Stories are widely known Margarita de Valois - the French queen Margot. But the paradox is that the French throne knew the two queens of Margot, and the second is undeservedly in the shadow of the first. We are talking about Margarita of Burgundy, the wife of Louis the Grumpy. We talk about her short but vibrant and eventful life in our material.
A little bit about the French traditions of past centuries
As you know, in former times, kings sought wives for their grown royal offspring. For this, of course, only noble families were considered. The bride of the future king herself was supposed to be a princess - or at least a duchess. Girls to the court — girls, after all, they used to get married very early, candidates for the prince’s wife turned 14-16 years old — they were often brought from abroad. So King Philip the Fourth at one time became preoccupied with the search for suitable daughters-in-law - after all, he had three sons. First, it was necessary to marry Louis, the eldest - it was he who, after his father, was to take the throne.
And now, before we talk about the life of Margarita herself, we briefly explain who her husband was - this is important enough to understand the essence of the whole history of the French queen.
Louis Tenth - Grumpy
Louis, nicknamed by the people as Grumpy for his quarrelsome and absurd character, was born in 1289. His father, as mentioned above, was King Philip the Fourth, nicknamed the Beautiful, his mother was John the First, or Navarre, Queen of Navarre (the province nowadays belonging to Spain).
Everyone, even his own father, spoke of Louis as a fool. He was spoiled, pampered and lazy, did not receive education, preferring to spend time in festivities, festivities and amusements. Moreover, he himself was gloomy, boring and was interested exclusively in horse racing, dog hunting and games. All these qualities terribly prevented him when he suddenly became king - his father was crushed by an unknown disease; Philip the Fourth was gone in a matter of days, and the king of France was the one who absolutely had no idea about, firstly, what it means to “rule the country”, and secondly, how to do it.
His business was cool with his father, but Louis could not only continue his father's undertakings, but also save what was already created. He, in everything related to the management of France, obeyed Carl Valois, his uncle, his father’s brother. Karl was not that stupid - he was a troublemaker, and the things that he put into the head of his negligent nephew, did not bring the benefits of France. All Louis’s attempts to do something failed.
Fortunately for the country, the rule of the Grumpy King did not last long - only two years. In 1314, he ascended the throne; in 1316, at the age of 27, he suddenly died. A year earlier, with the “help” of royal servants, his wife, Queen of France Margarita of Burgundy, passed away. And now it's time to talk about her life ...
Before marriage
Unlike many other girls brought to the court from different countries at different times, Margarita Burgundskaya was French. And it’s not at all simple: her family was so noble that you can’t imagine any more - after all, her mother, Agnes French, was the daughter of the greatest Louis the Ninth, nicknamed the Saints (by the way, there is a curious fact: it turns out that St. Louis was Margarita’s grandfather while her husband, Louis, he was paternal great-grandfather; thus, it turns out that Louis and Margarita are relatives before marriage, and the latter is somewhat incestuous). Her father, Robert the Second, was the Duke of Burgundy, it was in the castle in Burgundy that Margarita grew up.
In addition to her, the family had as many as eleven brothers and sisters, but Margo was the smartest, most beautiful - and most characteristic of all of them. She was not afraid to express her opinion, which she had on any issue, read a lot, and understood many everyday matters.
Margarita studied languages, geography, literature, danced beautifully - in general, by the age of fourteen, she, who loved fun, noise, party, holidays and was already fully formed as a woman, was a fully grown girl, suitable for marriage. So it’s not at all surprising that Philip the Beautiful “laid eyes on her” in search of her first daughter-in-law.
The proposal of King Margarita of Burgundy was terribly happy. So many enticing things opened ahead - Paris, balls, high society, and someday - the reign of France! She did not yet know that life in Paris would be somewhat different than she had imagined.
Marriage
In 1305, a wedding ceremony took place between the fifteen-year-old Margarita and the sixteen-year-old Louis. This is not to say that the future king made a great impression on his bride, but she optimistically thought that, as they say, "is hardened, in love." Against the background of the plain and pale-skinned Louis, the dark-skinned, dark-haired and dark-eyed Margarita especially shone. Many courtiers did not take their eyes off her - but not Louis himself. He was emphasized courteous to Margarita, but only - otherwise cold and indifferent.
