Charles II (Lorraine)

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Figure of Charles on the Porte de la Craffe in Nancy .

Charles II the Bold (French: Charles II. Le Hardi , * 1364 ; † January 25, 1431 in Nancy ) was Duke of Lorraine from 1390 to 1431. He was the son of Duke Johann I and Sophie of Württemberg.

Charles II is the first Duke of Lorraine by that name. Since the 16th century, however, the Lorraine historians wanted to increase the legitimacy of the dukes through a direct connection with the Carolingians , by calling Duke Karl of Lower Lorraine , († 991), Charles I, and he is still called Charles II today .

biography

In the first years of his reign Charles took part in several crusades : in 1391 he fought off Tunis , in 1396 with Johann von Nevers , the son of Philip the Bold (with whom he had been closely associated since his youth), in the battle of Nicopolis , and in 1399 with the Teutonic Order in the Baltic States .

His friendship with the Burgundians matched his mistrust of the French court, especially the Duke Louis of Orléans , who had already supported the residents of Neufchâteau against his father. The aversion was heightened when Ludwig von Orléans stood by the German King Wenzel , who was deposed in 1400 , against the new King Ruprecht , who was Charles' father-in-law.

A series of incidents in 1405/06 in the French enclaves surrounded by Lorraine led to war with Orléans. Ludwig had got the Duchy of Luxembourg in his hand and now attacked Lorraine together with the Duke of Bar and the Margrave of Namur with the aim of creating a principality in the region. However, Charles succeeded in defeating the coalition in the spring of 1407 at Corny-sur-Moselle and in July 1407 at Champigneulles . The assassination of the Duke of Orléans on November 23, 1407 put an end to the war. In the civil war that broke out between the Armagnacs and Bourguignons , Karl stood at the side of Johann Ohnefurchts , who had ordered the murder, but also managed to stay out of the Franco-English conflict. In particular, he did not take part in the battle of Azincourt in 1415 , although he had been asked to do so by the French king - in contrast to his brother Frederick I of Vaudémont , who died there. In the same year by Queen Isabeau alongside Bernard VII. Armagnac the leader of, Armagnac , (Burgundy) for Constable of France appointed.

Johann Ohnefurcht was murdered in 1419, whereupon Charles took a more neutral route between France and Burgundy, which was also due to the fact that only the Champagne and Lorraine were still missing for the new Duke Philip the Good to obtain a closed territory. The rapprochement with France enabled him to meet the Burgundian threat, the alliance on October 24, 1420 through the marriage of his heir Isabella to René of Anjou , brother of the future Queen Maria of Anjou and thus brother-in-law of the Dauphin and future ( from 1422) King Charles VII was sealed. A side effect of this marriage was that Charles' nephew Antoine de Vaudémont was effectively excluded from the succession, which in 1425 led to an internal war in which Charles was not granted much success.

At the beginning of 1429, the already sick duke sent his subject Joan of Arc on a pilgrimage to Saint-Nicolas-de-Port , but only dealt with her reproaches because of his dissolute lifestyle (she advised him to see his mistress Alison du May leave). Although Karl did not follow her advice, she put together a team that safely led her to Chinon to see Charles VII.

progeny

In 1394 Karl married the Wittelsbacherin Margarete von der Pfalz (* 1376; † 1434), daughter of the future elector and king Ruprecht and Elisabeth von Hohenzollern. Your children were:

He also had a number of illegitimate children from Alison du May (who was murdered in Nancy on January 25, 1431, the anniversary of Charles' death).

  • Ferry de Lorraine, † 1453/56, Lord of Villacourt , Vaxoncourt , Pallegney and Zincourt - descendants † after 1717
  • Jean, bâtard de Lorraine, seigneur de Darnieulles
  • Ferry de Lunéville, bâtard de Lorraine, 1425 attested
  • Catherine, bâtarde de Lorraine, attested 1425
  • Isabelle, bâtarde de Lorraine, ⚭ 1425 Henri de Liocourt

literature

See also

predecessor Office successor
Johann I. Duke of Lorraine
1390–1431 		René I.
personal data
SURNAME Charles I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Charles II
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Upper Lorraine
DATE OF BIRTH 1364
DATE OF DEATH January 25, 1431
Place of death Nancy