Difference between revisions of "John II of France" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Infobox French Royalty|monarch
 
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|name=John II the Good
 
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|title=King of France
 
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|image=JeanIIdFrance.jpg
 
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|caption=Portrait of John painted on wood panel around 1350, [[Louvre Museum]]
 
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|reign=22 August 1350 – 8 April 1364
 
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|coronation=26 September 1350,
 
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|predecessor=[[Philip VI of France|Philip VI]]
 
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|successor=[[Charles V of France|Charles V]]
 
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|spouse=[[Bonne of Bohemia]]<br /> [[Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne]]
 
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|issue=[[Charles V of France|Charles V]]<br /> [[Louis I of Naples]]<br />[[John, Duke of Berry]]<br /> [[Philip II, Duke of Burgundy]]<br /> [[Jeanne de Valois, Queen of Navarre|Jeanne, Queen of Navarre]]
 
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|royal house=[[House of Valois]]
 
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|royal anthem =
 
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|father=[[Philip VI of France|Philip VI]]
 
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|mother=[[Joan the Lame|Joan of Burgundy]]
 
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|date of birth={{birth date|1319|4|16|df=y}}
 
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|place of birth=
 
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|date of death={{death date and age|1364|4|8|1319|4|16|df=y}}
 
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|place of death=[[Savoy Palace]], [[London]], [[England]]
 
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|place of burial=[[Saint Denis Basilica]]
 
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|}}
 
  
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'''John II''' (16 April 1319 &ndash; 8 April 1364), called '''John the Good''' ({{lang-fr|Jean le Bon}}), was [[Count of Anjou]], [[Count of Maine]], and [[Duke of Normandy]] from 1332, [[Count of Poitiers]] from 1344, [[Duke of Aquitaine]] from 1345, and [[King of France]] from 1350 until his death, as well as [[Duke of Burgundy]] (as '''John I''') from 1361 to 1363. By his marriage to [[Joanna I of Auvergne|Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne]], he became ''jure uxoris'' Count of [[Count of Auvergne|Auvergne]] and [[Count of Boulogne|Boulogne]] from 1349 to 1360. John was a member of the [[House of Valois]], and was the son of [[Philip VI of France|Philippe VI]] and [[Joan the Lame|Jeanne of Burgundy]].
+
[image=JeanIIdFrance.jpg|thumb|Portrait of John painted on wood panel around 1350, [[Louvre Museum]].]]
  
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John succeeded his father in 1350 and was crowned at [[Notre-Dame de Reims]]. As king, John surrounded himself with poor administrators, preferring to enjoy the good life his wealth as king brought. Later in his reign, he took over more of the administration himself.
+
'''John II''' (April 16 1319 &ndash; April 8 1364), called '''John the Good''' , was [[Count of Anjou]], Count of Maine]], and Duke of Normandy from 1332, [[Count of Poitiers]] from 1344, [[Duke of Aquitaine]] from 1345, and King of [[France]] from 1350 until his death, as well as [[Duke of Burgundy]] (as '''John I''') from 1361 to 1363. By his [[marriage]] to [[Joanna I of Auvergne|Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne]], he became ''jure uxoris'' Count of [[Count of Auvergne|Auvergne]] and [[Count of Boulogne|Boulogne]] from 1349 to 1360. John was a member of the [[House of Valois]], and was the son of [[Philip VI of France|Philippe VI]] and [[Joan the Lame|Jeanne of Burgundy]].
 +
 
 +
John succeeded his father in 1350 and was crowned at [[Notre-Dame de Reims]]. As king, John surrounded himself with poor administrators, preferring to enjoy the good life his wealth as king brought. Later in his reign, he took over more of the administration himself. In the [[Hundred Years' War]] begun by [[Edward III of England]] to assert his claim on the French throne, John suffered a humiliating defeat at the [[Battle of Poitiers]] in 1356. He was captured and taken to England, where he died before ransom money could be raised. He was succeeded by
  
