Vandermaesen, M. “Vlaanderen en Henegouwen onder het Huis van Dampierre, 1244–1384.” In
Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden. 2nd ed. Haarlem: Fibula-Van Dishoeck, 1982, Vol. 2,
pp. 399–44.
LOUIS, DUKE OF GUYENNE
(1397–1415). The eighth child of Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria, Louis became their
eldest surviving son in 1401 and was named duke of Guyenne, the title by which he was
generally known though he was also dauphin. He was called upon to play a central role in
the government at an early age because of his father’s mental illness.
In December 1409, the queen had Louis removed from her guardianship. He was
empowered to summon the council and preside over it when the king and queen were
absent, but these sessions were bound by restrictions regarding the execution of important
decisions. John the Fearless, duke of Burgundy, Louis’s father-in-law, was named his
guardian at this time. All of John’s decisions in this capacity were subject to royal
approval. Louis quickly developed a spirit of independence. In 1412, he disregarded
Burgundy’s advice and guided the drafting of a treaty with the duke of Berry. Early in
1413, Louis finally decided to take action against Burgundy, based on incriminating
information he had been promised. To prevent this, Burgundy fostered the Cabochien
uprising in Paris. When the Cabochiens fell and Burgundy fled, the duke of Guyenne was
determined on revenge, but his anger was diverted when the Armagnac party sought to
diminish his influence. To alarm them, Louis commanded Burgundy to return to Paris.
The queen considered this a dangerous move and had him countermand the order, but
John the Fearless continued toward Paris, withdrawing only when the king himself spoke
out against him. A royal campaign against Burgundy in 1414 culminated in a long and
unsuccessful siege of Arras. Negotiations with John began, but the king’s mental health
worsened. Louis prolonged the negotiations for a final treaty, which he imposed on
Burgundy’s ambassadors in February 1415. They ratified it before receiving contrary
orders from their master.
During 1414 and 1415, Guyenne greatly increased the number of his household
officers in an attempt to form a political party that would be neither Burgundian nor
Armagnac. In April 1415, he sent the princes of the blood away from Paris, and the king
named him captain general of all the frontiers to prepare against an English invasion. He
could not, however, prevent the fall of Harfleur to the English in September. Neither
Louis nor the king was present at the defeat of their army at Agincourt in October. Louis
himself died in December without leaving children. The kingdom then became, more
than ever, a victim of the struggle between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs.
Richard C.Famiglietti
[See also: ARMAGNACS; CHARLES VI; ISABEAU OF BAVARIA; JOHN THE
FEARLESS]
Famiglietti, Richard C. Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI 1392–1420. New York:
AMS, 1986.
The Encyclopedia 1067