Louis I, Duke of Orléans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Louis I of Orléans |
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Louis I of Orléans with Saint Agnes, detail of the Agony in the Garden attributed to Colart de Laon, c. 1405–1408
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Duke of Orléans and Valois
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| Tenure | 4 June 1392 – 23 November 1407 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Charles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 March 1372 Hôtel Saint-Pol, Paris, France |
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| Died | 23 November 1407 (aged 35) Le Marais, Paris, France |
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| Burial | Couvent des Célestins, Paris | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Charles V of France | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Joanna of Bourbon | ||||||||||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||||||||||
Louis I of Orléans (born March 13, 1372 – died November 23, 1407) was a French prince. He was the Duke of Orléans from 1392 until his death. He also held many other titles, like Duke of Touraine and Count of Valois.
Louis was the younger brother of King Charles VI of France. He became a very important and sometimes controversial person in France. King Charles VI often suffered from mental illness. Because of this, Louis worked with the King's wife, Queen Isabeau, to help lead the country. He often disagreed with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, over who should control France. Louis was not very popular with the people of Paris. He was involved in the Bal des Ardents tragedy, where four French nobles died and the King almost died. In 1407, Louis was killed on the orders of John the Fearless. John even openly admitted and bragged about the murder. This event led to a terrible civil war in France. Louis's grandson later became King Louis XII of France.
Contents
Early Life and Royal Connections
Louis was born on March 13, 1372. He was the second son of King Charles V of France and Joanna of Bourbon. His older brother was Charles VI.
In 1374, Louis was promised in marriage to Catherine. She was expected to inherit the throne of Hungary. Her father, Louis I of Hungary, had no sons. This marriage would have made Louis a king. However, Catherine died in 1378, and the marriage plans ended.
Later, in 1384, there were new talks about Louis marrying Mary, another Hungarian princess. A special ceremony, called a proxy marriage, took place in April 1385. In a proxy marriage, someone stands in for the real person. However, this marriage was not accepted by many Hungarian nobles. Four months later, Mary married Sigismund of Luxembourg. This ended Louis's chance to become King of Hungary.
Louis's Role in French Politics
Louis played a big part in French politics during the Hundred Years' War. In 1392, his older brother, King Charles VI, began to suffer from mental illness. It became clear that Charles could not rule by himself.
The Regency Council
In 1393, a special group called a regency council was formed. This council, led by Queen Isabeau, helped rule the country. Louis gained a lot of power and influence in this council.
Rivalry with John the Fearless
Louis often argued over who should control the government and care for the royal children. His main rival was Philip the Bold, and after Philip died in 1404, his son John the Fearless. The rivalry between Louis and John was public. It caused a lot of political trouble in France.
John the Fearless was eventually made the official guardian of the King's son, the Dauphin Louis. He also became the regent of France. But Louis of Orléans did not give up. He tried to stop John's rule. For example, he wasted money that was meant for a military attack on Calais. Calais was a city held by the English.
After this, John and Louis openly threatened each other. Only the help of their uncle, John, Duke of Berry, stopped a civil war from starting right away.
The Bal des Ardents Tragedy
Louis was also involved in a terrible event in 1393. This was a masquerade ball known as the Bal des Ardents (Ball of the Burning Men). During the ball, four dancers died. They were wearing costumes made of flammable material. A torch held by Louis came too close to their outfits, setting them on fire. Two other dancers, including King Charles VI, barely escaped.
Assassination of Louis
On November 20, 1407, Louis and John the Fearless promised to make peace. They made these promises in front of the French court. But just three days later, Louis was brutally killed in the streets of Paris.
Louis was stabbed by fifteen masked attackers. These attackers were led by Raoulet d'Anquetonville, a servant of John the Fearless. John had ordered the killing. An attendant with Louis was also badly hurt.
John the Fearless was supported by the people of Paris and the University. He even openly admitted to the murder. Instead of denying it, John had a scholar named Jean Petit give a speech. This speech tried to say that killing Louis was justified because Louis was a tyrant.
Louis's murder started a bloody feud and a civil war between John's family (Burgundy) and the French royal family. This war divided France for 28 years. It finally ended with the Treaty of Arras in 1435.
Family and Children
In 1389, Louis married Valentina Visconti. She was the daughter of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Duke of Milan. Louis and Valentina had eight children:
- A son (born and died in Paris, March 25, 1390).
- Louis (born in Paris, May 26, 1391 – died September 1395).
- John (born September 1393 – died before October 31, 1393).
- Charles, Duke of Orléans (born in Paris, November 24, 1394 – died January 4, 1465). He was the father of Louis XII, King of France.
- Philip, Count of Vertus (born July 21/24, 1396 – died September 1, 1420). He had one natural son, but no other children.
- John, Count of Angoulême (born June 24, 1399 – died April 30, 1467). He was the grandfather of Francis I of France.
- Marie (born April 1401 – died shortly after birth).
- Margaret (born December 4, 1406 – died April 24, 1466). She married Richard of Brittany. She received the County of Vertus as part of her marriage.
Louis also had an illegitimate son with his mistress, Mariette d'Enghien:
- Jean de Dunois (1402–1468). He was an ancestor of the Dukes of Longueville.
Honours
Kingdom of France - Duchy of Orléans: Louis was the first Grand Master and Knight of the Order of the Porcupine. He started this order when his son Charles was baptized.
Images for kids
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Louis of Orléans meeting Christine de Pisan
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Valentina Visconti, Duchess of Orléans
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Charles, Duke of Orléans; his coat of arms combined the symbols of his parents' families.
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Margaret, Countess of Vertus
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Jean de Dunois, Count of Longueville
See also
In Spanish: Luis de Valois para niños