 
==Early life==
 
==Early life==
 +
John’s father [[Philip VI of France|Philip VI]] took the throne of France in 1328 when John was still 9 years old. His succession had rested on a deliberate [[politics|political]] choice resulting from the deaths of [[Louis X of France|Louis X]] in 1316 and [[Charles IV of France|Charles IV]] in 1328 – preventing the crown from passing to women, and thus to Edward III of England, son of [[Isabelle of France]] and grandson of [[Philip IV of France|Philip the Fair]]. Edward, however, claimed the throne and launched the [[Hundred Years' War]] to try to gain this. The new king was therefore determined to assert the legitimacy of his dynasty. In 1332 the birth of [[Charles II of Navarre]] presented what was claimed to be a better claim to the crown of France than that of Edward. Charles II of Navarre was son of [[Joan II of Navarre]] and grandson of Louis X. Philip decided to marry off his son&mdash;then thirteen years old&mdash;quickly to form a strong matrimonial alliance, at the same time conferring upon him the title of [[Duke of Normandy]].
  
−
John’s father [[Philip VI of France|Philip VI]] took the throne of France in 1328 when John was still 9 years old. His succession had rested on a deliberate political choice resulting from the deaths of [[Louis X of France|Louis X]] in 1316 and [[Charles IV of France|Charles IV]] in 1328 – preventing the crown from passing to women, and hence to [[Edward III]] of England, son of Isabelle of France and grandson of [[Philip IV of France|Philip the Fair]]. The new king was therefore determined to assert the legitimacy of his dynasty. In 1332 the birth of [[Charles II of Navarre]] presented what was claimed to be a better claim to the crown of France than that of Edward. [[Charles II of Navarre]] was son of [[Joan II of Navarre]] and grandson of [[Louis X of France|Louis X]]. Philip therefore decided to marry off his son&mdash;then thirteen years old&mdash;quickly to form a strong matrimonial alliance, at the same time conferring upon him the title of [[Duke of Normandy]].
+
Thought was initially given to a marriage with [[Eleanor]], sister of the King of [[England]], but instead Philip invited [[John of Luxembourg]], [[King of Bohemia]], to [[Fontainebleau]] to propose an alliance which would be cemented by the marriage of one of John’s daughters with Philip’s son. Bohemia, which had aspirations towards [[Lombardy]] and needed French diplomatic support, accepted the deal. The military clauses of the treaty stipulated that in the event of war Bohemia would support the French army with four hundred infantrymen. The political clauses ensured that the Lombard crown would not be disputed if the King of Bohemia managed to obtain it. Philip selected [[Bonne of Bohemia]] as a wife for his son as she was closer to child-bearing age (16 years), and the dowry was fixed at 120,000 florins.
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Thought was initially given to a marriage with [[Eleanor]], sister of the King of England, but instead Philip invited [[John of Luxembourg]], [[King of Bohemia]], to [[Fontainebleau]] to propose an alliance which would be cemented by the marriage of one of John’s daughters with Philip’s son. Bohemia, which had aspirations towards [[Lombardy]] and needed French diplomatic support, accepted the deal. The military clauses of the treaty stipulated that in the event of war Bohemia would support the French army with four hundred infantrymen. The political clauses ensured that the Lombard crown would not be disputed if the King of Bohemia managed to obtain it. Philip selected [[Bonne of Bohemia]] as a wife for his son as she was closer to child-bearing age (16 years), and the dowry was fixed at 120,000 florins.
 
  
 
==Marriage with Bonne of Bohemia==
 
==Marriage with Bonne of Bohemia==
  
−
John came of age on 26 April 1332, and received overlordship of the duchy of Normandy, as well as the counties of [[Anjou]] and [[Maine]]. The wedding was celebrated on 28 July at the church of Notre-Dame in [[Melun]] in the presence of six thousand guests. The festivities were prolonged by a further two months when the young groom was finally knighted at the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. Duke John of Normandy was solemnly granted the arms of a knight in front of a prestigious assistance bringing together the kings of Luxembourg and [[Navarre]], and the dukes of [[Burgundy]], [[Lorraine]] and the [[Brabant]].
+
John came of age on 26 April 1332, and received overlordship of the duchy of Normandy, as well as the counties of [[Anjou]] and [[Maine]]. The wedding was celebrated on July 28 at the church of Notre-Dame in [[Melun]] in the presence of six thousand guests. The festivities were prolonged by a further two months when the young groom was finally knighted at the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. Duke John of Normandy was solemnly granted the arms of a knight in front of a prestigious assistance bringing together the kings of Luxembourg and [[Navarre]], and the dukes of [[Burgundy]], [[Lorraine]] and the [[Brabant]].
  
