The House of Wittelsbach—Stephan von Wittelsbach and Taddea Visconti—Birth of Isabeau—Negotiations for her marriage—Her journey to Brussels—The fair of Amiens—Her interview with the King—Her wedding—Charles and Louis de France.

During several years after the death of Jeanne de Bourbon no Queen sat on the throne of France, for her son succeeded as a child of twelve years old. And it would have been difficult to find two kings and queens more totally unlike each other in every respect than Charles le Sage and Jeanne de Bourbon, “the sunshine of France,” were to their son and daughter-in-law, Charles VI. and Isabeau de BaviÈre.

An intelligent woman of my acquaintance once remarked, on being asked whether she considered women to be better than men, “Oh, certainly! Much better. I know several good women, but I only know one good man.”

It might appear as if some idea of the kind pervaded this and a former volume, in which, with the exception perhaps of Charles V. and Louis XII., none of the Kings of France treated of can be exactly so described; whereas the talents, beauty, and goodness of the Queens seem generally made evident. But all the researches into the history of their times, from which these records are drawn, seem to prove that during the eight reigns in question most of the Queens of France really were distinguished for their excellent qualities, and that except the unlucky Charlotte de Savoie they were all more or less good-looking; Blanche de Navarre, Isabeau de BaviÈre, and Marie d’Anjou being remarkably beautiful; and that at any rate Blanche de Navarre, the three Jeannes, wives of Philippe de Valois, Jean and Charles V., and Anne de Bretagne, were highly cultivated women, possessing superior talents and strongly-marked characters. In Isabeau de BaviÈre we find an entirely different personality.

Stephan I., Duke of Bavaria, of the ancient house of Wittelsbach, died in 1375, leaving three sons, between whom he divided his dominions, and from whom descend the three lines of Ingolstadt, Landshut, and Munich.

The strongest ties of affection and friendship united these three brothers, who however, seem to have borne little resemblance to each other.

Stephan of Ingolstadt was short in stature, but good-looking, high-spirited, and full of romance, his chief delight being in love-making and warlike adventures. Friederich of Landshut, a brave, wise, able prince, was by far the most capable member of the family, while Johann, a rough and fearless sportsman, led a wild, jovial life in his own court and castles, which he filled with huntsmen, hawks, dogs, and horses.86 From him descends the Munich line of Bavarian princes.87 Johann took a German wife, but Stephan and Friederich married Taddea and Maddalena, daughters of Bernabo Visconti, one of the chiefs of that family so renowned for splendour, power, and cruelty, then ruling in Milan. After a few years Taddea died, and left Stephan with a son and daughter named Ludwig and Isabeau, or Elizabeth. The latter was born at Ingolstadt 1370 or 1371. By his second marriage he had no children.

In all Germany, and perhaps in all Europe, there is not a more beautiful country than Bavaria, with its lakes, mountains, forests, and ancient castles. Here Isabeau spent her short childhood, idolized by her father and brother, flattered and spoiled by all around her, for her extraordinary beauty was the admiration of the court. It was a brief childhood, for she was only about twelve years old when the first negotiations for her marriage with the King of France were begun. Her uncle, Friederich of Landshut, was serving in Flanders with the French against the English army in the year 1383, just at the time when the uncles and guardians of the young Charles VI. were looking for a wife for him, and as his father, the late King Charles V., had desired that he should be married to a German, and thus secure an ally to France against England, they were hesitating between the daughters of Austria, Lorraine, and one or two others that had been suggested, and inquired of Duke Friederich whether there were any marriageable princess of his family who would be suitable.

Friederich was naturally anxious not to let slip the chance of the crown of France for one of his house; so he explained that, although he had no children of the right age, his brother, Stephan, had a daughter in all respects suitable, being extremely beautiful and about two years younger than the King, and he lost no time in writing to inform his brother of the splendid prospect which seemed to be opening before them. But Duke Stephan, less ambitious than his brother, was in no way elated by this proposal. He replied that, in the first place, he did not like unequal alliances, and between himself and the King of France the difference was too great; neither did he wish his daughter to go so far away, but would prefer to marry her to some noble of his own country; besides which objections, there existed a custom that a prospective Queen of France should, like candidates for the army in our own days, pass a sort of medical examination which was conducted by certain matrons chosen from among the ladies of highest rank at the French court; and to this the Duke refused to consent. He declared that he was not going to allow either himself or his daughter to be made ridiculous by sending her to France on an uncertainty, or to risk the affront of her being rejected. She should stay in her own country and marry some one nearer home. So, for the time, the negotiations were broken off.

