October 4, 1289; Birth of King Louis X of France and Navarre

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Clementia of Hungary, Enguerrand de Marigny, Jean I of France and Navarre, Jews, Louis X of France and Navarre, Margaret of Burgundy, Philip IV of Feance, Slavery, Tour de Nesle Affair

Louis X (October 4, 1289 – June 5, 1316), called the Quarrelsome, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn, was King of France from 1314 to 1316 and King of Navarre as Louis I from 1305 until his death in 1316.

His short reign in France was marked by tensions with the nobility, due to fiscal and centralization reforms initiated by Enguerrand de Marigny, the Grand Chamberlain of France, under the reign of his father. Louis’ uncle—Charles of Valois, leader of the feudalist party—managed to convince the king to execute Enguerrand de Marigny.

Louis was born in Paris, the eldest son of Philippe IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. He inherited the kingdom of Navarre on the death of his mother, on April 4, 1305, later being crowned October 1, 1307. On September 21, 1305, at age 15, he married Margaret of Burgundy and they had a daughter, Joan. Louis was known as “the Quarreler” as the result of the tensions prevailing throughout his reigns.

In 1305, Louis married Margaret of Burgundy. Margaret was a member of the ducal House of Burgundy, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. She was the second daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (1248–1306) and Agnes of France (1260–1327), the youngest daughter of Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence.

Louis and Margaret had a daughter, who became Queen Joan II of Navarre.

Both Louis and Margaret became involved in the Tour de Nesle affair towards the end of the reign of Philippe IV. In 1314, Margaret, along with Blanche of Burgundy the wife of the future King Charles IV the Fair, was the daughter of Count Otto IV of Burgundy and Countess Mahaut of Artois, and Joan II, Countess of Burgundy, the eldest daughter and heiress of Count Otto IV of Burgundy and Mahaut, Countess of Artoi, (sister of the aforementioned Blanche of Burgundy) — the wife of the future King Philippe V, — were arrested on charges of infidelity.

Margaret and Blanche were both tried before the French parliament later that year and found guilty. Their alleged lovers were executed, and the women had their hair shorn and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Philippe stood by his wife Joan, who was ultimately found innocent and released. Margaret was later convicted of adultery, was imprisoned in Château Gaillard, and although technically became Queen Consort of France and Navarre, she was eventually strangled to death.

Blanche was imprisoned and not released even after also becoming queen, when her husband became King Charles IV. Blanche was released and her marriage was annulled when she was moved to the coast of Normandy. The date and place of her death are unknown; the mere fact that she died was simply mentioned on the occasion of her husband’s third marriage in April 1326.

On the death of his father, King Philippe IV, in 1314, Louis became King of France. Margaret of Burgundy, the imprisoned Queen of France died on August 14, 1315 and Louis remarried five days later, on August 19, to Clementia of Hungary, the daughter of Charles Martel of Anjou and the niece of Louis’ own uncle and close advisor, Charles of Valois. Charles Martel was married to Clemence of Austria, a daughter of King Rudolph I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg. She was a member of the House of Habsburg. Both of her parents died during her early childhood, and Mary of Hungary, Clementia’s grandmother, raised her. The family claimed Hungary through Mary, and so although Clementia was born and grew up in Naples, she was considered a Hungarian princess.

Louis X and Clementia were crowned at Reims in August 1315.

Marriage and issue

Clementia gave birth to the future Jean I of France five months after the king’s death. The infant Jean’s death a few days later led to a disputed succession. With an unknown woman, Louis had a daughter, Eudeline, who joined the Order of St. Claire and became the abbess of the Franciscan nuns of Paris, 1334-1339.

Louis X was king of Navarre for eleven years and King of France for less than two years. He abolished slavery, but his reign was dominated by continual feuding with the noble factions within the kingdom, and major reforms designed to increase royal revenues, such as the freeing of the French serfs and the readmittance of the Jews.