 
==Duke of Normandy==
 
==Duke of Normandy==
−
In 1332, John became Duke of Normandy in prerogative, and had to deal with the reality that most of the Norman nobility was already allied with the English camp. Effectively, Normandy depended economically more on maritime trade across the [[English Channel]] than it did by river trade on the [[Seine]]. The duchy had not been English for 150 years but many landowners had possessions across the Channel. Consequently, to line up behind one or other sovereign risked confiscation. Therefore the Norman nobility were governed as interdependent clans which allowed them to obtain and maintain charters guaranteeing the duchy a deal of autonomy. It was split into two key camps, the counts of [[Tancarville]] and the counts of [[Harcourt]] – which had been at conflict for generations<ref> Françoise Autrand, Charles V, Fayard 1994</ref>.
+
In 1332, John became Duke of Normandy in prerogative, and had to deal with the reality that most of the Norman nobility was already allied with the English camp. Effectively, Normandy depended economically more on maritime trade across the [[English Channel]] than it did by river trade on the [[Seine]]. The duchy had not been English for 150 years but many landowners had possessions across the Channel. Consequently, to line up behind one or other sovereign risked confiscation. Therefore the Norman nobility were governed as interdependent clans which allowed them to obtain and maintain charters guaranteeing the duchy a deal of autonomy. It was split into two key camps, the counts of [[Tancarville]] and the counts of [[Harcourt]] – which had been at conflict for generations.
  
 
Tension arose again in 1341. The king, worried about the richest area of the kingdom breaking into bloodshed, ordered the baillifs of [[Bayeux]] and [[Cotentin]] to quell the dispute. [[Geoffroy d' Harcourt]] raised troops against the king, rallying a number of nobles protective of their autonomy and against royal interference. The rebels demanded that Geoffroy be made duke, thus guaranteeing the autonomy granted by the charter. Royal troops took the castle at [[Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte]] and Geoffroy was exiled to the [[Brabant]]. Three of his  companions were decapitated in [[Paris]] on 3 April 1344<ref>Jean Favier, La Guerre de Cent Ans, Fayard 1980, p. 140</ref>.
 
Tension arose again in 1341. The king, worried about the richest area of the kingdom breaking into bloodshed, ordered the baillifs of [[Bayeux]] and [[Cotentin]] to quell the dispute. [[Geoffroy d' Harcourt]] raised troops against the king, rallying a number of nobles protective of their autonomy and against royal interference. The rebels demanded that Geoffroy be made duke, thus guaranteeing the autonomy granted by the charter. Royal troops took the castle at [[Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte]] and Geoffroy was exiled to the [[Brabant]]. Three of his  companions were decapitated in [[Paris]] on 3 April 1344<ref>Jean Favier, La Guerre de Cent Ans, Fayard 1980, p. 140</ref>.
  
