Joan the Lame

Joan was the daughter of Duke Robert II of Burgundy and Agnes of France.^[1] Her older sister, Margaret, was the first wife of King Louis X of France.^[2] Joan married Philip of Valois, Louis's cousin, in July 1313. From 1314 to 1328, they were Count and Countess of Maine;^[2] from 1325, they were also Count and Countess of Valois and Anjou.

Joan was considered to be a scholar and a bibliophile. She sent her son John manuscripts to read, and commanded the translation of several important contemporary works into vernacular French, including the Miroir historialofVincent de Beauvais (c. 1333) and the Jeu d'échecs moralisésofJacques de Cessoles (c. 1347), a task carried out by Jean de Vignay.

In 1328, the senior line of the House of Capet, descending from Philip IV, vanished when Charles IV passed away without leaving a male heir. Charles IV only ruled over France for six years before his death and when it was confirmed he had no male heirs after the birth of Blanche of France. Philip VI of France and King Edward III of England who had come to power in England in 1327, one year before the death of Charles IV. Edward’s mother Isabella of France daughter of Charles IV was rejected from giving Edward the throne. The rejection of Edward III from the throne was based on the Philip V’s claim to the throne in 1316 where it was decided women cannot succeed in France when an assembly met to decide if Philip V had wrongfully taken power by anointing himself in 1317. Since female heirs could not take the throne from decision in the succession of 1316, it was given to Philip VI as he came from the paternal heritage of Charles IV while Edward came from the maternal lineage.^[3] This precedent only impacts women’s role in succession not their power in regency like Salic Law which was often wrongfully attributed to Philip VI getting power. Salic Law impacted the role of women in power and were not used during Joan’s regency in the Hundred Years War giving her less restriction on her authority. Salic Law restricted the authority of women in power and were not used during Joan’s regency in the Hundred Years War giving her less restriction on her authority.^[4]

In preparation for his absence in the coming war to defeat England, Philip VI gave Joan more authority in the kingdom, expanding her power to allow her to handle judiciary matters. This expansion of her power was significant to the culture of France at this time. French nobility did not respect women who were trying to claim any sort of power shown by Isabella’s rejection. She had royal blood, being the daughter of Charles and was still rejected from trying to claim her son to power. The Hundred Years War led to high hostility and an overall lack of trust among anyone who could take power, especially by Philip VI who had put all his trust in Joan. This makes Joan’s level of power as Queen of France significant as she was given status equal to a co-ruler by Philip VI who trusted her more than anyone else as the war for his seat on the throne began and despite her not having royal blood.^[5] His elevation of Joan’s power as Queen Regent went against the precedents set when Philip V took power rejecting women’s claims to power. Joan stands out getting the full judiciary power of a King while Philip VI fought in the war. Philip VI went against the popular culture of nobility by allowing Joan, who was not of royal blood, to have significant authority during her regency. Despite not having royal blood, Joan surpassed all expectations of a Queen Regent during her reign dealing with finances, judiciary powers, and all but warfare managed by Philip VI.^[5] Philip VI’s entrusting of Joan with these powers unique from other Queens in France had become unpopular for the masses.

French society was not fond of Queens of France in the 14^th century where the main source of knowledge of Queens at this time come from propaganda and gossip against them. Isabeau of Bavaria, a Queen after Joan, was also criticized for her power in her reign connecting to the decision of 1318 and later Salic Law, France was a challenging place for women to be powerful and the public was critical of their reigns.^[6] Joan reportedly favored people from her home region of Burgundy, a policy followed by her husband and her son, thus attracting animosity from the nobility at court from the northwest.^[7] Her political activity attracted controversy to both her and her husband, which was accentuated by her deformity (considered by some to be a mark of evil), and she became known as la male royne boiteuse ("the lame evil Queen"). One chronicler described her as a danger to her enemies in court: "the lame Queen Jeanne de Bourgogne...was like a King and caused the destruction of those who opposed her will."^[8]

Along with destroying a third of the population when the Black Plague struck in 1348, it also brought about a financial downturn. Joan died of the plague on 12 December 1349.^[9] France had become even more divided after Philip's death in 1350 than it was before he took the crown. Furthermore, the French were starting to see itself as a nation, namely, as individuals with rights, rather than just as a king's dependents. This conflict also reinforced the authority of the English parliament. The assembly of nobles and landowners continuously inspected and restricted the tax-raising powers of both kings. Due to the high expense of such border wars, monarchs were compelled to ask their people, who were progressively less willing to supply resources and labor. More parliamentary control over budgets and the creation of nation states that resembled current ones were the results.

There have been few French queens with as much power as Jeanne. The fact that she took a real interest in education while her husband focused on his military career and entertainment budget greatly influenced the trend in France where education became state-sponsored and a court priority. Kings of France asserted their right to rule by divine right as the country grew closer to a centralized form of government. Yet, France was leader in Europe for intellectual progress due to royal encouragement of learning and the country's ambition to lead its culture in addition to its economy and military might in Europe. As the idea of the nation-state evolved, so did the need for non-elite people, who were previously kept away from opportunities for a say in governance.

She was buried in the Basilica of Saint Denis; her tomb, built by her grandson Charles V, was destroyed during the French Revolution. After her death and shortly before his own, Philip married Blanche of Navarre.

Joan and Philip had nine children together:

• John II (26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364).
• Marie (1326 – 22 September 1333), who married John of Brabant, the son and heir of John III, Duke of Brabant, but died shortly afterwards.
• Louis (born and died 17 January 1329).
• Louis (8 June 1330 – 23 June 1330).
• A son [John?] (born and died 2 October 1333).
• A son (28 May 1335), stillborn.
• Philip (1 July 1336 – 1 September 1375), Duke of Orléans.
• Joan (born and died November 1337).
• A son (born and died summer 1343).

In 1361, Joan's grandnephew, Philip I of Burgundy, last duke of Burgundy of the first Capetian House of Burgundy, died without issue. The rightful heir to Burgundy was unclear. King Charles II of Navarre, grandson of Joan's elder sister Margaret, was the heir according to primogeniture, but John II of France (Joan's son) claimed to be the heir according to proximity of blood. In the end, John won.^[10]

Joan is a character in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), a series of French historical novelsbyMaurice Druon. She was portrayed by Ghislaine Porret in the 1972 French miniseries adaptation of the series.

• Hallam, Elizabeth (1980). Capetian France: 987-1328. Longman.
• Knecht, Robert (2004). The Valois: Kings of France 1328-1589. Hambledon Continuum.
• Setton, Kenneth Meyer, ed. (1975). A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Vol. III. University of Wisconsin Press.
• Sumption, Jonathan (1999). The Hundred Years War II:Trial by Fire. University of Pennsylvania Press.