Jean I le Magnifique, duc de Berry

John, Duke of Berry

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John of Valois, the Magnificent, (November 30 1340 – March 15 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were Charles V, King of France, Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He is mainly remembered today as the most important commissioner of illuminated manuscripts of his age.

Biography

He was born at Vincennes.

Upon the death of his older brother Charles V in 1382, his son and heir, Charles VI was a minor, so Berry and his brothers, along with the king's maternal uncle the Duke of Bourbon acted as regents. Following the death of Louis of Anjou in 1384, Berry and his brother Burgundy were the dominant figures in the kingdom. The king ended the regency and took power into his own hands in 1388, giving the governance of the kingdom largely to his father's former ministers, who were political enemies of the king's powerful uncles. Berry and Burgundy bided their time, and were soon able to retake power, in 1392, when the King had his first attack of insanity, an affliction which would remain with him throughout his life. The two royal dukes continued to rule until 1402, when the king, in one of his moments of lucidity, took power from them and gave it to his brother Louis, Duke of Orleans.

Simon of Cramaud, a canonist and prelate, served the Duke in his efforts to find a way to end the Great Western schism that was not unfavorable to French interests.

In his later years, John became more of a consensual figure in France. After the death of Philip the Bold in 1404, he was the last survivor of the sons of King John, and generally tried to play the role of a peacemaker between the factions of his nephews Orleans and John the Fearless. After the murder of Orleans at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy, Berry generally took the Orleanist or Armagnac side in the civil war that erupted, but was always a moderate figure, attempting to reconcile the two sides and promote internal peace. It was largely due to his urging that Charles VI and his sons were not present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Remembering his father's fate as a captive after the Battle of Poitiers 59 years before, Berry feared the fate of France should the king and his heirs be taken captive, and successfully prevented their participation. He died a few months after the battle, which proved as disastrous as he had feared.

[edit]Family and Children

John of Berry had the following issue by his first wife, Joanna of Armagnac (1346–1387):

Charles of Berry, Count of Montpensier (1362–1382)

John de Valois, Count of Montpensier, (1363–1402), married Princess Catherine of France, daughter of Charles V, King of France

Louis of Berry (1364–1383)

Bonne of Berry (1365–1435), married Amadeus VII of Savoy and Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac

Marie of Berry, Duchess of Auvergne (1367–1434), married: 1) Louis III of Châtillon, 2) Philip of Artois, Count of Eu; 3) John I, Duke of Bourbon

He married secondly Jeanne d'Auvergne.

[edit]Art Patron

John of Berry was also a notable patron who commissioned among other works the most famous Book of Hours, the Très Riches Heures. His spending on his art collection severely taxed his estates, and he was deeply in debt when he died in 1416 at Paris.

The web site of the Louvre says of him:[1]

“ By his exacting taste, by his tireless search for artists, from Jacquemart de Hesdin to the Limbourg brothers, Jean de Berry made a decisive contribution to the renewal of art which took place in his time and to a number of religious houses, notably Notre Dame de Paris.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_Duke_of_Berry

John, Duke of Berry

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Image of John, Duke of Berry from the Très Riches Heures

John of Valois, the Magnificent, "Jean, Duc de Berry", [1] (November 30 1340 – March 15 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were Charles V, King of France, Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He is primarily remembered for the very important illuminated manuscripts and other works of art commissioned by him, above all the Très Riches Heures.

Contents

[show]

   * 1 Biography

o 1.1 Service as regents
o 1.2 Later life
o 1.3 Family and Children
* 2 Art Patron
* 3 Ancestors
* 4 Footnotes
* 5 External links
[edit] Biography

Coat of arms of John, Duke of Berry, 1360.

Joan of Auvergne and Boulogne

John of Berry

Drawings of the effigies of John, Duke of Berry and his second wife, Joan of Auvergne and Boulogne, by Hans Holbein the younger

[edit] Service as regents

He was born at Vincennes on November 30 1340. Upon the death of his older brother Charles V in 1382, his son and heir, Charles VI was a minor, so Berry and his brothers, along with the king's maternal uncle the Duke of Bourbon acted as regents. Following the death of Louis of Anjou in 1384, Berry and his brother Burgundy were the dominant figures in the kingdom. The king ended the regency and took power into his own hands in 1388, giving the governance of the kingdom largely to his father's former ministers, who were political enemies of the king's powerful uncles. Berry and Burgundy bided their time, and were soon able to retake power, in 1392, when the King had his first attack of insanity, an affliction which would remain with him throughout his life. The two royal dukes continued to rule until 1402, when the king, in one of his moments of lucidity, took power from them and gave it to his brother Louis, Duke of Orleans.