Regional leagues

By the end of Philippe IV’s reign opposition to the fiscal reforms was growing. With Philippe’s death and the accession of Louis, this opposition rapidly developed in more open revolt, some authors citing Louis’ relative youth as one of the reasons behind the timing of the rebellions. Leagues of regional nobles began to form around the country, demanding changes. Charles of Valois, the king’s uncle, took advantage of this movement to turn against his old enemy, Philippe IV’s former minister and chamberlain Enguerrand de Marigny, and convinced Louis to bring corruption charges against him.

When these failed, Charles then convinced Louis to bring sorcery charges against him instead, which proved more effective and led to de Marigny’s execution at Vincennes in April 1315. Other former ministers were similarly prosecuted. This, combined with the halting of Philippe IV’s reforms, the issuing of numerous charters of rights and a reversion to more traditional rule, largely assuaged the regional leagues.

Abolition of slavery and serfdom

In 1315, Louis X issued an edict effectively abolishing slavery within the Kingdom of France, having proclaimed that “France signifies freedom”, that “as soon as a slave breathes the air of France, he breathes freedom” and therefore that any slave setting foot on French soil should be freed. This prompted subsequent governments to circumscribe slavery in the overseas colonies.

Readmittance of Jews

Louis was also responsible for a key shift in policy towards the Jews. In 1306, his father, Philippe IV, had expelled the Jewish minority from across France, a “shattering” event for most of these communities. Louis began to reconsider this policy, motivated by the additional revenues that might be forthcoming to the Crown if the Jews were allowed to return. Accordingly, Louis issued a charter in 1315, readmitting the Jews subject to various conditions.

The Jews would only be admitted back into France for twelve years, after which the agreement might be terminated; Jews were to wear an armband at all times; Jews could only live in those areas where there had been Jewish communities previously; Jews were initially to be forbidden from usury. This was the first time that French Jews had been covered by such a charter, and Louis was careful to justify his decision with reference to the policies of his ancestor Saint Louis IX, the position of Pope Clement V and an argument that the people of France had demanded a return of the Jews. The result was a much weakened Jewish community that depended directly upon the King for their right of abode and protection.

Death and legacy

Louis was a keen player of jeu de paume, or real tennis, and became notable as the first person to construct indoor tennis courts in the modern style. Louis was unhappy with playing tennis outdoors and accordingly had indoor, enclosed courts made in Paris “around the end of the 13th century”. In due course this design spread across royal palaces all over Europe.

In June 1316 at Vincennes, following a particularly exhausting game, Louis drank a large quantity of cooled wine and subsequently died of either pneumonia or pleurisy, although there were also suspicions of poisoning. Because of the contemporary accounts of his death, Louis is history’s first tennis player known by name. He and his second wife Clementia are interred in Saint Denis Basilica.

Louis’ second wife Clementia was pregnant at the time of his death, leaving the succession in doubt. A son would have primacy over Louis’ daughter, Joan. A daughter, however, would have a weaker claim to the throne, and would need to compete with Joan’s own claims – although suspicions hung over Joan’s parentage following the scandal in 1314. As a result, Louis’ brother Philippe was appointed regent for the five months remaining until the birth of his brother’s child, Jean I, who lived only five days. Philip then succeeded in pressing his claims to the crowns of France and Navarre.

All de jure monarchs of Navarre from 1328 onwards were descended from Louis through his daughter, Joan, including Jeanne d’Albret, the mother of Henri IV of France, and therefore the entire royal House of Bourbon.

The Tour de Nesle Affair: Conclusion.

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Kingdom of France, Margaret of Burgundy, Philip IV of France, Philip the Fair, Philip V of France, Pope Clement V, Pope John XII, The Tour de Nesle, The Tour de Nesle affair

Due to the gap in the papacy between the death of Clement V in 1314 and the election of John XXII in 1316, Margaret’s marriage to Louis could not be annulled, and she was imprisoned in an underground cell at Château Gaillard castle. Louis succeeded to the throne later that year after the death of Philippe IV, being officially crowned in August 1315. Margaret, however, was still alive but promptly died under suspicious circumstances, possibly murdered, on August 14, whilst still imprisoned. Louis remarried five days later to Clementia of Hungary, the niece of Louis’ own uncle and close advisor, Charles of Valois. Louis himself died a year later after falling ill following a challenging game of tennis.

