Individual Details
Duke Charles I of Lorraine
(1364 - 25 Jan 1431)
Charles was born in 1364, the eldest of four children of Jean I, duc de Lorraine, and Sofie von Württemberg, daughter of Eberhard II 'der Greiner', Graf von Württemberg, and Gräfin Elisabeth von Henneberg-Schleusingen. He married Margarete bei Rhein, daughter of Ruprecht III, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein and Burggräfin Elisabeth von Nürnberg. Charles and Margarete had four children, of whom only their two daughters Catharina and Isabelle would have progeny.
Charles was duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425. During his youth he had been close to Philippe 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy, as they had been comrades in arms on several occasions. His proximity to Burgundy was largely a result of his father moving away from the French court, which the Lorraine dukes had neared in the preceding 150 years as they withdrew from the Holy Roman Empire, within which their duchy was still technically a vassal state. Charles was under threat from Louis, duc d'Orléans, who had supported the citizens of Neufchâteau against his father, and Wenceslas IV, the emperor-elect, when Wenceslas was accused by his subjects of weakness. Wenceslas was deposed in 1400 and replaced as emperor elect by Ruprecht III, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Charles' father-in-law.
Charles was also a major participant in some of the late Crusader movements. He was at Tunis in 1391. He took part in the so-called Last Crusade which culminated in the disastrous Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. There he accompanied Jean 'the Fearless', son of his friend Philippe 'the Bold'. In 1399 he was assisting the Teutonic Knights in Livonia.
Charles' supporters and those of the kings of France in certain enclaves (French fiefs) in Lorraine were often in conflict between 1405 and 1406, and Louis d' Orléans, who had received the pledges of the duke of Luxembourg, was trying to create a principality in the region. In 1407, at the head of a coalition of the dukes of Bar and Luxembourg and the margraves of Namur, Louis attacked the duchy of Lorraine. He was defeated at Corny-sur-Moselle and then, in July, at Champigneulles. His assassination in Paris on 23 November 1407 put an end to his plans.
With the assassination of Louis, France broke down into two parties: the Armagnacs of Bernard VII, count of Armagnac, the tutor of the dauphin Charles (the future Charles VII), and the Burgundians of Jean 'the Fearless', Philippe's successor as duke of Burgundy, a supporter of Charles of Lorraine. Charles did not, however, enter the Anglo-French conflict then raging - the Hundred Years War (though his brother Frédéric V de Lorraine, comte de Vaudemont, did become involved on the side of the French and died at the battle of Agincourt in 1415). Nevertheless, the queen of France, Isabeau of Bavaria, appointed Charles constable of France in 1418. In 1425 he resigned from the position, asserting that the load was too large for him. Charles adopted a new stance vis-ŕ-vis France after the assassination of Jean 'the Fearless, duke of Burgundy in 1419. Jean's successor, Philippe 'the Good', had much territory in the Low Countries and only Lorraine and Champagne separated his Burgundian from his Belgian possessions. Fearing any warlike ambitions, Charles thought it prudent to reorient his fidelities and friendships away from such a possible adversary. Through his French connections, he obtained the assistance of Charles VII against Burgundy and in 1420 he married his daughter Isabelle to the Capetian René, duc d'Anjou, later king of Naples.
Charles' final years were rife with conflict and unhappiness. His nephew Antoine de Lorraine, comte de Vaudemont, demanded a part of the inheritance and Charles went to war against him in 1425, without much success. Early in 1429 Jeanne d'Arc came on a pilgrimage to Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. She counselled the duke to abandon his mistress, Alison du May. Ignoring this advice, he gave Jeanne an escort and sent her on to Chinon. Charles died at his capital of Nancy on 25 January 1431. He was succeeded by his daughter Isabelle, who ruled the duchy with her husband René, duc d'Anjou.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Charles was duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425. During his youth he had been close to Philippe 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy, as they had been comrades in arms on several occasions. His proximity to Burgundy was largely a result of his father moving away from the French court, which the Lorraine dukes had neared in the preceding 150 years as they withdrew from the Holy Roman Empire, within which their duchy was still technically a vassal state. Charles was under threat from Louis, duc d'Orléans, who had supported the citizens of Neufchâteau against his father, and Wenceslas IV, the emperor-elect, when Wenceslas was accused by his subjects of weakness. Wenceslas was deposed in 1400 and replaced as emperor elect by Ruprecht III, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Charles' father-in-law.
Charles was also a major participant in some of the late Crusader movements. He was at Tunis in 1391. He took part in the so-called Last Crusade which culminated in the disastrous Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. There he accompanied Jean 'the Fearless', son of his friend Philippe 'the Bold'. In 1399 he was assisting the Teutonic Knights in Livonia.
Charles' supporters and those of the kings of France in certain enclaves (French fiefs) in Lorraine were often in conflict between 1405 and 1406, and Louis d' Orléans, who had received the pledges of the duke of Luxembourg, was trying to create a principality in the region. In 1407, at the head of a coalition of the dukes of Bar and Luxembourg and the margraves of Namur, Louis attacked the duchy of Lorraine. He was defeated at Corny-sur-Moselle and then, in July, at Champigneulles. His assassination in Paris on 23 November 1407 put an end to his plans.
With the assassination of Louis, France broke down into two parties: the Armagnacs of Bernard VII, count of Armagnac, the tutor of the dauphin Charles (the future Charles VII), and the Burgundians of Jean 'the Fearless', Philippe's successor as duke of Burgundy, a supporter of Charles of Lorraine. Charles did not, however, enter the Anglo-French conflict then raging - the Hundred Years War (though his brother Frédéric V de Lorraine, comte de Vaudemont, did become involved on the side of the French and died at the battle of Agincourt in 1415). Nevertheless, the queen of France, Isabeau of Bavaria, appointed Charles constable of France in 1418. In 1425 he resigned from the position, asserting that the load was too large for him. Charles adopted a new stance vis-ŕ-vis France after the assassination of Jean 'the Fearless, duke of Burgundy in 1419. Jean's successor, Philippe 'the Good', had much territory in the Low Countries and only Lorraine and Champagne separated his Burgundian from his Belgian possessions. Fearing any warlike ambitions, Charles thought it prudent to reorient his fidelities and friendships away from such a possible adversary. Through his French connections, he obtained the assistance of Charles VII against Burgundy and in 1420 he married his daughter Isabelle to the Capetian René, duc d'Anjou, later king of Naples.
Charles' final years were rife with conflict and unhappiness. His nephew Antoine de Lorraine, comte de Vaudemont, demanded a part of the inheritance and Charles went to war against him in 1425, without much success. Early in 1429 Jeanne d'Arc came on a pilgrimage to Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. She counselled the duke to abandon his mistress, Alison du May. Ignoring this advice, he gave Jeanne an escort and sent her on to Chinon. Charles died at his capital of Nancy on 25 January 1431. He was succeeded by his daughter Isabelle, who ruled the duchy with her husband René, duc d'Anjou.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 1364 | Nancy, France | |||
| Marriage | 1393 | Pfalzgräfin Margarete bei Rhein | |||
| Death | 25 Jan 1431 | ||||
| Burial | St. Georges |
Families
| Spouse | Pfalzgräfin Margarete bei Rhein (1376 - 1434) |
| Child | Chatarine of Lorraine (1407 - 1439) |
| Father | Duke Jean I of Lorraine ( - 1390) |
| Mother | Sofie von Württenberg (1340 - 1369) |