−
By 1345 increasing numbers of Norman rebels had begun to pay homage to [[Edward III]], constituting a major threat to the legitimacy of the [[Valois]] kings. The defeat at [[Crécy]] and the rendering of [[Calais]] further damaged royal prestige. Defections by the nobility increased - particularly in the north and west whose land fell within the broad economic influence of England. Consequently the French king decided to seek a truce. Duke John met Geoffroy d' Harcourt, to whom the king agreed to return all confiscated goods; even appointing him sovereign captain in Normandy. John then approached the Tancarville which represented the key clan whose loyalty could ultimately ensure his authority in Normandy. The marriage of John, Viscount of [[Melun]] to Jeanne, the only heiress of the county of Tancarville ensured the Melun-Tancarville party remained loyal to John the Good, while Godefroy de Harcourt continued to act as defender for Norman freedoms and thus of the reforming party<ref> Françoise Autrand, Charles V, Fayard 1994, p. 60 </ref>.
+
By 1345 increasing numbers of Norman rebels had begun to pay homage to [[Edward III]], constituting a major threat to the legitimacy of the [[Valois]] kings. The defeat at [[Crécy]] and the rendering of [[Calais]] further damaged royal prestige. Defections by the nobility increased - particularly in the north and west whose land fell within the broad economic influence of England. Consequently the French king decided to seek a truce. Duke John met Geoffroy d' Harcourt, to whom the king agreed to return all confiscated goods; even appointing him sovereign captain in Normandy. John then approached the Tancarville which represented the key clan whose loyalty could ultimately ensure his authority in Normandy. The marriage of John, Viscount of [[Melun]] to Jeanne, the only heiress of the county of Tancarville ensured the Melun-Tancarville party remained loyal to John the Good, while Godefroy de Harcourt continued to act as defender for Norman freedoms and thus of the reforming party<ref> Autrand, page 60.</ref>.
  
 
== Treaty of Mantes ==
 
== Treaty of Mantes ==
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In 1354, John's son-in-law and cousin, [[Charles II of Navarre]], who, in addition to his small Pyrenean kingdom, also held extensive lands in [[Normandy]], was implicated in the assassination of the [[Constable of France]], [[Charles de la Cerda]]. Nevertheless, in order to have a strategic ally against the English in [[Gascony]], on 22 February 1354, John signed the [[Treaty of Mantes]] with Charles. The peace did not last between the two and Charles eventually struck up an alliance with [[Henry of Grosmont]], the first [[Duke of Lancaster]]. The next year (1355), John signed the [[Treaty of Valognes]] with Charles, but this second peace lasted hardly longer than the first. In 1355, the [[Hundred Years' War]] flared up again.  
 
In 1354, John's son-in-law and cousin, [[Charles II of Navarre]], who, in addition to his small Pyrenean kingdom, also held extensive lands in [[Normandy]], was implicated in the assassination of the [[Constable of France]], [[Charles de la Cerda]]. Nevertheless, in order to have a strategic ally against the English in [[Gascony]], on 22 February 1354, John signed the [[Treaty of Mantes]] with Charles. The peace did not last between the two and Charles eventually struck up an alliance with [[Henry of Grosmont]], the first [[Duke of Lancaster]]. The next year (1355), John signed the [[Treaty of Valognes]] with Charles, but this second peace lasted hardly longer than the first. In 1355, the [[Hundred Years' War]] flared up again.  
  
−
In the [[Battle of Poitiers (1356)]] against [[Edward, the Black Prince]], (son of [[Edward III of England|King Edward III of England]]), John suffered a humiliating defeat and was taken as captive back to England. While negotiating a peace accord, he was at first held in the [[Savoy Palace]], then at a variety of locations, including [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], [[Hertford Castle|Hertford]], [[Somerton Castle]] in [[Lincolnshire]], [[Berkhamsted Castle]] in [[Hertfordshire]] and briefly at [[King John's Lodge]], formerly known as [[Shortridges]], in [[East Sussex]]. A local tradition in [[St Albans]] is that he was held in a house in that town, at the site of the 15th-century Fleur de Lys inn, before he was moved to Hertford. There is a sign on the inn to that effect, but apparently no evidence to confirm the tradition [http://www.salbani.co.uk/Med%20Web/market_place.htm]. Eventually, John was taken to the [[Tower of London]].
+
In the [[Battle of Poitiers (1356)]] against [[Edward, the Black Prince]], (son of [[Edward III of England|King Edward III of England]]), John suffered a humiliating defeat and was taken as captive back to England. While negotiating a peace accord, he was at first held in the [[Savoy Palace]], then at a variety of locations, including [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], [[Hertford Castle|Hertford]], [[Somerton Castle]] in [[Lincolnshire]], [[Berkhamsted Castle]] in [[Hertfordshire]] and briefly at [[King John's Lodge]], formerly known as [[Shortridges]], in [[East Sussex]]. A local tradition in [[St Albans]] is that he was held in a house in that town, at the site of the 15th-century Fleur de Lys inn, before he was moved to Hertford. There is a sign on the inn to that effect, but apparently no evidence to confirm the tradition [http://www.salbani.co.uk/Med%20Web/market_place.htm]. Eventually, John was taken to the [[Tower of London]].
  
