Pictures of the old French court

In Short

Catherine Bearne offers a narrative portrait of French court life from the mid-fourteenth century to the early sixteenth century through the lives of three queens: Jeanne de Bourbon, Isabeau de Bavière, and Anne de Bretagne. Drawing directly from contemporary chronicles and primary letters, the book chronicles how the crown manages foreign wars, bloody peasant uprisings, royal madness, and bitter factional feuds. It survives as a vivid, detail-rich history that brings the human domesticity and dramatic public crises of the late medieval French court into sharp, accessible focus.

The Story

The narrative opens during the turbulent fourteenth century, detailing the early marriage and courtly world of Jeanne de Bourbon and Charles V. Their reign is framed by severe national trials, beginning with the brutal peasant revolt of the Jacquerie, which sends royal ladies fleeing for their lives, and the recurring devastation of the plague. Amidst these public disasters, the narrative illuminates the quiet, deeply affectionate marriage of Jeanne and Charles. The king consults his wife on all important matters, showered her with jewels and artwork, and shared her love for books and peaceful garden strolls at the Louvre.

Following the deaths of Jeanne and Charles V, the atmosphere of the court shifts dramatically with the accession of the young Charles VI and his marriage to Isabeau de Bavière. Ignored by ambitious uncles eager to seize power, the young king and his brother Louis d'Orléans are raised in an environment of indulgence. The early cheer of Charles VI’s reign quickly descends into tragedy. A sudden descent into madness strikes the king, leaving the realm vulnerable to political chaos. Court life under Isabeau alternates between lavish pageants and terrifying mishaps—such as the notorious ball where costume fires kill several courtiers and nearly claim the king's life. Bitter rivalries erupt into open bloodshed when Louis d'Orléans is assassinated, plunging the royal family into a cycle of vengeance between the houses of Orléans and Burgundy. Formal peace pacts sworn over holy relics prove to be hollow gestures, while abroad, the English army inflicts a crushing defeat on the disorganized French nobility at Agincourt.

The final section shifts to the transition into the Renaissance through the life of Anne de Bretagne. Widowed young after the sudden death of Charles VIII, Anne immediately reasserts her authority over her native duchy of Brittany before marrying his successor, Louis XII. Anne’s court achieves great cultural splendor, filled with maids of honor, art, and active governance. Even as Italian wars drag on and family tragedies claim her children, Anne remains a formidable, independent ruler who fiercely guards her domain, dismissal of ineffective royal doctors, and political influence until the close of the Valois era.

How It Unfolds

The peasant uprising erupts Rebellious bands of peasants and artisans murder local gentlemen, set fire to châteaux, and force noblewomen to flee in their nightdresses to fortified towns like Meaux.

Tragedy strikes the royal nursery The Duke and Duchess of Normandy endure the bitter loss of their two young daughters, Jeanne and Bonne, who die within weeks of each other during a period of intense public hardship.

Disaster at the court ball During a disguised masquerade, an accidental torch flame ignites the dry costumes of courtiers chained together as wild men, resulting in fatal burns and plunging the court into horror.

A hollow reconciliation is sworn Following the murder of the Duke of Orléans, the royal family gathers at Notre Dame de Chartres to sign a formal peace, though the young princes forgive their father's killer only out of forced obedience to the king.

Despair turns to swift action Upon the sudden death of Charles VIII, the young Queen Anne de Bretagne grieves intensely on the floor of her room before immediately rising to reestablish her duchy's independent chancery.

The People

• Jeanne de Bourbon: The devoted queen of Charles V. She seeks a harmonious, dignified court life and visual beauty, but must endure the tragic loss of her young children and the instability of war-torn France. She ends her life deeply loved by her husband and respected by the populace.
• Charles VI: The youthful, open-hearted king known initially as "the Well-Beloved." He wants freedom, sport, and grand festivities, but is hindered by a lack of proper education from his uncles and a devastating mental illness. He ends up a tragic figure whose weakness leaves France open to internal feud and foreign invasion.
• Isabeau de Bavière: Queen to Charles VI. She desires luxury, grand pageantry, and state recognition, but is caught in a court marred by corruption, her husband's madness, and constant factional violence, leaving her historical reputation darkened by the era's collapse.
• Louis, Duke of Orléans: The clever, ambitious brother of Charles VI. He seeks political power, intellectual pursuits, and courtly pleasure, but his fierce rivalry with the Duke of Burgundy creates mortal enmity. He ends up assassinated in the streets of Paris.
• Anne de Bretagne: The proud, decisive ruler of Brittany and twice Queen of France. She wants above all to preserve the independence and prosperity of her native duchy while maintaining a magnificent court. She achieves lasting political influence and historical renown as a strong-willed sovereign.

In Its Own Voice

"Item, on Thursday, the 11th November, were buried the two daughters of the Duke of Normandy, at St. Antoine, near Paris, and was present the said Duke at the funeral, very troubled, for he had no more children." A contemporary chronicler records the personal grief of the future king following the death of his young daughters.

"Celui-là m'a été enlevé, il n'y a point d'enfant si bien taillé pour venger la mort de son père." Valentine Visconti points to her young son Dunois while charging her children to avenge the murder of their father.

"Sire, puisqu'il vous plait commander, nous luy accordons sa requeste, et luy pardonnons toute la maleveillance que aurions contre luy car en rien ne voulons désobéir à chose qui soit à vostre plaisir." The young princes of Orléans reluctantly grant a formal pardon to their father's murderer at the command of the king.

What It's Really About

The book explores how fragile central authority becomes when individual ambition and factional rivalries supplant the duty of governance. It highlights the sharp contrast between the formal grandeur of court pageantry and the brutal realities of civil chaos, warfare, and plague. Beneath the biographical details lies an examination of the structural divide between the ruling nobility and the common populace—a schism that the author traces from medieval peasant revolts directly to modern French political upheavals. Finally, the text underscores the vital yet often overlooked political agency of royal women, who frequently maintained administrative continuity, diplomatic ties, and cultural patronages during times of profound national crisis.

Why Read It Today

This work appeals directly to readers who enjoy medieval history, French history, and narrative biography focused on the lived experiences of historical women. Reading it feels like looking through an open window into the medieval world; it balances broad political narrative with intimate archival details—such as old garden receipts for osier trellises, descriptions of royal bedchambers, and private letters regarding sick children.

The narrative does present minor difficulties inherent to period histories. It assumes some familiarity with complex royal genealogies, multi-titled historical figures, and older French spellings or Latin extracts preserved in the footnotes. The prose occasionally pauses to resolve disputes between medieval chroniclers or address Victorian historical debates. However, these academic moments do not distract from the central narrative. The book remains deeply engaging because it treats its subjects not as distant historical icons, but as complex human beings navigating grief, power, and survival in a turbulent age.

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