A Kingdom Divided: The Origins of French Disunity

The death of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in 1404 created a power vacuum that would destabilize France for decades. With the Burgundian faction temporarily weakened, Louis I, Duke of Orléans – the king’s own brother – seized control of the government and military command. Appointed as lieutenant-general of Languedoc and commander of Guyenne, Louis embodied the growing fragmentation of French royal authority.

This political turmoil occurred against the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War’s second phase. England’s Henry IV, having seized the throne from Richard II in 1399, faced constant threats to his precarious regime. The French saw English weakness as their opportunity to reclaim southwestern territories lost in previous conflicts. Yet France’s military efforts in 1404 proved disastrously ineffective – forces spread too thin across multiple fronts, with the Count of La Marche’s expeditionary force to Wales being repelled almost immediately after landing at Dartmouth.

The Rise of Competing Factions

Two formidable figures emerged as the dominant powers in this fractured landscape:

Louis of Orléans controlled the royal administration but proved an incompetent military leader. His 1404 Gascony campaign achieved little beyond capturing minor strongholds, while he diverted military funds to build personal castles. Contemporary chroniclers describe him as greedy, capricious, and disinterested in governance.

John the Fearless, the new Duke of Burgundy, represented a more dangerous threat. Inheriting vast territories from his father Philip, John possessed superior political and military skills. His 1405 marriage alliance – wedding his daughter Margaret to the 8-year-old Dauphin Louis – gave him influence at court. Unlike Louis’ erratic leadership, John cultivated popular support by opposing war taxes and positioning himself as a reformer.

The Crisis of 1405: Burgundy Seizes Power

In August 1405, John made his boldest move yet. Marching troops from Arras to Paris, he intercepted the Dauphin’s entourage during their evacuation from the capital. With armed Parisian citizens escorting them to the palace, John effectively kidnapped his future son-in-law while posing as the people’s champion against oppressive taxation.

This brazen act forced Louis to abandon military campaigns and recall troops to confront Burgundy. The French war effort collapsed – armies in Gascony made no progress against Bordeaux, while the Welsh expedition failed spectacularly as English naval forces destroyed their fleet. By October, exhausted resources compelled both factions to compromise, though tensions remained unresolved.

The Assassination That Shook France

The conflict reached its climax on November 23, 1407, when John’s hired assassins ambushed Louis in Paris. The brutal murder – Louis’ hand severed before his skull was crushed – shocked France despite John’s theatrical displays of grief at the funeral. When investigators uncovered his involvement, John fled Paris but soon returned with an army, employing theologian Jean Petit to justify the killing as tyrannicide.

This event plunged France into civil war between the Burgundians and the Orléanists (later called Armagnacs after Count Bernard VII of Armagnac). The consequences were immediate:

– The 13-year-old Charles, new Duke of Orléans, proved incapable of maintaining his father’s alliances
– John consolidated control over Paris through popular support and purged government opponents
– French military efforts against England completely collapsed

England’s Strategic Opportunity

For Henry IV of England, France’s disintegration came at an ideal moment. Key developments strengthened England’s position:

– In 1406, English privateers captured James I of Scotland, neutralizing the northern threat
– The Welsh rebellion under Owain Glyndŵr lost momentum
– Both French factions began soliciting English military support against each other

Henry IV’s death in 1413 brought the ambitious Henry V to the throne. The new king, surrounded by battle-hardened nobles eager for continental warfare, watched as France’s civil war intensified. The 1412 English expedition under Thomas of Lancaster – though technically supporting the Armagnacs – devolved into unchecked plundering that exposed French military weakness.

The Paris Uprising and Constitutional Crisis

By 1414, Burgundian control over Paris sparked violent backlash. The Cabochien uprising (named after butcher Simon Caboche) saw armed mobs:

– Storm the Dauphin’s residence
– Force him to wear revolutionary white hoods
– Threaten to disinherit him
– Reinstate purged Burgundian officials

This popular revolution, while initially strengthening John’s position, further eroded governmental authority. The Dauphin’s humiliation demonstrated how far France’s constitutional foundations had crumbled.

Legacy: The Road to Agincourt

The decade from 1404-1414 proved decisive for both kingdoms:

For France, the Burgundian-Armagnac feud:
– Destroyed centralized royal authority
– Exhausted military and financial resources
– Created factions willing to ally with England against compatriots
– Demonstrated the monarchy’s inability to protect its subjects

For England, these events:
– Provided respite from Scottish and Welsh threats
– Revealed French vulnerability
– Fostered a new generation of martial nobility
– Set the stage for Henry V’s 1415 invasion

As Henry V prepared his forces in 1414, France stood divided and weakened – ripe for the conquest that would culminate at Agincourt. The political fractures of this critical decade would shape the remainder of the Hundred Years’ War, demonstrating how dynastic rivalries could undermine even Europe’s most powerful kingdom.