The Tumultuous Entry of Charles VI into Paris

On January 11, 1383, King Charles VI of France, accompanied by his uncles and an armed retinue of 2,000 soldiers, marched into Paris in a calculated display of royal authority. The purpose was clear: to intimidate rebellious citizens and reassert control over a restive capital. This dramatic entry marked a turning point in the ongoing struggle between the French monarchy and urban dissenters. Following the crushing defeat of municipal resistance at the Battle of Roosebeke (1382), French towns lost their will to defy royal power, submitting to the crown for the next three decades.

Meanwhile, England faced mounting setbacks. The Earl of Cambridge’s 3,000-strong expeditionary force in Portugal, intended to bolster English interests against Castile, had dwindled to half its size due to disease, desertion, and failed engagements. By the winter of 1382, the demoralized remnants returned home. Portugal’s King Ferdinand I, recognizing the futility of continued war, signed a peace treaty with Castile in April 1383, betrothing his daughter Beatrice to King Juan I of Castile. This agreement effectively dashed the ambitions of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who had hoped to claim the Castilian throne through his marriage to Ferdinand’s sister.

The Shifting Balance of Power in Flanders and France

By May 1383, England’s fortunes in Flanders took another blow. Henry Despenser, Bishop of Norwich, landed at Calais with 8,000 men but failed to capture Ypres after a prolonged siege. Charles VI, meanwhile, assembled a formidable army in Picardy, even drawing support from John V, Duke of Brittany. Faced with overwhelming French forces, Despenser abandoned the siege on August 10, retreating as the French reclaimed lost territories.

France’s military mobilization capabilities had grown alarmingly efficient. The royal army swelled to 15,000–20,000 men, dwarfing England’s dwindling continental presence. Emboldened, Charles VI and his advisors devised an ambitious plan: a direct invasion of England. Admiral Jean de Vienne was to lead a diversionary attack from Scotland, while the king himself would spearhead a southern landing. Yet this strategy echoed the overconfidence of Philip VI’s early campaigns in the Hundred Years’ War—bold on paper but fraught with logistical challenges.

England’s Internal Strife and the Scottish Campaign

England’s response to French aggression was hampered by internal discord. Richard II’s uncles—John of Gaunt, Edmund of Langley (Duke of York), and Thomas of Woodstock (Duke of Gloucester)—clashed with the young king over military strategy and royal patronage. Tensions nearly erupted into civil war, only averted by the mediation of Richard’s mother, Joan of Kent.

In 1385, Jean de Vienne’s 2,000-strong French force arrived in Scotland, urging King Robert II to raid northern England. However, the Scots’ limited resources—only 500 well-equipped knights and a ragtag infantry—proved inadequate for large-scale operations. When Richard II led a 14,000-strong English army into Scotland in retaliation, the French-Scottish alliance quickly unraveled. Supply shortages forced the English to withdraw, while Vienne’s troops, struggling to adapt to Scotland’s harsh terrain, retreated by year’s end.

The Portuguese Revolution and the Battle of Aljubarrota

While England and France sparred in the north, a dynastic crisis in Portugal reshaped Iberian politics. The death of Ferdinand I in 1383 sparked a succession struggle. His widow, Leonor Teles, ruled as regent for her daughter Beatrice, whose marriage to Juan I of Castile threatened Portuguese independence. Opposition coalesced around John of Aviz, Ferdinand’s illegitimate half-brother, who seized power in 1385 as John I of Portugal.

Juan I invaded Portugal with a Castilian-French army of 30,000 men, including 16 cannons—an early use of gunpowder in Iberian warfare. At the Battle of Aljubarrota (August 14, 1385), John I’s outnumbered forces used terrain and defensive tactics to devastating effect. The Castilian army was routed, with 7,500 killed. This victory secured Portuguese independence and cemented the House of Aviz’s rule.

Legacy and Historical Significance

Charles VI’s reign exemplified the complexities of late medieval state-building. France’s centralized taxation (notably the taille) and military reforms temporarily outpaced England, yet overextension and royal instability (Charles later suffered bouts of madness) undermined these gains. England’s internal divisions and failed continental ventures foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses.

The Portuguese-Castilian conflict, meanwhile, demonstrated how regional dynastic disputes could alter broader geopolitical landscapes. Aljubarrota became a foundational myth for Portuguese nationalism, much like Agincourt for England or Joan of Arc’s victories for France.

Ultimately, this period highlighted the fragile nature of medieval power—where ambition, chance, and the loyalty of restless nobles could make or break kingdoms. The struggles of Charles VI, Richard II, and John I of Portugal reveal a Europe in transition, where old feudal orders clashed with emerging centralized states.