 
== Prisoner of the English ==
 
== Prisoner of the English ==
  
−
As a prisoner of the English, John was granted royal privileges, permitting him to travel about and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. At a time when law and order was breaking down in France and the government was having a hard time raising money for the defense of the realm, his account books during his captivity show that he was purchasing horses, pets, and clothes while maintaining an astrologer and a court band.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} 
+
As a prisoner of the English, John was granted royal privileges, permitting him to travel about and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. At a time when law and order was breaking down in France and the government was having a hard time raising money for the defense of the realm, his account books during his captivity show that he was purchasing horses, pets, and clothes while maintaining an astrologer and a court band.
  
 
[[Image:Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).jpg|thumb|200px|left|Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).]]
 
[[Image:Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).jpg|thumb|200px|left|Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).]]
 
The [[Treaty of Brétigny]] (1360) set his ransom at 3,000,000 crowns. Leaving his son [[Louis I of Anjou|Louis of Anjou]] in English-held [[Calais]] as a replacement hostage, John was allowed to return to France to raise the funds.
 
The [[Treaty of Brétigny]] (1360) set his ransom at 3,000,000 crowns. Leaving his son [[Louis I of Anjou|Louis of Anjou]] in English-held [[Calais]] as a replacement hostage, John was allowed to return to France to raise the funds.
  
−
While King John tried to raise the money, his son Louis, accorded the same royal dignity, easily escaped from the English. An angry King John surrendered himself again to the English, claiming an inability to pay the ransom as the reason. The true motive of John's decision remains murky today, with many pointing to the devastation in France caused by war with England and the [[Jacquerie]] [[Popular revolts in late medieval Europe|peasant uprising]] as likely candidates. His councillors and nearly the whole nation was critical of the decision, since they had sacrificed much to raise the ransom. When John arrived in England in early 1364, however, he was viewed with admiration by ordinary citizens and English royalty alike. Although treated with honor while held in the [[Savoy Palace]], he died in [[London]] a few months later.
+
While King John tried to raise the money, his son Louis, accorded the same royal dignity, easily escaped from the English. An angry King John surrendered himself again to the English, claiming an inability to pay the ransom as the reason. The true motive of John's decision remains murky today, with many pointing to the devastation in France caused by war with England and the [[Jacquerie]] [[Popular revolts in late medieval Europe|peasant uprising]] as likely candidates. His councillors and nearly the whole nation was critical of the decision, since they had sacrificed much to raise the ransom. When John arrived in England in early 1364, however, he was viewed with admiration by ordinary citizens and English royalty alike. Although treated with honor while held in the [[Savoy Palace]], he died in [[London]] a few months later.  
  
 
His body was returned to France, where he was interred in the royal chambers at [[Saint Denis Basilica]].
 
His body was returned to France, where he was interred in the royal chambers at [[Saint Denis Basilica]].
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[[Category:Counts of Anjou]]
 
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{{Credit|252003308}}

Revision as of 03:20, 18 November 2008

[image=JeanIIdFrance.jpg|thumb|Portrait of John painted on wood panel around 1350, Louvre Museum.]]

John II (April 16 1319 – April 8 1364), called John the Good , was Count of Anjou, Count of Maine]], and Duke of Normandy from 1332, Count of Poitiers from 1344, Duke of Aquitaine from 1345, and King of France from 1350 until his death, as well as Duke of Burgundy (as John I) from 1361 to 1363. By his marriage to Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne, he became jure uxoris Count of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1349 to 1360. John was a member of the House of Valois, and was the son of Philippe VI and Jeanne of Burgundy.