Margarita of Burgundy did not immediately recognize the indifference of the king and reconciled with him. For two years of her married life, she stubbornly tried to draw his attention to herself, but everything was in vain. According to some sources, Louis envied his wife, her light, cheerful disposition, that she was adored by many, including Philip the Fourth himself, and therefore secretly hated it. Whether this was so in reality is hard to say. However, Philip really very favored his daughter-in-law, something reminiscent of his own wife. It was all the more painful for Margarita to admit her defeat - even her father-in-law, the Iron King (as they called Philip), disposed to herself, but she could not!
Blanca
Meanwhile, the younger sons of Philip also married. And not on anyone, but on the cousins of Queen Margarita of Burgundy - Jeanne and Blanca. And if Jeanne was more calm, reasonable and “right”, then Blanca had the same ardent character as Margarita herself, and therefore the girls quickly became friends.
Both Margarita and Blanca of Burgundy were bored not only in marriage, but also in the Paris walls - perhaps this is also why they decided on the step that later turned out to be fatal for them.
D'One brothers
Gauthier and Philippe d'One came from a Norman family, both were knights and belonged to the retinue of the younger brother of Philip the Fourth. The exact way in which they met Margarita and Blanca happened is not known for certain, but the fact remains: the twenty-year-old wife of Louis Margarita of Burgundy, who suffers from a lack of attention from her husband, really liked the beautiful Philip, two years younger than her, and most importantly, smart, cheerful and giving away tribute to her beauty. So their relationship began, which Margarita might have originally started as a short-lived affair, but by the will of fate flowed into a real romance - passionate and passionate. Both Philip and Margarita really fell in love with each other, and therefore continued to meet for several years in the Nelskaya Tower.
Of course, Margarita entrusted her secret to her friends Blanca and Jeanne. Jeanne loved her husband, but Blanca shared Margarita’s longing, and therefore, having learned from her that Philip had an equally handsome older brother, she decided to get in touch with him. Thus, soon Jeanne was forced to cover already two friends.
Exposure
Perhaps the connection of Margarita and Blanca with the d'One brothers continued until very old age, if not for one “but”. Everything, as always, was the fault of chance. According to legend, the daughter of Philip the Fourth, Isabella, presented the wallets of her own hand-painted gold purses with the wives of her brothers. The girls could not resist - and gifted them to their lovers. Faced with the knights in the uncle's retinue, Isabella saw familiar purses on their belts, drew conclusions - and told her father.
The wrath of Philip the Fourth was terrible. The brothers d'One were seized and tortured, under torture they confessed everything. Margarita and Blanca also had to confess. The girls were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Chateau-Gaillard fortress, while their lovers were brutally executed right before their eyes.
Queen of france
Queen of Navarre Margarita of Burgundy (she inherited this title from John the First) became the Queen of France only nominally, while in custody. It happened in 1314 - Philip the Beautiful died unexpectedly, Louis ascended the throne. Margarita languished in the fortress, but was considered the queen. Such a mockery of fate.
Death
Louis did not like Margarita, and after her betrayal, she was at all burdened by marriage with her. He needed a queen nearby - but by no means his current wife. However, in order to marry again (and a candidate for the role of a new spouse was found), a divorce was required - the Pope did not give a divorce, since treason was not considered a sufficient reason for this. Now, if Margarita had confirmed in writing that Jeanne was not the daughter of Louis ... But Margarita, of course, refused to do this - and thereby determined her future fate.
By the tacit consent of Louis and by his own order Margarita of Burgundy was strangled in the Chateau-Gaillard fortress. Louis himself survived it for only one year, having died of a fever in 1316.
Jeanne
The first six years of marriage, Louis and Margarita had no children. Only in 1312 was the daughter of Jeanne finally born. At first, the fatherhood of Louis was not called into question, however, when the story of the betrayal of Margarita surfaced, rumors spread that the girl’s father was actually Philippe d'One. That is why Jeanne, logically able to claim the throne after Louis the Grumpy, was not allowed to the throne, despite the fact that she could not be proved her illegitimate.
Nevertheless, a law was hastily drawn up prohibiting women from inheriting the French throne. Jeanne received only the title of Queen of Navarre - she is known by the name of John the Second. Such is the tragic story of Margarita of Burgundy, Queen of France.