← THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR
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- [00:01]
Danielle Cybulsky
Hello again, it's me, Danielle Cybulsky, Dan's Regent, here for another special series of this Is History. Now, before I hand you over to a world of, let's just say, chaotic regents, I thought I'd remind you of the royal court we've been building over on Patreon. It's made up of our Royal Favorites, a wonderful community of passionate show fans and medievalists who want to dig deeper into the history behind each episode. Since rejoining the show, I've loved seeing the photos of our favorites medieval themed travels and reading their excellent analyses about the events Dan and I discuss in each episode. Of course, Royal Favorites also get all the perks of a regular subscription ad, free listening, early access to main episodes, and all bonus episodes. Head to patreon.com thisishistory to enter the Realm. Now let's start the episode. And before we start, just a quick warning that this episode contains descriptions of violence and psychosis that may not be suitable for some listeners the Great hall is buzzing. It's nearly midnight, but torches are only lit along one wall, set behind rows of seats where guests are settling themselves, adjusting their lavish sleeves and skirts. Skirts? They've been promised a surprise entertainment, and they're eager to find out what the elaborate setup means. A door opens and into the room whirl six wild men. Covered in hair from head to foot, they dance and leap across the room, long locks flying as they spin. Soon the crowd is laughing and clapping along, delighted with the showmanship and energy of these strange dancing men. One of the dancers approaches the queen and peels back his hood. Those sitting close by see it's King Charles, looking hale and hearty, eager to show off his ingenious costume. Isabel reaches out to touch her husband's hairy arm, running her hands along what she soon realizes is linen flax attached to the King's clothing by resin. In the center of the room, the five remaining dancers continue their acrobatics and their hairy figures shimmering as they twirl and sway. There's a commotion at the door and the King's brother, Louis of Orleans, enters with some of his men. They're late and have evidently been at a party of their own. Confused by the dimness, Louis grabs a torch from the wall and steps forward to find out who the dancers are. Before anyone can shout a warning, a spark spits from Louis torch. In less than a second, the dancer next to him is engulfed in flames. The crowd looks on in horror as the next dancer and the next combust the flax and resin of their costumes, fueling the inferno. Save the King. Save the King. One of the dancers screams, paralyzed with shock and fear. The Queen faints, but Charles Aunt, the quick thinking Duchess of Berry, throws the long skirt of her gown over the King, protecting him from the nightmare unfolding before them. One dancer runs to the pantry and throws himself into a tub of dishwater to douse the flames. Guests desperately try to smother the fire, engulfing his companions, but manage only to burn their hands. The men are beyond saving. All four of them burn to death before the horrified eyes of the royal court. It's a shocking and terrible mistake that has almost cost the King his life. But for Louis of Orleans, this is just the first of a series of reckless decisions that will soon set the entire kingdom of France aflame. I'm Danielle Cybulsky and from Sony Music Entertainment, this Is History presents the Glass King Episode 2 the Stranger.