Simon of Cramaud, a canonist and prelate, served the Duke in his efforts to find a way to end the Great Western schism that was not unfavorable to French interests.

[edit] Later life

In his later years, John became a more conciliatory figure in France. After the death of Philip the Bold in 1404, he was the last survivor of the sons of King John, and generally tried to play the role of a peacemaker between the factions of his nephews Orleans and John the Fearless. After the murder of Orleans at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy, Berry generally took the Orleanist or Armagnac side in the civil war that erupted, but was always a moderate figure, attempting to reconcile the two sides and promote internal peace. It was largely due to his urging that Charles VI and his sons were not present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Remembering his father's fate as a captive after the Battle of Poitiers 59 years before, Berry feared the fate of France should the king and his heirs be taken captive and successfully prevented their participation. He died a few months after the battle, which proved as disastrous as he had feared.

French Monarchy

Capetian Dynasty

(House of Valois)

Arms of the Kingdom of France (Ancien).svg

Philip VI

Children

  John II

John II

Children

  Charles V

Louis I of Anjou
John, Duke of Berry
Philip the Bold
Charles V

Children

  Charles VI

Louis, Duke of Orléans
Charles VI

Children

  Isabella of Valois

Michelle of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Charles VII
Charles VII

Children

  Louis XI

Charles, Duke of Berry
Louis XI

Children

  Charles VIII

Charles VIII

[edit] Family and Children

John of Berry had the following issue by his first wife, Joanna of Armagnac (1346–1387):[2]

   * Charles of Berry, Count of Montpensier (1362–1382)

* John de Valois, Count of Montpensier, (1363–1402), married firstly Princess Catherine of France, daughter of Charles V, King of France and secondly Anne de Bourbon-La Marche
* Louis of Berry (1364–1383)
* Bonne of Berry (1365–1435), married Amadeus VII of Savoy and Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
* Marie of Berry, Duchess of Auvergne (1367–1434), married: 1) Louis III of Châtillon, 2) Philip of Artois, Count of Eu; 3) John I, Duke of Bourbon
He married secondly Jeanne d'Auvergne.[3]

[edit] Art Patron

A portrait of John kneeling in prayer

John, Duke of Berry was the owner of the Fonthill vase, made in Jingdezhen, China, the earliest piece of Chinese porcelain documented to reach Europe, in 1338.[4]

John of Berry was also a notable patron who commissioned among other works the most famous Book of Hours, the Très Riches Heures. “Like other works produced on the duke’s auspices, this model of elegance reflected many of the artistic tendencies of the time in its fusion of Flemish realism, of the refined Parisian style, and of Italian panel-painting techniques." [5] His spending on his art collection severely taxed his estates, and he was deeply in debt when he died in 1416 at Paris.

Works created for him include the manuscripts known as the Très Riches Heures, the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry and (parts of) the Turin-Milan Hours. Goldsmith's work includes the Holy Thorn Reliquary and Royal Gold Cup, both in the British Museum. Among the artists working for him were the Limbourg Brothers, Jacquemart de Hesdin and André Beauneveu.

The web site of the Louvre says of him:[6]

“ By his exacting taste, by his tireless search for artists, from Jacquemart de Hesdin to the Limbourg brothers, Jean de Berry made a decisive contribution to the renewal of art which took place in his time and to a number of religious houses, notably Notre Dame de Paris. ”

Footnotes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John, Duke of Berry

  1. ^ Strayer, J. R. (1982). Dictionary of the middle ages. New York: Scribner.[page needed]

2. ^ The Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol.3, (1911), 809.
3. ^ Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, Ed. William W. Kibler, (Routledge, 1995), 498.
4. ^ Victoria and Albert Museum
5. ^ Strayer, J. R. (1982). Dictionary of the middle ages. New York: Scribner.[page needed]
6. ^ Dossier thématique : La France en 1400 : Jean de Berry at museedulouvre.fr (accessed 20 February 2008){{
[edit] External links

   * Stein, Wendy A. "Patronage of Jean de Berry (1340–1416)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (May 2009)

This page was last modified on 11 July 2010 at 22:14.

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