John succeeded his father in 1350 and was crowned at Notre-Dame de Reims. As king, John surrounded himself with poor administrators, preferring to enjoy the good life his wealth as king brought. Later in his reign, he took over more of the administration himself. In the Hundred Years' War begun by Edward III of England to assert his claim on the French throne, John suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. He was captured and taken to England, where he died before ransom money could be raised. He was succeeded by

Early life

John’s father Philip VI took the throne of France in 1328 when John was still 9 years old. His succession had rested on a deliberate political choice resulting from the deaths of Louis X in 1316 and Charles IV in 1328 – preventing the crown from passing to women, and thus to Edward III of England, son of Isabelle of France and grandson of Philip the Fair. Edward, however, claimed the throne and launched the Hundred Years' War to try to gain this. The new king was therefore determined to assert the legitimacy of his dynasty. In 1332 the birth of Charles II of Navarre presented what was claimed to be a better claim to the crown of France than that of Edward. Charles II of Navarre was son of Joan II of Navarre and grandson of Louis X. Philip decided to marry off his son—then thirteen years old—quickly to form a strong matrimonial alliance, at the same time conferring upon him the title of Duke of Normandy.

Thought was initially given to a marriage with Eleanor, sister of the King of England, but instead Philip invited John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia, to Fontainebleau to propose an alliance which would be cemented by the marriage of one of John’s daughters with Philip’s son. Bohemia, which had aspirations towards Lombardy and needed French diplomatic support, accepted the deal. The military clauses of the treaty stipulated that in the event of war Bohemia would support the French army with four hundred infantrymen. The political clauses ensured that the Lombard crown would not be disputed if the King of Bohemia managed to obtain it. Philip selected Bonne of Bohemia as a wife for his son as she was closer to child-bearing age (16 years), and the dowry was fixed at 120,000 florins.

Marriage with Bonne of Bohemia

John came of age on 26 April 1332, and received overlordship of the duchy of Normandy, as well as the counties of Anjou and Maine. The wedding was celebrated on July 28 at the church of Notre-Dame in Melun in the presence of six thousand guests. The festivities were prolonged by a further two months when the young groom was finally knighted at the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. Duke John of Normandy was solemnly granted the arms of a knight in front of a prestigious assistance bringing together the kings of Luxembourg and Navarre, and the dukes of Burgundy, Lorraine and the Brabant.

Duke of Normandy

In 1332, John became Duke of Normandy in prerogative, and had to deal with the reality that most of the Norman nobility was already allied with the English camp. Effectively, Normandy depended economically more on maritime trade across the English Channel than it did by river trade on the Seine. The duchy had not been English for 150 years but many landowners had possessions across the Channel. Consequently, to line up behind one or other sovereign risked confiscation. Therefore the Norman nobility were governed as interdependent clans which allowed them to obtain and maintain charters guaranteeing the duchy a deal of autonomy. It was split into two key camps, the counts of Tancarville and the counts of Harcourt – which had been at conflict for generations.

Tension arose again in 1341. The king, worried about the richest area of the kingdom breaking into bloodshed, ordered the baillifs of Bayeux and Cotentin to quell the dispute. Geoffroy d' Harcourt raised troops against the king, rallying a number of nobles protective of their autonomy and against royal interference. The rebels demanded that Geoffroy be made duke, thus guaranteeing the autonomy granted by the charter. Royal troops took the castle at Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte and Geoffroy was exiled to the Brabant. Three of his companions were decapitated in Paris on 3 April 1344[1].

By 1345 increasing numbers of Norman rebels had begun to pay homage to Edward III, constituting a major threat to the legitimacy of the Valois kings. The defeat at Crécy and the rendering of Calais further damaged royal prestige. Defections by the nobility increased - particularly in the north and west whose land fell within the broad economic influence of England. Consequently the French king decided to seek a truce. Duke John met Geoffroy d' Harcourt, to whom the king agreed to return all confiscated goods; even appointing him sovereign captain in Normandy. John then approached the Tancarville which represented the key clan whose loyalty could ultimately ensure his authority in Normandy. The marriage of John, Viscount of Melun to Jeanne, the only heiress of the county of Tancarville ensured the Melun-Tancarville party remained loyal to John the Good, while Godefroy de Harcourt continued to act as defender for Norman freedoms and thus of the reforming party[2].