Jeanne was placed under house arrest at Dourdan in the aftermath of the Parlement acquittal amidst suggestions that she might also have been having an adulterous affair herself, but enjoyed the continuing support of her husband, Philippe. Philippe campaigned for her release, which was forthcoming the next year and Jeanne returned to court. It is unclear why Philippe stood by her in the way that he did. One theory has been that he was concerned that if he was to abandon Jeanne, he might also lose Burgundy, which he had gained through their marriage. Another theory suggests that he was in truth very deeply in love with her. With the death after a few days of the baby King Jean I of France, Jeanne served as her husbands, Philippe V, queen consort for several years; after Philippe’s death, she inherited the County of Artois from her mother and finally died in 1330.

Blanche remained in prison at Château Gaillard as well for eight years until 1322, when Charles assumed the throne. Upon becoming king, Charles IV still refused to release Blanche, instead annulling their marriage and having Blanche consigned to a nunnery. Charles remarried immediately afterwards to Marie of Luxembourg; Blanche died the next year, her health broken from the years spent underground.

Aftermath and legacy

The affair badly damaged the reputation of women in senior French circles, contributing to the way that the Salic Law was implemented during subsequent arguments over the succession to the throne. When Louis died unexpectedly in 1316, supporters of his eldest daughter Jeanne found that suspicions hung over her parentage following the scandal and that the French nobility were increasingly cautious over the concept of a woman inheriting the throne – Louis’ brother, Philippe took power instead. Philippe died unexpectedly young as well, and his younger brother Charles did not live long after remarrying after his coronation, similarly dying without male heirs. The interpretation of the Salic Law then placed the French succession in doubt. Despite Philippe of Valois, the son of Charles of Valois, claiming the throne with French noble support, Edward III of England, the son of Isabella was able to press his own case, resulting in the ensuing Hundred Years War (1337–1453).

The affair would also have an impact in European culture. Scholars studying the theme of courtly love have observed that the narratives about adulterous queens die out shortly after the Tour de Nesle scandal, suggesting that they became less acceptable or entertaining after the executions and imprisonments in the French royal family. The story of the affair was used by the French dramatist Alexandre Dumas as the basis for his play La Tour de Nesle in 1832, “a romantic thriller reconstructing medieval crimes on a grand scale”. The Tour de Nesle guard-tower itself was destroyed in 1665. Le Roi de fer (1955), the first novel of Maurice Druon’s seven-volume series Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), describes the affair and the subsequent executions in lurid and imaginative detail.

The Tour de Nesle Affair: Part I.

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Blanche of Burgundy, Charles V of France, Isabella of England, Jeanne of Burgundy, Louis X of France, Margaret of Burgundy, Philip IV of France, Philip of Aunay, Philip V of France, The Tour de Nesle, The Tour de Nesle affair, Walter of Aunay

From the Emperor’s Desk: When posting on the life of King Philippe V of France and Navarre I briefly mentioned The Tour de Nesle affair. Today I am starting a short series on that scandal.

The Tour de Nesle affair was a scandal amongst the French royal family in 1314, during which Margaret, Blanche, and Jeanne the daughters-in-law of King Philippe IV, were accused of adultery. The accusations were apparently started by Philippe ‘s daughter, Isabella. The Tour de Nesle was a tower in Paris where much of the adultery was said to have occurred. The scandal led to torture, executions and imprisonments for the princesses’ lovers and the imprisonment of the princesses, with lasting consequences for the final years of the House of Capet.

The royal scandal occurred at the end of the difficult reign of Philippe IV, known as “le Bel” (the Fair) because of his good looks. Philippe IV was a strangely unemotional man. The contemporary bishop of Pamiers described him as “neither a man nor a beast, but a statue”; modern historians have noted that he “cultivated a reputation for Christian kingship and showed few weaknesses of the flesh.”

