JEAN IV
(ca. 1340–1399). Duke of Brittany. Jean was the son of Jean de Montfort, a claimant for
the ducal title in 1341. He spent most of his youth in England under the guardianship of
Edward III. Following Montfort’s capture (1341) and death (1345), Edward helped his
widow, Jeanne of Flanders, to maintain their claims. After the Truce of Malestroit (1343),
lieutenants occupied parts of Brittany for the English king and his ward. In 1356–57, Jean
accompanied Henry, duke of Lancaster, to Brittany and was present at the siege of
Rennes.
When negotiations to resolve the disputed Breton succession failed in 1361, Jean
returned to Brittany in 1362 and in 1364 won the Battle of Auray, where his rival,
Charles de Blois, was killed. The latter’s widow, Jeanne de Penthièvre, agreed to peace at
Guérande (April 12, 1365) under the aegis of Charles V’s representatives. The new duke
began a reorganization of his administration and finances, marking a watershed in the
duchy’s history and giving his reign enduring significance. But his pro-English stance
and the presence of a few English counselors proved unpopular. In 1373, he was again
forced into exile in England.
An attempt by Charles V to dispossess him (1378) provoked a violent reaction among
the Breton nobility, who formed a league and invited Jean to return. After further warfare
and the death of Charles V, a second comprehensive treaty was arranged at Guérande
(April 4, 1381). Though Jean retained links with England, the failure of the English to
return the castle of Brest or to restore fully his lands in England was a longstanding cause
of dispute. He rendered moderate aid to the French crown in Flanders in 1383 and in
1386–87 but chiefly pursued policies to enhance an independent and largely neutral
stance.
The last twenty years of his reign were also punctuated by a long feud with Jean, count
of Penthièvre, Jeanne’s son, and his father-in-law, Olivier IV de Clisson (constable of
France, 1380–92). In 1387, Jean held Clisson for ransom, and he may have encouraged
the murderous attack on him by Pierre de Craon in 1392. In 1395, Philip, duke of
Burgundy, arranged a settlement. At the same time, Jean was bound more closely to
French interests by the betrothal of his three-year-old heir to Charles VI’s daughter,
Jeanne de France, in 1392.
Throughout his career, Jean had a tendency to antagonize by an autocratic style of
government; however, with increasing wealth, due to financial reforms and the cessation
of war, he attracted many able men into his service. His rule advanced ducal authority
and prestige and set a pattern for his successors. He was a considerable builder of castles
and led a chivalric, courtly life, being especially interested in music. Around 1381, he
founded the Order of the Ermine to commemorate his victory at Auray. He was married
three times: to Edward III’s daughter Mary (d. 1361); to Joan Holland (d. 1384), a step
daughter of Edward, Prince of Wales; and in 1386 to Jeanne, daughter of Charles II of
Navarre, who gave him four sons and four daughters.
Michael C.E.Jones
The Encyclopedia 925