- [04:37]
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- [05:09]
Danielle Cybulsky
Of all the positions to hold in a kingdom, being the king's brother has got to be at the top of the list. It certainly is the perfect life for a charming ne' er do well like Louis of Orleans. Even though he'd grown up very much despair under the regency of his royal uncles, Louis was always confident that his big brother Charles would look after him when they became grown ups. Sure enough, when Charles took the kingdom into his own hands in 1388, Louis fortunes rose right along with him. Within a year, Charles had netted Louis a rich marriage with a beautiful woman named Valentina Visconti, heiress of the wealthy Duchy of Milan. A year after that, Louis had been upgraded from the forgettable Duchy of Touraine to become Duke of Orleans, a richer, more prestigious title and one that Louis regarded as only a stepping stone. In 1392, when his sudden mental break had caused the king to turn a sword on his brother, the 18 year old Louis had been shocked and frightened, but he also felt it was his time to shine. He could take care of things until Charles was well again. He could care for Charles heir and make sure he was raised the way his father wanted. Louis could be the prince he was born to be. But his royal uncles had other plans. While Charles struggled to recover, Philip the bold Duke of Burgundy took back the power of the crown. He dismissed Louis candidacy as guardian of the realm with a flick of his elegant fingers sidelining him once again. For Louis, this was a massive blow to the ego. Although hardly surprising. He and Uncle Philip had never really gotten along. Even at the best of times, Philip was old school, straight laced and hard headed. But for all his righteousness, Philip was greedy and he was old. Like 50. Louis had time on his side. Soon enough Charles would be better and the two brothers would get things back, back on track. Louis would become even more powerful and respected than Philip. Admittedly, torching five people in an incident now known to history as the Ball of the Burning Men isn't the best start to Louis plan. Instead of building his legacy, he and Charles spend February of 1393 visiting churches and making donations in order to mitigate some of the PR damage to Louis royal brand. And Louis's brand already needed a lot of work. Despite having a gorgeous wife, Louis is an incorrigible womanizer. A party prince who had always had expensive tastes for the people who'd known him all his life. Setting a bunch of people alight at a party was just another example of his carelessness and his ability to get away with, if not murder, then criminally murdered. Negligent homicide. But Charles had always seen the best in Louis and he indulges him, lending him money to buy up property and raise his profile as a peer of the realm. Louis heart breaks a little as he watches the king slowly relapse into paranoia. As the seasons turn to summer, there's no way of knowing when he'll have his big brother back or how long a stranger will look out at him through vacant or frightened eyes. But it's clear to Louis that their brotherly bond is still as strong as ever. And that when he's well enough, Charles is happy to do anything to make Louis happy. And if making Louis happy makes Charles happy, well then what's the harm in asking for a few pennies here and there? While Louis hatches plans to feather his princely nest, the Queen Isabeau of Bavaria is doing her best to hold the kingdom and her marriage together at the ball. Isabeau had been two months into her sixth pregnancy. But if she thought the other seven months would be less traumatizing, she was to be sorely disappointed. When Charles relapses, Isabeau goes to him. But her husband of eight years doesn't recognize her. He doesn't even want her near him. According to the monk of St. Denis, Charles tells his servants, who is this woman? Find out if she needs anything and deliver me from her. To add insult to injury, there is one person the King really, really wants to see. In his illness, Charles becomes obsessed with another woman. The 22 year old Duchess of Orleans, Valentina Visconti. Talk about awkward. By the time the Queen delivers in August, Valentina has been graciously but firmly sent away from court, blissfully unaware of the soap opera he set in motion. In the winter of 1394, King Charles once again finds his way back to himself. And as he looks at the tense faces all around him and it's clear that he's going to need to make some decisions fast, because it seems to be a matter of when, not if, he's going to disappear again.
- [10:44]
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- [11:45]
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- [13:13]
Danielle Cybulsky
