) in 1409 the duke Louis de Guyenne, wire of the king Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria then, 2°) in 1423 Arthur, semi-official count of Richmond, then duke of Brittany, Constable of France;
Catherine is promised in marriage to Philippe of Orleans (1396-1420), with Louis III of Anjou and finally with the future Henri V of England she will marry Louis III of Anjou, duke of Own way);
Marie marries in 1406 Adolphe IV of Marck, duke of Clèves;
Isabelle marries in 1406 with Olivier de Châtillon, count de Penthièvre;
Anne of Burgundy wife in 1423, Jean of Lancaster, duke of Bedford.
Agnes wife in 1425 with Charles Ier of which Isabelle who marries her cousin the duke Charles the Bold one of Burgundy, and Louis de Bourbon, count of Clermont-in-Beauvaisis, then duke of Bourbon.
Jeanne;
Jean VI, bishop of Cambric (wire bastard)

It takes part in the Croisade undertaken by Sigismond of Hungary against the Turks, fights valiantly and is taken at the time of the demolished battle of Nicopolis the September 25th 1396. His/her father, Philippe borrowed to pay his ransom 200.000 guilders with his adviser Dino Rapondi, a banker of Lucques.

Returned in France in 1398, it succeeds his/her father dead of this one in 1404 becomes duke of Burgundy and with died of his/her mother in 1405, count de Flandre, of Artois and count de Bourgogne. At thirty-three years, it is then a man ripe, tested and considered.

The duke Jean is reforming by taste of healthy administrative management as much as by opportunity, because the young brother of the king Charles VI of France, the duke of Orleans Louis de France now puts the hand on the royal council and the financial resources of the state: the share of the royal money in the resources of the duke of Burgundy decreases by half. And Jean without Peur is nothing any more but the cousin of the king, whereas his/her father had been one of the uncles to the government. He thus handles with skill the demagogy, acquires sympathies in the Parisian middle-class and fact causes common with the idealists of the university of Paris, always ready to mix the reform with the Church, as solution of the Schisme, and kingdom reforms it, like way towards the political virtue.

In its principalities, it can moderate its ambitions, so that the construction of the Burgundian State surely progresses: it unifies the Comté of Burgundy by integrating there the Archevêché of Besancon, bond between Burgundy and Burgundian Netherlands, establishes in the Principauté of Liege a obliging Prince-bishop. It appendix Thunder, Boulogne and the Picardy…

Not to be évincé of the capacity in the kingdom, he threatens Paris in 1405, then makes assassinate Louis of Orleans in 1407. The other large ones of the kingdom league against him around Bernard VII of Armagnac. the country sinks in the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundian.

It supports the reforming movement which appears at the time of the general states of 1413, is by there implied in the insurrection cabochienne and thus alienates the moderate ones.

It must leave Paris in abruptly 1413, leaving room to the armagnaque reaction. Returned in force in the capital in 1418, he thinks of being able to control the kingdom with the favor of the disease of the king. But it finasse with the English, of which it does not intend to be the enemy without wanting for being combined as much with the winners of the Bataille of Azincourt.

He plays in addition a too ambiguous political game with the dolphin Charles VII of France, which wishes the reconciliation to face the English invasion (Guerre One hundred Year old), but whose entourage Armagnac fears to see the future king entering the political sights of the party of Burgundy.

Jean without fear is assassinated the September 10th 1419 by some henchmen of the Armagnacs at the time of an interview with the dolphin with Montereau-Fault-Yonne close to Paris. With its death, it appears that one was unable to close the eyes to him! It is also claimed that its corpse, left a time with the abandonment, half was devoured by the wolves.

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