Treaty of Mantes

John II ennobling his knights, BNF

In 1354, John's son-in-law and cousin, Charles II of Navarre, who, in addition to his small Pyrenean kingdom, also held extensive lands in Normandy, was implicated in the assassination of the Constable of France, Charles de la Cerda. Nevertheless, in order to have a strategic ally against the English in Gascony, on 22 February 1354, John signed the Treaty of Mantes with Charles. The peace did not last between the two and Charles eventually struck up an alliance with Henry of Grosmont, the first Duke of Lancaster. The next year (1355), John signed the Treaty of Valognes with Charles, but this second peace lasted hardly longer than the first. In 1355, the Hundred Years' War flared up again.

In the Battle of Poitiers (1356) against Edward, the Black Prince, (son of King Edward III of England), John suffered a humiliating defeat and was taken as captive back to England. While negotiating a peace accord, he was at first held in the Savoy Palace, then at a variety of locations, including Windsor, Hertford, Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire, Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire and briefly at King John's Lodge, formerly known as Shortridges, in East Sussex. A local tradition in St Albans is that he was held in a house in that town, at the site of the 15th-century Fleur de Lys inn, before he was moved to Hertford. There is a sign on the inn to that effect, but apparently no evidence to confirm the tradition [1]. Eventually, John was taken to the Tower of London.

Prisoner of the English

As a prisoner of the English, John was granted royal privileges, permitting him to travel about and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. At a time when law and order was breaking down in France and the government was having a hard time raising money for the defense of the realm, his account books during his captivity show that he was purchasing horses, pets, and clothes while maintaining an astrologer and a court band.

Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).

The Treaty of Brétigny (1360) set his ransom at 3,000,000 crowns. Leaving his son Louis of Anjou in English-held Calais as a replacement hostage, John was allowed to return to France to raise the funds.

While King John tried to raise the money, his son Louis, accorded the same royal dignity, easily escaped from the English. An angry King John surrendered himself again to the English, claiming an inability to pay the ransom as the reason. The true motive of John's decision remains murky today, with many pointing to the devastation in France caused by war with England and the Jacquerie peasant uprising as likely candidates. His councillors and nearly the whole nation was critical of the decision, since they had sacrificed much to raise the ransom. When John arrived in England in early 1364, however, he was viewed with admiration by ordinary citizens and English royalty alike. Although treated with honor while held in the Savoy Palace, he died in London a few months later.

His body was returned to France, where he was interred in the royal chambers at Saint Denis Basilica.

Personality

John suffered from fragile health. He engaged little in physical activity, practised jousting rarely, and only occasionally hunted. Contemporaries report that he was quick to get angry and resort to violence, leading to frequent political and diplomatic confrontations. He enjoyed literature, and was patron to painters and musicians.

The image of a 'warrior king' probably emerged from the courage in battle he showed at Poitiers, and the creation of the Order of the Star. This was guided by political need as John was determined to prove the legitimacy of his crown - particularly as his reign, like that of his father, was marked by continuing disputes over the Valois claim from both Charles of Navarre and Edward III. From a young age, John was called to resist the de-centralising forces which impacted upon the cities and the nobility; each attracted either by English economic influence or the reforming party. He grew up amongst intrigue and treason, and in consequence he governed in secrecy only with a close circle of trusted advisers.

He took a wife Bonne of Bohemia, and fathered 10 children, in eleven years. Some historians[3] also suggest a strong romantic attachment to Charles de la Cerda. La Cerda was given various honours and appointed to the high position of connetable when John became king; he accompanied the king on all his official journeys to the provinces. La Cerda's rise at court excited the jealousy of the French barons, several of whom stabbed him to death in 1354. As such, La Cerda's fate paralleled that of Edward II's Piers Gaveston in England, and John II of Castile's Alvaro de Luna in Spain; the position of a royal favourite was a dangerous one. John's grief on La Cerda's death was overt and public.