The morning sun warms the sandstone walls of the Hotel St. Paul, a place just north of Notre Dame. Inside, the royal chamberlain Guillaume Martel approaches the king's bedroom with determined steps. With him are two servants carrying water, soap, towels and fresh clothing. Outside the door, Martel stops to listen. He hears a scratching sound along with a faint muttering, and his heart sinks. Martel has been Charles faithful servant for many years, and he never gives up hope that someday Charles will be back to his old self again. It looks like today isn't that day. Martel gives the servants a sharp look, silently reminding them it is their duty to be professional no matter what they see or hear. Then he takes a deep breath and opens the door. King Charles is standing by the window, the morning sun harshly illuminating his disheveled state. His clothes are ripped and stained, and his hair is matted. The room is no better. A tapestry has been ripped from the wall and shredded. Charred food spills out of the fireplace and wine congeals on the floor. Linen and furs lie in a heap next to the bed. There is the smell of urine in the air. The king is methodically scratching away at the window with the edge of a golden spoon. After a moment, Martel realizes that Charles is steadily erasing his own coat of arms painted on the glass. The queen's heraldry has already been obliterated. Confused, Martel asks the king why he's trying to destroy his own shield. Charles gestures toward the bed. On the headboard, the king has crudely carved himself a new coat of arms. It's a lion impaled by a sword. Shaken, Martel approaches the king and calls him by name. But Charles doesn't look at him. His name is not Charles, he insists. It's not. It's George. His name is George. Martel decides enough is enough. He signals to the servants to bring the wash, water and towels, but as they step closer, the king flinches and screams. He begins weeping hysterically, holding his body tight between the SOBS Martel begins to make out what Charles is desperately trying to tell them. They can't touch him. He wails because he'll break. The King believes he's made of glass. As the 1390s pass, Charles Mental breaks become more frequent. They come and go with enough regularity that the chroniclers stop mentioning them as individual incidents. The King, they say, is absent. Every effort is made to keep him safe and calm. The entrances to the Hotel St. Paul are bricked up to keep Charles from running naked into the street. Iron rods are sewn into his clothing so that he can rest easy, knowing the glass of his body won't break. Sadly, it seems that in these early years of his illness, Charles begins to recognize the signs of relapse as they come on. The monk of St. Denis writes that on one occasion, Charles asks that his knife be taken from him. Then the knives of those people around him, because he knows he cannot trust himself. Desperate, the King begins to hope he's not ill. But bewitched, he addresses his court saying, if there are any among you who are behind the evil I'm enduring, I beg you not to torture me any longer and to kill me quickly. But Charles, prayers go unanswered. Meanwhile, the kingdom of France stumbles on without its king. Considering the circumstances, it seems wise to ensure all hostilities with England are put on pause for a while. So in 1396, the two kingdoms agree to a 28 year truce, sealing it with the marriage of Charles daughter, 6 year old Isabel, to the 29 year old King of England, Richard II. If you need a refresher, listen to season 7 episode 8 of A Dynasty to Die For. But while peace outside the realm is now guaranteed, peace within the realm isn't. While Charles had been lucid, it had been painfully clear to him that Philip the Bold and Louis of Orleans were no easier with each other than they had been when Louis was a rebellious teen and Philip his hard ass warden. And yet, these are two of the greatest magnates in the realm. Someone needs to knock some sense into them. Or maybe what's needed is a softer touch for the delicate work of peacemaking. Charles puts his faith in Isabeau of Bavaria. He grants Isabeau the power to make decisions in his name, with the provision that she consults the princes of France and the Royal Council. Mitigating the hot headed decisions of stubborn royal men has always been the purview of queenship, as listeners will know from, well, pretty much every season of A Dynasty to Die For. But the powers granted to Isabeau are astonishingly. Far reaching. Isabeau had not been born a princess, but the daughter of a duke, becoming queen before she even knew two words of French. She hadn't been raised from the cradle for queenship, but after a decade of ruling, Isabeau has earned her stripes. For one thing, Isabeau knows Philip and Louis very well. Philip had arranged her marriage to Charles in the first place, and Louis and Valentina had had plenty of double dates with the king and queen over the years, at least until things got weird. Isabeau has earned a reputation for level headedness and clear eyed practicality. It's also possible that she has a better sense of Charles vision as well as his trust, perhaps more than anyone. After all, Isabeau and Charles had five children together before his illness began and they will have seven more afterwards. Clearly the royal couple are still spending some serious quality time together, especially with the voluptuous Valentina out of the picture. Philip and Louis respect Isabeau, so they accept her authority as queen on the big decisions of the realm. The three hash out solutions together. Nothing on earth can make these two powerful men actually like each other, but soon only one of them will be left standing.