It was indeed most unfortunate that the very sensible decision of Stephan was not adhered to, and also that in the one and only case in which the Dukes of Berry and Burgundy carried out the directions of the late King, their brother, the result should have been so deplorable. In all other respects they disobeyed his injunctions. They brought up his sons in opposition to his wishes, they wasted the treasure he had taken so much time and care to collect, they impoverished the people by their extortions, and incensed them by their misgovernment, so that they were fast bringing France back to that state of anarchy and misery from which she had been rescued by the wise rule of Charles V.

If Isabeau had stayed, as her father wished, at his comparatively simple court and married some German noble, it would probably have been much better both for France and herself; but this was not to be, for the rest of the family and connections of that young princess strongly disapproved of the decision of Duke Stephan, and used all their endeavours to prevail upon him to alter it. For many generations the numerous members of the house of Wittelsbach had married into all the royal and ruling families of France, Burgundy, and Flanders. Amongst others, the Duchesse de Brabant was a relation of theirs and was most anxious for the marriage.

In 1385, the wedding of a Bavarian prince with one of the daughters of Philippe, Duke of Burgundy, was to be celebrated with great pomp and rejoicings at Cambrai, in the presence of the King and the whole of the French court. During the festivities the Duchesse de Brabant took the opportunity of reopening the subject with the King’s uncles to whom she pointed out all the alliances and advantages it would bring. The princes were willing to agree to it; for they had not yet decided on a wife for their nephew. A daughter of Lancaster had been suggested, but this was not approved of, and they were still hesitating between an Austrian archduchess and a princess of Lorraine, having, as they said, received88 no further communications from Bavaria. The duchess promised to see about it before the end of the summer. The Duke of Burgundy, himself closely connected with the house of Bavaria, was the chief supporter of this alliance and entered warmly into the plans of the Duchesse de Brabant, who succeeded in overcoming the objections of Stephan and persuaded him to allow his daughter to pay a visit to her and to the Duchesse de Hainault, also a relation, and then to go with them to the fair of Amiens, where she would meet the King. Her uncle, Duke Friederich was to take her, and in order to avoid anything compromising to her dignity, she was to go on the pretext of a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Jean d’Amiens, where a famous relic was exhibited during the time this fair was going on. A painter was sent to paint the portraits of the three princesses, i.e., of Lorraine, Austria, and Bavaria. The portraits were shown to the King, who at once chose that of Isabeau. It still hangs in the gallery of the Louvre. She wears a red robe trimmed with fur, a tight corsage partly of blue velvet and a high headdress ornamented with gold and jewels.

It was early summer when Isabeau took leave of her father and her country, and set off with her uncle upon her journey. They travelled first to Brussels, where they were warmly received by the Duchesse de Brabant with whom they stayed three days, and then went to Quesnoy to stay three weeks with the Duchesse de Hainault; of whom Froissart remarks, “La duchesse qui fut moult sage, endoctrinait tous les jours, en toutes maniÈres et contenances, la jeune fille de BaviÈre, quoique, de sa nature, celle-ci estoit propre et pourvue de sens et de doctrine; mais point de franÇois elle ne sÇavoit.”

They also made considerable changes in Isabeau’s dress, which they declared to be far too simple for the future Queen of France. The Duchesse de Brabant ordered an entirely new trousseau for her so that she might be dressed as magnificently as if she had been her own daughter, and having arranged all this she went to Amiens, where she was joined by Isabeau under the care of the Duchesse de Hainault and her uncle, Friederich of Landshut.

The fair of Amiens, which took place every year was one of those mixtures of amusement and devotion so characteristic of the Middle Ages. The relic, which they declared to be the head of St. John the Baptist, had been brought from the siege of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204; and given by a gentleman of Picardy to the church of St. Jean d’Amiens, of which one of his brothers was a canon. It was always shown at the time of the fair, to which all classes came in crowds. One can form no idea of the splendour and picturesqueness of these mediÆval fairs from the squalid spectacles that survive in our own days.

