Perhaps you’ve heard whispers of a queen shrouded in controversy. That queen is forever linked to this place: Rue Isabeau de Baviere. Isabeau of Bavaria was Queen of France. She was the wife of King Charles VI from 1385 to 1422.
Isabeau was born around 1370. Her parents were Duke Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Taddea Visconti. At 15 or 16, Isabeau journeyed to France. She was to marry the young Charles VI. The couple wed three days after meeting. In 1389, Isabeau was honored with a lavish coronation in Paris. Noblewomen wore costumes embroidered with gold. Philip the Bold wore a doublet with 40 sheep and 40 swans. Each had a bell made of pearls.
In 1392, King Charles VI began to suffer from mental illness. These episodes occurred more and more often. This left the court divided. Isabeau became regent to the Dauphin. This gave her more power.
Charles’ illness led to the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War. Isabeau shifted allegiances. She chose the most favorable path for the heir to the throne. The Burgundians accused her of adultery with the Duke of Orléans. When she sided with the Burgundians the Armagnacs imprisoned her. In 1407, John the Fearless assassinated Orléans. This sparked hostilities.
Isabeau attended the 1420 signing of the Treaty of Troyes. It said the English king should inherit the French crown. This would happen after her husband’s death. She lived in English-occupied Paris. Isabeau died in 1435.
Some saw Isabeau as a spendthrift and philanderess. But in recent times historians have re-examined her life. They found that many unflattering claims were unearned. They stemmed from factionalism and propaganda.
Isabeau’s marriage to Charles VI was proposed in 1383. Her uncle, Duke Frederick of Bavaria-Landshut suggested it. The match was proposed again in Cambrai in 1385. Philip the Bold thought the marriage would build an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. This would be in opposition to England.
Isabeau’s father sent her to France with his brother Frederick. He pretended it was a pilgrimage to Amiens. He did not want her to know she was being examined as a bride for Charles. He refused to allow her to be examined naked.
Before meeting Charles, Isabeau visited Hainaut. She stayed with her granduncle Duke Albert I. Albert’s wife taught Isabeau French court etiquette. On July 13, 1385, she met Charles. They married three days later. Charles gifted her rings tableware and clothing.
Isabeau’s coronation was August 23 1389. The procession lasted all day. Streets were lined with tableaux vivants. Over a thousand burghers stood along the route. Children dressed as angels sang. As Isabeau crossed the Grand Pont to Notre Dame, a person dressed as an angel descended from the church. The angel placed a crown on her head.
In 1392, Charles attacked his retinue outside Le Mans. He killed four men. Some thought his insanity was divine punishment. Others thought it was magic. Modern historians believe he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
At the Bal des Ardents, Charles almost burned to death. Four dancers died. This undermined confidence in the king’s ability to rule. Parisians considered it proof of courtly decadence.
During Charles’ illness Isabeau was accused of abandoning him. She moved to the Hôtel Barbette. Historian Rachel Gibbons thinks Isabeau wanted to distance herself from her husband and his illness.
The king was often upset by Isabeau’s presence. So Odette de Champdivers became his mistress. She resembled Isabeau.
Despite everything Isabeau made great efforts to retain the crown for Charles’ heirs. She navigated court politics with ease and grace. In the 1390s, Charles made Isabeau principal guardian of their son. He gave her additional political power on the regency council.
So as you walk along Rue Isabeau de Baviere remember the complex life of this queen. She was a figure of power, controversy, and ultimately resilience in a turbulent time.