Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France
Chapter One
End of the 60 Year’s War and the First Two Phases of the War of French Succession
In 1393 the first Treaty of Paris was signed between England and France, ending the 60 Years War once and for all. The English attempts to claim the French throne were for naught, and the nation languished under the economic devastation that the failed invasion brought with it. English possessions on mainland Europe were cut down to the environs around Calais and Bordeaux. Many believed that the new era dawning in France would be a prosperous one, but this proved to be very wrong, as the newly re-crowned Dauphin of France would be dead within a few weeks.
King Charles VII of France died after sitting on the throne for seventeen days. It is presumed that he was poisoned, but by whom and for what reason remains a mystery to this day. What is known is that Charles VII had no sons of his own, rather several grandsons spread throughout France.
The Heirs:
Jean II de Lorraine: Duke of Lorraine, member of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the eldest of the Grandsons, but also the most inept.
Jean VI d’Albret: Duke of Albret, notable for being a brilliant military tactician, but was a poor negotiator.
Charles I de Bourgogne: Duke of Burgundy, closely related to Duke Jean II
Mathieu II de Foix: Count of Foix, and noted rival of Duke Jean VI, as the lowest ranking grandson, he was quickly dismissed as an heir.
Others:
Richard II Plantagenet: King of England, and despite not having a claim to the throne by the Treaty of Paris, still had some right to enforce his will to the throne.
John IV Montfort: Duke of Brittany, had no legal claim to the throne, but as one of the more powerful Dukes, could make a bid for the empty throne. But by 1399 he had turned his attention on Ireland.
The French War of Succession
Phase One in the South
The French War of Succession, also called the War of the Lilies would end up being between several countries with shifting alliances and constant warfare for the better part of the Fifteenth Century. With the French throne empty, many nations moved on the crown rather quickly, others buckled down for the wars that would follow. In the South, Duke Jean VI d’Albret made it clear to his rivals in the north that he would eventually have the throne of France for his decedents. But as a small Duchy, he had little ability to enforce this on his fellows, so he moved not on the Duchies in the north, but against the counties in the south.
In the spring of 1393, Duke Jean VI moved his army into neighboring Béarn, territory of the Count of Foix. The battle was rather short, and the city surrendered to Jean VI within a few weeks. Count Mathieu recognized Jean VI’s control over Béarn and then moved on, defeated. With this victory, Duke Jean VI had the resources to move on to bigger fish. The Count of Armagnac was next, having lost all of his territory but his capital county.
The enlarged Duchy of Albret then settled into a phase of building warships, quickly building one of the largest navies in France. This part of his plan was for the invasion of Bordeaux from the English. Quickly mobilizing his forces, Duke Jean VI; now known as Jean VI the Gascon, moved against the port city. The English defenders were outnumbered 4 to 1. England and her allies tried to save the city dropping troops from ships, which were held off by Jean VI’s fleet.
This initial success was turned around when the Portuguese landed troops north of Bordeaux with permission from the local counts in France, and then marched south. Jean VI’s troops, hungry from the prolonged siege, retreated south. Duke Jean VI feared for a counter-attack into his own Duchy, but the Portuguese pulled their troops out and returned them to Portugal, where tensions between the Iberia nations and the Berber nations was leading to a crusade against the Kingdom of Fez. With this in his mind, Jean VI returned to Bordeaux and continued his siege of the city.
Bordeaux fell in the fall of 1397, and was quickly made the capital of the Duchy of Albret. The English, on the verge of civil war, were glad to be rid of the unruly French province. This consolidated Jean VI’s realm, and gave him the ability to raise more troops to continue his fight.
The French War of Succession
Phase One in the North
In the north, Duke Jean II de Lorraine was crowned as King Jean III of France, and effectively had the northern half of the nation under his control. The Duchy Burgundy was greatly against the succession of such a minor Duchy, especially one with close ties to Germany, taking the crown of France. France and Burgundy were soon at war with each other, with neither side making any notable gains during the war. The back-and-forth styles of warfare lead to huge casualties for both nations. Burgundy seemed poised for a break through during the winter of 1396, but it quickly lost ground in the snow of Champagne.
With no possibility of either side winning, in the fall of 1399 a peace was signed and a royal marriage created between the two nations. With northern France secured, King Jean III began to work on the unruly Dukes in the north, notably the Duke of Orleans, who had recently attempted to assassinate Jean III.
The tiny Duchy was quickly swallowed by the warring powers, and put under the direct control of the King of France. It was a swift move, but one that would have drastic consequences later on.
The French War of Succession
Phase Two (The Burgundian War of Succession)
Duke Charles I had lost his only son in the war with France. His grandson, Charles, was the son of his daughter and King Jean III. King Jean III had also been wounded in the war, and on his death bed, named Charles his heir. Duke Charles I in Burgundy passed away shortly afterwards. This left the eighteen-year-old Charles as King of France and Duke of Burgundy (ruling as Charles VIII and Charles II respectively). This came as a shock, as now the two largest factions in the War of the Lilies were united at the hip. Many believed the War to be over, and the only thing left was for Charles VIII to drive over the remaining opposition. Jean VI d’Albret had different plans. He had spent his time enlarging Albret at the expense of the surrounding Duchies and Counties, and had created allies within the system. The tiny Duchy, with aid from Castile and England, went to war with the massive behemoth of Lorrainian France.
Jean VI proved to be a masterful military tactician, out maneuvering his Lorrainian counter-parts at every battle. The region of Guyenne and Aquitaine was quickly pulled into the Duchy of Albret. Charles VIII and Jean VI met several times in person to discuss peace terms, but with the war swinging back and forth, especially in the North, nothing seemed to come of these talks.
The turning point in the Burgundian War of Succession was the death of King Charles VIII on the battlefield. King Charles VIII was succeeded by Charles IX in France, but the brother of Charles I took control of Burgundy, and quickly allied himself with Jean VI d’Albret. With the behemoth effectively cut in half, Charles IX was forced to surrender small sums of territory to Jean VI d’Albret in order to turn his full attention to Burgundy.
Aftermath of the First Two Phases
The division of France into camps
With control of the south fortified, Jean VI d’Albret declared himself King Jean I d’Albret of France-Albret, thus naming King Charles IX de Lorraine King of France-Lorraine. This creates a strong division between Southern French populations and Northern French populations. With so many ‘Frances’ in existence, intolerances began to arise. Northerners saw Southerners as inbred simpletons, fishermen, and farmers. Southerners saw Northerners in a similar light.
Nations outside of France also had their picks of who they wanted to rule France. England and Castile preferred France-Albret for different reasons. Castile enjoyed Albret’s proximity to Castile, making trade easier, as well as a potential ally against Aragon in the future. England preferred France-Albret because, even after their own war, England had harsh feelings against Northern France. The Holy Roman Emperor supported France-Lorraine, though only in word. Unlike France-Albert with Castile and England, Lorraine was not given troops or money. Burgundy, by this time, was no longer considered a legitimate successor to the Kingdom of France outside of France.
After the Second Phase, peace would reign in the region only for a few years, before difficulties broke out into open warfare again, pitting France-Albret against France-Lorraine.
France in 1405
Dark Blue - France-Albret
Blue - Vassals of France-Albret
Green - Duchy of Lorraine (within France-Lorraine)
Dark Green - France-Lorraine
Maroon - Duchy of Burgundy
Cyan - Duchy of Valois-Provance (ally of France-Albret)
Purple - Duchy of Brittany (non-combantant)
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Thanks for all the support already, sorry about the Vicky map... I am beyond this point already in the game... so I needed a map and I have the blank Vicky map...