- [20:38]
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- [20:44]
Danielle Cybulsky
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- [21:04]
Danielle Cybulsky
As the 14th century comes to a close, it might seem like the perfect time to bury the hatchet, close up old accounts and let bygones be bygones. Unless you're Louis of Orleans. In that case, a new century proves to be the perfect opportunity to to kick the ever loving hell out of the hornet's nest. In 1399, trouble is afoot in the Kingdom of England. The tyrannical Richard II has exiled his cousin Henry Bolingbroke and then disinherited him to boot. Fortunately for Henry, he's well liked by the French court. For an Englishman anyway. So Louis of Orleans invites him to crash at one of his Parisian palaces for the time being. And when Henry decides to head back to England to have it out with Richard, Louis decides to foot the bill. You can listen back to season 7 episode 11 to find out how that worked out. Whether Louis believes Henry plans to overthrow Richard or not can't be known for certain, but stirring up trouble in England is entertaining whether or not Henry succeeds, and if he does succeed, well, then the new King of England will owe him a favor. And if Louis manages to help establish a new and more stable King of England, well, that will annoy his uncle Philip to no end. And at this point, annoying Philip the Bold. And throwing great parties full of beautiful, willing women is pretty much what Louis lives for. Even with one hand on the tiller of France, Philip has continued to slowly and carefully build up his territory along the border with the Holy Roman Empire, acquiring new lands and forging alliances through marriages and business deals. But while Philip is doing business the old fashioned way, in comes Louis. Like a wrecking ball. With his playboy charm, royal pedigree and the money he filches from his brother Charles, Louis has been building up alliances of his own, buying up lands, titles and seats on the Royal council. Just as Philip is about to acquire a key piece of land, Luxembourg, Louis gets there first and snatches it out from under him. It's like Philip has been putting together a 5,000 piece three dimensional puzzle and his nephew has come along and not only stolen the last piece, but swallowed it. Philip is livid. But as he looks around, Philip soon realizes he's taken his eye off the real prize. Because in his efforts to solidify his own domains, he's paid much less attention to the Royal Council than he should have. By 1401, it's too late. Louis is sitting pretty at the top of the heap with Charles blessing. True to form, the moment royal power rests in his hands, Louis immediately oversteps. He levies a heavy tax on the people of France, including the Church, a move that is usually only attempted under the most dire circumstances, not just when you want to upgrade your hot tub. The backlash is immediate. And when Charles resurfaces, he's blasted by Philip the Bold for ever thinking putting Louis in charge of anything was a great idea. So Charles is forced to demote Louis again, handing the reins back to Philip. As Charles tumbles back into madness, Philip and Louis take the gloves off. One chronicler writes, from then on, they conceived a great hatred and malevolence towards each other as Philip does his best to restore order as he sees it anyway, everywhere he looks, his nephew is starting fires, figuratively speaking, this time. While Philip tries to unite the warring factions of the Church, Louis blows up the negotiations. When Philip pledges support to his Bavarian in laws, Louis backs his in laws from Milan. On the opposite side, while Philip is content to keep the peace with England. Out of nowhere, Louis starts challenging the new king Henry IV to duels. And when Philip urges the royal council to think carefully about how to spend a new war tax, Louis just saunters into the palace and plucks the money straight out of the coffers. It's enough to drive anyone to an early grave. And eventually it does. Whether from illness or sheer exasperation, the powerful Philip the bold dies in 1404. He leaves the Duchy of Burgundy in the hands of his son, John the Fearless, and the kingdom of France in the hands of his reckless nephew, Louis of Orleans. Through sheer stubbornness and the strategic deployment of a few banana peels, Louis has crossed the finish line. In first place, he's got the rich wife, the mistresses, the money, the palaces, the summer chateau and the Royal Council of France wrapped around his finger. He's got a healthy heir called Charles, after its brother, to carry on the family line. And he's got his brother, the king, to back him up no matter what. Without stodgy old Uncle Philip in the way, things can finally be the way they're meant to be. Although the party prince has never been anyone's first choice to rule well anything, there's a sense of relief that at least the kingdom isn't split down the middle anymore. Together, Louis and Isabeau start to work in tandem to set France or on a new path. If there's anything that the king's misfortune should have taught Louis, it's that the wheel of fortune doesn't linger at the top. Because even as he settles himself comfortably in Charles Place, Louis hot streak won't last long. And his spectacular downfall will set in motion a civil war that will last for generations. But that's next time on this is History presentsthe Glass King. Do listen out for the next episode. The medieval French court really does love to kick up a fight. Now, before I leave, you and you royal favorites know the deal. It's question time. I want to know, what do you think are some of the biggest blunders in medieval history? Accidentally incinerating four people at a ball is a pretty big one. Has anyone else topped Louis? Get your thinking crowns on royal favorites and listen out for Dan's other question in our bonus episode this week. For that, you'll need to subscribe to this Is history on Patreon. Visit patreon.com thisishistory to sign up.