Ancestry

Ancestors of King John II of France

Family and children

On 28 July 1332, at the age of 13, John was married to Bonne of Bohemia (d. 1349), daughter of John I (the Blind) of Bohemia. Their children were:

  1. Charles V (21 January 1338–16 September 1380)
  2. Louis I, Duke of Anjou (23 July 1339–20 September 1384)
  3. John, Duke of Berry (30 November 1340–15 June 1416)
  4. Philippe II, Duke of Burgundy (17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404)
  5. Jeanne (24 June 1343 – 3 November 1373), married Charles II (the Bad) of Navarre
  6. Marie (12 September 1344–October 1404), married Robert I, Duke of Bar
  7. Agnès (1345–1349)
  8. Marguerite (1347–1352)
  9. Isabelle of Valois (1 October 1348–11 September 1372), married Gian Galeazzo I, Duke of Milan

Template:House of Valois1 On 19 February 1349 (old style), at Nanterre, he married Joanna I of Auvergne (d. 1361), Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne. She was widow of Philip of Burgundy, the deceased heir of that duchy, and mother of the young Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (1344-61) who became John's stepson and ward. John and Joanna had two daughters, both of whom died young:

  1. Blanche (b. 1350)
  2. Catherine (b. 1352)

He was succeeded by his son, Charles V.

External links

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. ↑ Jean Favier, La Guerre de Cent Ans, Fayard 1980, p. 140
  2. ↑ Autrand, page 60.
  3. ↑ J. Deviosse, Jean Le Bon, Paris, 1985
House of Valois
Cadet Branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 16 April 1319; Died: 8 April 1364


Preceded by:
New Creation
(Philip VI of France) 		Count of Anjou and Maine
1332–22 August 1350 		Succeeded by: Merged into crown
(eventually Louis I of Naples)
Preceded by:
New creation
(John I of England) 		Duke of Normandy
1332–22 August 1350 		Succeeded by: Merged into the crown
(eventually Charles V of France)
Preceded by:
New Creation
(Philip V of France) 		Count of Poitou
1344–22 August 1350 		Succeeded by: Merged into crown
(eventually John II)
Preceded by:
Edward III of England 		Duke of Guyenne
1345–22 August 1350 		Succeeded by: Merged into the crown
(eventually Charles, 5th Dauphin)
Regnal Titles


Preceded by:
Philip VI 		King of France
22 August 1350 – 8 April 1364 		Succeeded by: Charles V
Preceded by:
Philip of Burgundy 		Count of Auvergne and Boulogne by marriage
with Joanna I
13 February 1349 – 29 September 1360 		Succeeded by: Margaret of Dampierre
Preceded by:
Philip of Rouvres 		Duke of Burgundy
as 'John I'
1361 – 1363 		Succeeded by: Philip the Bold
Chronology of French monarchs from 987 to 1870
Medieval France – House of Capet

Hugues (987-996) • Robert II (996-1031) • Henri I (1031-1060) • Philippe I (1060-1108) • Louis VI (1108-1137) • Louis VII (1137-1180) • Philippe II (1180-1223) • Louis VIII (1223-1226) • Louis IX (1226-1270) • Philippe III (1270-1285) • Philippe IV (1285-1314) • Louis X (1314-1316) • Jean I (1316) • Philippe V (1316-1322) • Charles IV (1322-1328) • Philippe VI (1328-1350) • Jean II (1350-1364) • Charles V (1364-1380) • Charles VI (1380-1422) • Charles VII (1422-1461) • Louis XI (1461-1483) • Charles VIII (1483-1498)

Early Modern France – House of Valois

Louis XII (1498-1515) • François I (1515-1547) • Henri II (1547-1559) • François II (1559-1560) • Charles IX (1560-1574) • Henri III (1574-1589)

Early Modern France – House of Bourbon

Henri IV (1589-1610) • Louis XIII (1610-1643) • Louis XIV (1643-1715) • Louis XV (1715-1774) • Louis XVI (1774-1792)

— First Republic —
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Napoléon I (1804-1814)

Bourbon Restoration I – House of Bourbon

Louis XVIII (1814-1815)

Hundred Days – House of Bonaparte

Napoléon I (1815) • Napoléon II (1815)

Bourbon Restoration II – House of Bourbon

Louis XVIII (1815-1824) • Charles X (1824-1830) • Louis XIX (1830) • Henri V (1830)

July Monarchy – House of Orléans

Louis-Philippe (1830-1848)

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