Throughout his reign, Philippe had attempted to build up the authority and prestige of the French crown, raising fresh revenues, creating new institutions of government, engaging in wars against his rivals, and on occasion challenging the authority of the Church. Just before the crisis broke, Philippe had been engaged in the liquidation of the order of the Knights Templar in France. By 1314, however, he was financially overstretched and in an increasingly difficult domestic political situation, and some have suggested that his weakened position contributed to the subsequent royal crisis.

Philippe IV had three sons, Louis, Philippe and Charles. As was customary for the period, all three were married with an eye for political gain. Initially Philippe had intended for Louis to marry Jeanne, the eldest daughter of Otto IV, Count of Burgundy, but in the end chose Margaret, the daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, in 1305, and arranged for his middle son Philippe to marry Jeanne of Burgundy in 1307. His youngest son Charles married Blanche of Burgundy another of Otto’s daughters, in 1308.

The three marriages had fared differently. The union of Louis and Margaret of Burgundy is considered to have been an unhappy match; Louis, known as “the Quarreler” and “the Headstrong”, is said to have preferred playing real tennis to spending time with the “feisty and shapely” Margaret. Charles, a relatively conservative, “strait-laced” and “stiff-necked” individual, had an unexceptional marriage. Philippe, the future King Philippe V, in contrast, became noted for his unusual generosity to his wife Jeanne; the pair had a considerable number of children in a short space of time and Philip wrote numerous, if formulaic, love letters to his wife over the years.

French Royal Family, depicted in 1315: l-r: Charles and Philippe , Isabella, Philippe IV, Louis, and Charles of Valois. Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Meanwhile, Philippe IV the Fair married his daughter, Isabella, to Edward II of England in 1308 in an attempt to resolve the tensions of his twin problems of conflict over the contested territories of Gascony and Flanders. Isabella’s marriage proved difficult, largely due to Edward’s intimate relationship with his close friend and possible lover, Piers Gaveston. Isabella looked frequently to her father for help addressing the problems in her English marriage.

Most accounts of the scandal begin with the visit of King Edward II and Queen Isabella of England to the queen’s father in France during 1313. During the visit, Louis and Charles had a satirical puppet show put on for their guests, and after this Isabella had given new embroidered purses both to her brothers and to their wives. Later in the year, Isabella and Edward held a large dinner in London to celebrate their return and Isabella apparently noticed that the purses she had given to her sisters-in-law were now being carried by two Norman knights, Walter of Aunay (also known as Gautier of Aunay) and Philip of Aunay. Isabella reached the conclusion that the pair must have been carrying on an illicit affair with the wives of her brothers Louis and Charles and appears to have informed her father of this during her next visit to France in 1314.

Philippe IV placed the knights under surveillance for a period, and the scandal began to take shape. The accusations centred on suggestions that Blanche and Margaret had been drinking, eating and engaging in adultery with Gautier and Philip of Aunay in the Tour de Nesle over a period time.

The Tour de Nesle was an old guard tower in Paris next to the river Seine and had been bought by Philip IV in 1308. The third sister-in-law, Joan, was initially said to have been present on some of these occasions and to have known of the affair; later accusations were extended to have included suggestions that she had also been involved in adultery herself.

Most historians have tended to conclude that the accusations against Blanche and Margaret were probably true, although some are more skeptical. Some accounts have suggested that Isabella’s accusations were politically motivated; she had just given birth to her son, Edward, and in theory the removal of all three of her sisters-in-law might have made his accession to the French throne more likely.

Others have argued that this seems an unlikely plan, given the normal probability that at least one of the three brothers would have successfully remarried and enjoyed a male heir in the coming years. Some contemporary chroniclers suggested that Philippe IV’s unpopular chamberlain Enguerrand de Marigny might have been responsible for framing the knights and women involved.