For what do we see now? Uninteresting but harmless crowds, mostly clad in cheap, tasteless imitations of the dress of a higher rank, pressing into shows which one cannot imagine anybody wishing to see, surrounding long rows of monotonous booths filled with ugly, commonplace goods that one cannot imagine anybody wishing to buy, committing no crimes and molesting nobody. But although very few modern fairs in civilised Europe offer anything worth buying or seeing, they were widely different in the Middle Ages. In many towns important fairs took place every year to which people went properly attended and protected, and where beautiful and valuable things of all kinds were to be sold. There the merchants brought jewels, embroideries, and costly stuffs from Italy and the East; pictures, illuminated missals, stamped leather, rich carvings in wood and ivory; delicately wrought cups, flagons, bowls, and other precious works of the gold and silver smiths; weapons of war, objects of art, and curiosities of every description. All sorts of shows and diversions were also going on all day and far into the night, which was the time the King and court usually went. It was a wonderful sight: the fitful glare of torches thrown here and there on the booths loaded with costly wares, while mingling in the throng around might be seen gleaming armour, magnificent dresses of silk and velvet, leather jerkins, tall caps, and peasants’ coarse woollen gowns and tunics; dark gabled houses forming a shadowy background. Now and then a fierce quarrel would arise, and there would be a rush and scuffle of armed men, the glitter of swords and daggers, shouts, cries, the fall of some and the dash of others down the dark, narrow streets which afforded their best chance of escape. The most famous of the old French fairs were the Foire de Lendit, or Landit, held between Paris and St. Denis, and perhaps the most ancient of all,89 the fairs of St. Denis and St. Germain, which belonged to the Abbot and monks of St. Germain-des-PrÈs, and was held in the celebrated PrÉ-aux-clercs, a great meadow or open space going from the Abbey to the Seine. The fair of Amiens was a great resort of all classes at that time, and when Isabeau with her uncle, Duke Friederich, and the Duchesse de Brabant arrived at its gates the town was thronged with people. The King was there with his court and a great array of nobles and ladies, besides numbers of ecclesiastics, merchants bringing their goods on long trains of mules, bourgeois and peasants, wandering minstrels and soldiers, so that the whole place was a scene of bustle, excitement, and festivity, which may well have delighted a young girl scarcely out of childhood longing for all the pleasure and magnificence so soon to be laid at her feet. For the King, ever since his uncles had shown him the portrait of Isabeau had not ceased to torment them to let him see the original, and as soon as he heard that she was really close at hand he sent two of his favourite chevaliers, the Seigneurs de la RiviÈre and de la Tremoille, to receive and conduct her with her relations and suite to the lodgings prepared for them, and assure them of his eagerness for the interview which had been arranged to take place on the following day.

The Duchesses and Isabeau were delighted at all they heard from the two chevaliers of the King’s anxiety and impatience, which promised well for the success of the plan; the beauty of Isabeau being far too striking to leave much doubt of the effect it would produce on a romantic, impressionable lad, who had already fallen in love with her picture.

The next day, Friday, the young princess was magnificently dressed, the Duchesses of Burgundy, Brabant, and Hainault, presiding at her toilette, after which she went with them to the King’s reception.

Charles, who had lain awake all night thinking about her, turned eagerly towards the door as Isabeau entered, and all eyes were fixed on her with interest and curiosity as she passed through the throng of courtiers. It must have been a trying moment for her, though if she felt nervous she did not show it, but only stood in silence before the King, who hastily prevented her, as she was about to bow or kneel before him, and raised her up with passionate admiration. All the evening he could not take his eyes from her, and after she had left and the reception was over no one felt any doubt of the result. The Duke of Burgundy told La RiviÈre, who was going with the King to his room, to find out while he was undressing what he wished to be done. Charles replied: “Tell my uncle, the Duke of Burgundy, to make haste and conclude the affair.”90

The Duke of Burgundy therefore went to the lodgings of the Duchesse de Brabant and Princess Isabeau, and the arrangements were concluded. The Duke, at the council, wished the wedding to be at Arras, but the King declared he would not have any more delay, as he could neither sleep nor rest. He sent the Princess a splendid crown, and the wedding was celebrated at the cathedral of Amiens a few days afterwards, in presence of the whole court, and followed by banquets and various festivities, which lasted for some days. The wedding was so hurried on that there was no time to finish the trousseau ordered for the young queen.91 And thus were two spoilt, self-willed children of fourteen and sixteen placed at the head of what, in those days, was the most powerful kingdom in Christendom.

