Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria .
Isabeau of Bavaria, was Queen of France from 1385 to 1422.She was married to the French King, Charles VI, and ruled as Regent when Charles succumbed to his bouts of madness.
Because of the absolute turmoil in her life, Queen Isabeau, has gone down as one of the greatest villainesses in history.By the end of her reign, so much, scandal, revenge, and death had happened around her, people even whispered that she was actually a sorceress.
From an early age, it was clear to anyone who saw her, that Isabeau was going to be beautiful.She apparently inherited her mother’s dark “Italian” features, which gave her a mesmerizing beauty, in an era that preferred blondes.
Isabeau quickly learned to use her femme fatale looks, to their full effect.
Isabeau adored putting on enormous displays of fashion, as well as wealth, which didn’t make her any more loved by the French people.She wore dresses dripping in gems, coiled their hair into massive braids, and wore hats so big the palace had to renovate doorways to allow the women through them.
Isabeau was a fierce tiger mother, and she would do absolutely anything, to protect her sons and daughters.She insisted they travel with her and, even more unusually for the time, demanded that her sons live in her household.
When she was away, she frequently bought them gifts and continually wrote them letters.
She had six sons and six daughters.
The first son, born in 1386, died as an infant and the last, Philip, born in 1407, lived a single day.
Three others died young, with only her youngest son, Charles VII, living to adulthood.
Five of the six daughters survived, four were married and one, Marie, was sent at age four to be raised in a convent, where she became prioress.
To many of her enemies at court, Isabeau was a luxuriating and extravagant woman.One source claims she had so many pregnancies, because she loved the gifts that came with expecting a new heir to the throne, while another depicts her living “on the delights of the flesh.”
In 1392, Charles suffered the first attack, of what was to become a lifelong and progressive mental illness, resulting in periodic withdrawal from government.On a hot August day, he attacked his household knights, including his brother Orléans, killing four men.
After the attack he fell into a coma that lasted four days.
Isabeau was understandably upset that her husband went insane, and her reaction wasn't received well.The queen removed herself from the royal palace, during the worst of his illness, attracting bitter criticism from the court, for her abandonment of her king.
Charles then decided to make Isabeau the official guardian of their son and heir, the Dauphin.He also allowed her to negotiate peace treaties, but all this power put a terrifying target on Isabeau’s back.
Suddenly, 22 year old Isabeau, had gone from hot trophy wife, to one of the only people who could hold Charles’s reign together.Isabeau’s influence grew in court, and her enemies grew along with it.
She sat on the regency council, allowing far more power than was usual for a medieval queen.
Isabeau was a talented diplomat, who navigated court politics with ease, using her cunning, grace and charisma.
As Charles’s madness grew more pronounced, rumors started swirling that Isabeau developed a wandering eye—for the worst person imaginable.According to some sources, she took up with her own brother-in-law Louis, the Duke of Orleans.
Because Louis was King Charles VI’s brother, their relationship was considered incest.
The nobles were repulsed and indignant, and plotted to be rid of the Duke.
In 1407, the assassination of Isabeau's rumored lover, the Duke of Orleans, took place.According to reports of the time, assailants chopped the Duke into many pieces and left him in a gutter.
Meanwhile, Charles' bouts of illness continued, and he would remain this way, until his death.The two still felt mutual affection, and Isabeau exchanged gifts and letters with him during his periods of lucidity, but distanced herself during the prolonged attacks of insanity.
France was in absolute shambles by this time.Civil conflict raged internally, the country was fighting English forces on its borders—and losing badly.
With little bargaining power and zero eligible heirs left, Charles and Isabeau signed the notorious Treaty of Troyes, which handed over much of France, to a king of England, Henry V.
As part of the treaty, their daughter, Catherine of Valois, was married to Henry V, and became Queen of England.
On Henry's death, Catherine would go on to marry Owen Tudor, starting the Tudor dynasty.
Isabeau's life is well documented, most likely because Charles' illness, placed her in an unusual position of power.Isabeau was often seen as a spendthrift, and an irresponsible philandering adultress.
She was dismissed by historians in the past, as a wanton, weak, and indecisive leader.
Rumored to be a bad mother, she was accused of "incest, moral corruption, treason, luxurious, meddlesome, scheming, and a spendthrift queen
Modern historians now see her as taking an unusually active leadership role for a queen of her period, forced to take responsibility as a direct result of Charles' illness
They concluded, that many unflattering elements of her reputation, were unearned and stemmed from propaganda, from her enemies.
After signing the Treaty of Troyes and the death of King Charles VI in 1422, Isabeau wisely retreated from any political meddling.She lived out the rest of her days in relative peace.
On 24th September 1435, she died, aged 65, and was interred next to her husband Charles VI, at The Basilica of Saint-Denis.
.
Source~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabeau_of_BavariaSource~ https://www.factinate.com/people/isabeau-bavaria/
.
https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders
Reacties
Een reactie posten