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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 2000-03 > 0952131219


From: "D. Spencer Hines" <>
Subject: Re: Charles d'Orleans
Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2000 00:53:39 GMT


Did Mike Talbot discretely grant permission for the publication of this
lengthy excerpt from his article on Charles, duc d'Orleans?

1. If so, fine.

2. If not, bad show.
--

D. Spencer Hines

Lux et Veritas et Libertas

"When you have to shoot, shoot -- don't talk." Eli Wallach as Tuco
Ramirez in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" -- Sergio Leone [1966]



<> wrote in message news:...
|
| In a message dated 3/1/2000 11:09:42 AM, writes:
|
| << am seeking any historical trivia that could confirm
| or deny the story. Perhaps you know, or could suggest a site to post
the
| question, or a published source??
| Andrew Waller >>
|
| An article and an ahnentafel on Charles d'Orleans was published in THE
| PLANTAGENET CONNECTION in October 1994. It is still available in the
back
| issues, bound in book form for 1993-1997. The article and research
was by
| GenMedL member Mike Talbot. Here is an excerpt:
| _______________
| CHARLES d'ORLEANS and his poetry were briefly touched upon in the
Plantagenet
| Connection, Volume 2, No.1. This grandson of kings and father to
another was
| one of the most fascinating men of his time, a time filled with
fascinating
| people. He was a cousin to the Plantagenets by many paths. His long
life
| epitomized the meaning of the ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in
| interesting times."
|
| His journey to fame began in 1394 when he was born into a powerful,
| enlightened, wealthy and idyllic family. These early years were
blessed by a
| lull in the 100 Years War. His father, Louis, doted upon all of his
| children. He stressed and participated in their academic, ethical and
| spiritual education--something that was rare for that era. He also
excelled
| at the usual chivalric and military training for the young boys.
|
| His mother, Valentina Visconti, heiress to the Duchy of Milan, ranks
as one
| of the most loving, kind, forgiving, and dutiful women in history.
When her
| husband sheepishly presented her with an illegitimate son from a brief
tryst,
| [1403, the famous Jean Count d'Dunois, "le Bastard d'Orleans," son of
the
| noble woman, Mariette de CANY], her words were: "My only regret is
that I
| could not bring this fine son to you, from this day, he is our own."
|
| She was true to her pledge.
|
| In 1406, at age 12, Charles d'Orleans was married to the love of his
life,
| cousin Isabelle de Valois. Isabelle was the pretty, 17-year-old widow
of King
| Richard II of England. At first, Isabelle scorned her marriage to "a
mere
| child of non-regal position." Charles' natural gifts of charm, wit,
and his
| budding poetic talents soon won her heart. After three years, she was
to
| bear him a beautiful daughter. Was this the stuff of fairy tales?
|
| At the peak of Charles' youthful utopia, his entire world began to
| collapse. In 1407, Charles' father was brutally assassinated and
mutilated by
| the henchmen of the Duke of Burgundy. This act would begin the long
| Armagnac-Burgundy French civil war.
|
| In a year, his mother had grieved herself to death. The cruelest blow
was to
| fall on 13 September 1409, when his beloved Isabelle was taken from
him by
| complications of childbirth.
|
| By this time, the insanity of Charles' uncle and father-in-law, King
| Charles VI, had become obvious, leading France to many disasters.
Charles
| most personal disaster was his capture, while embarrassingly mired in
the
| mud, at the 1415 debacle of Azincourt, shortly before his 21st
birthday.
|
| He had to watch the murder of thousands of his fellow
prisoners-of-war and
| friends when the English, in a panic, mistook a small raiding party
for the
| arrival of the main French army (still stretched out on the road from
| Paris). His life was saved only by his high ransom potential.
|
| A quarter-century of captivity followed. His 21st birthday present
while in
| prison, was the news of the death of his second wife, petite Bonne
| d'Armagnac, far away, in France (Her father, Bernard VII, Count
d'Armagnac,
| was the leader of Charles' faction of the civil war in France). Few
mortals
| experience such pinnacles and depths of emotion in a full
| "three-score-and-ten."
|
| Charles' integrity, chivalry and charm soon won his release from the
| dungeons and freedom to roam the English Court. He quickly gained the
| friendship and admiration of the lords and became a favorite with the
ladies.
| It is without doubt that he has many anonymous, perhaps Plantagenet,
English
| descendants.
|
| From his "velvet prison," Charles d'Orleans secretly and successfully
| directed the Armagnac side of the civil war in France. He diverted
funds
| intended for his ransom to that effort, a measure of revenge for the
untimely
| demise of his father. He was to hear of the glory and then unjust
execution
| of the peasant girl, General Jeanne d'Arc. He received the tidings
that his
| half-brother, Jean count Dunois, had distinguished himself in the
service of
| that Maid of Orleans. Charles also received the grievous news that his
| daughter, Jeanne, wife to Jean Count d'Alencon, this beloved vestige
of his
| cherished Isabelle, had died in 1432.
|
| Upon his return to France, the "Mad King" Charles VI, had died and
the
| capable Charles VII"the Victorious," ruled. But the turbulence was to
| continue. Charles d'Orleans was to witness the shameful trial and
execution
| of Gilles de Rais de Laval, a distant cousin and war hero, the
infamous
| Bluebeard, perverted torturer and murderer of 400 young boys. He
failed in
| his attempt to regain the Duchy of Milan, inherited from his mother.
His
| admired son-in-law, Jean d'Alencon, impoverished by the war, sold out
to the
| English and was tried and executed for treason. Charles was to
participate in
| the successful conclusion to the 100 Years War. He lived to watch his
old
| enemy, England, mired in the War of the Roses, and thus no longer a
threat.
|
| Charles duc d'Orleans, the fires of youth slaked to a warm glow, was
| comfortably married to young Marie de Cleves in 1440. They had three
loving
| children that they doted on just as Charles' parents had doted upon
him and
| his siblings. Charles, Marie, two daughters and son, the future King
Louis
| XII, were to live in peace, at last. After so much turmoil, his final
days
| were amply filled with his family and the evenings with his treasured
books,
| writings, and mixed thoughts of his Plantagenet cousins, so long ago.
He was
| to die, peacefully in bed, during a visit to Amboise Castle, the night
of 4
| January 1465, aged 70. A portion of his pedigree follows this article.
|
| Biography and Recommended reading:
|
| Charles Duke of Orleans, Poet and Prince, by Norma Goodrich,
Macmillan, N.Y.,
| 1963.
|
| - Ken
|
| Kenneth Harper Finton
| Editor/ Publisher
| THE PLANTAGENET CONNECTION
|
| _____________________HT COMMUNICATIONS____________________
| PO Box 1401 Arvada, CO 80001 USA
| Voice: 303-420-4888 Fax: 303-420-4845 e-mail:
| Homepage: http://members.aol.com/TPConnect/page2.htm

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