Many people who have a slight acquaintance with French history picture to themselves Charles VI. as the miserable invalid he became in later years, and know nothing about the tall, handsome young Prince, high-spirited, passionate, generous, and as eager for glory, as fond of pleasure, magnificence, and love-making, as his great-grandfather and grandfather the Kings Philippe and Jean, and his great uncle, Duke Philippe d’OrlÉans. To their own father, the sickly, studious Charles V., who hated riding, war, and rough games, but in whose reign, nevertheless, the English invaders were driven out of France and the French navy re-established; neither Charles VI. nor his young brother Louis bore the slightest resemblance, except that Louis had inherited, with the beauty and gallant grace of the Valois, the love of books, art, and study, which distinguished Charles V.92 By far the most brilliant of the two brothers, he had been, at the time of his father’s death, too young to give much indication of what he would turn out like; indeed about the only details mentioned respecting him are his beauty and the admiration it excited at the last great pageant of court,93 where just before his mother’s death the Emperor was so splendidly received and entertained; and the devout way in which he used to say his prayers, kneeling before the image of the Virgin. But the hasty, impetuous temper of Charles, his incapacity for any serious study, his excitable, unstable temperament, his passion for pleasure and display, had been an anxiety and grief to his father, who recognised in the boy all the qualities, attractions, and faults of his race, which had already been so fatal to France. In fact, as it often happens, the lad was everything his father did not want him to be, and Charles V., as long as he lived, used every means in his power to counteract the tendencies which he considered so dangerous. He forbade any love-stories to be told to the Dauphin, and when on one occasion one of the gentlemen of his household disobeyed this order, dismissed him.94 He gave him the best tutors that could be found, and tried to influence and educate him by constant supervision. At the earliest age his tutor observed his delight in anything that had to do with war, and his father, probably seeing that he would never make a scholar or statesman, and thinking that he might perhaps become a great leader and soldier, encouraged this taste. One day he showed him the royal treasury of crowns, jewels, and objects of inestimable value, telling him to choose whatever he liked for himself. The child looked around and pointed to a sword which hung up in a corner of the room, and which was given to him accordingly. Some days afterwards, at a state banquet, the King caused to be placed before him a soldier’s casque and a magnificent crown of gold and precious stones, asking which he would like best—to be crowned King with the one, or to wear the other amidst the dangers of war. Without hesitation the Dauphin replied, “Monseigneur, I like the casque better than the crown.” This answer delighted the nobles, who, amidst acclamations of loyalty, swore to serve and defend the boy whenever he should become their King, after which Charles V. ordered the casque and sword to be hung up by the Dauphin’s bed, and a little suit of armour and weapons to be made for him,95 that so gallant a spirit might be encouraged. If Charles V. and Jeanne de Bourbon had lived to look after their sons it seems most likely that the ruin and misery which fell upon them and upon France might have been averted.

For many years Charles V. had felt sure that his life would not be a long one; but his hope was that the Queen, who had good health, would survive him and would be guardian to the children, her brother, Louis de Bourbon—called “the good Duke Louis”—being always at hand to help her. After the irreparable calamity of her death, and finding his own health rapidly breaking up, he did what he could for his children by making the Duc de Bourbon guardian to the young King and his brother, and by preventing the Duc d’Anjou, who, as the eldest of his brothers, had to be regent, from having more power than he could help. The Ducs de Berry and Bourgogne were also joined in the government of the country and the young princes. With many misgivings he entreated them to carry out his directions and to bring up the King properly; nearly his last words to them on the subject having been, “Soignez-le, mes frÈres, et prenez grande attention de le bien former À la royautÉ, car l’enfant est jeune et de l’esprit lÉger.”96

Those princes did nothing of the kind. It is true that the Princess Catherine was given into the sole charge of her grandmother, the old Duchesse de Bourbon, who since the Queen’s death had lived a saintly life at the convent of St. Marcel; but Charles and Louis were brought up together at the hÔtel St. Paul in an atmosphere of flattery, folly, and corruption, which was eventually fatal to them both. The three brothers of the late King were eager to secure for themselves all the power and wealth they could seize, and would not listen to the Duc de Bourbon, who, as personal guardian only, and not a brother of the late King, had less power and could not oppose them. The lives led by the two boys were what in our own days would be called fast for a man ten years older, and eventually resulted in the madness of Charles and the death of Louis. The aim of their uncles was to keep them ignorant, so that the reins of government might remain as long as possible in their own hands. In this they only partly succeeded, as Louis was very clever and fond of study, but Charles hated books, application, or restraint of any kind. They both rode well and were good at all sorts of games and sports, and the people, who had respected Charles V. and adored Jeanne de Bourbon, now bestowed all their affection on their young King, who was called Charles le Bien-AimÉ. To the end of his unfortunate career he never lost either this name or the affection of his people, for although he was hot-tempered and imperious, so that he would never bear the slightest opposition, he was brave, open-handed, kind-hearted, and had those free, pleasant, courteous manners that go farther in gaining friends—everywhere, but most especially amongst the lower classes—than a host of benefits and virtues. He was very faithful and affectionate to his friends, never forgot the names of the humblest people,97 but was always polite and ready to talk to any one about anything.98 And amidst the roughness and cruelty of the times it is interesting to come upon the note of a sum paid to Colin le serrurier for an iron fleur-de-lis to hang upon a stag, which had been hunted by the King, had taken refuge in a stable at Choisy, and had been allowed by him to return to the forest—an example of mercy which might well be placed before many people in the present day who ought to be civilised enough not to require it.

The King’s marriage and the beauty of Isabeau delighted the people, and if she had possessed the sense, talents, and good qualities of other queens whose histories have been recorded in these volumes, a great career would indeed have been open before her. Advised and supported by the Duc de Bourbon and the old friends and counsellors of Charles V., she could have retained her influence over the King and held the reins of government when they dropped from his hands. The voice of the nation would have been with her, for it was weary of the oppression and cruelty of the princes; and most of the fierce feuds and bloodshed that came from the incapacity and vices of all the chief members of the royal family need never have happened.