Post by Lady Rosalind Avalle on Feb 7, 2010 12:21:18 GMT -6
The History
In 1328, Philip's first cousin, King Charles IV, died without a direct male descendant. At the time of his death, his wife was pregnant. The ceremony was delayed until the child's gender was announced in early spring.
Philip was one of the two chief claimants to the throne. His adversary, one whose lineage was far more direct than his own, was the Dowager Queen Isabella of England, the late King Charles's sister, who claimed the throne for her young son King Edward III of England. With the support of French magnates, and backed by the military might of Ghislain d'Armagnac, the bastard son of the Duke of Auvergne, Philip attained his throne and secured the unity of his country. Like his grandfather, Philip III, Valois' main concern was the unity of his country, and he left his wife Joan to govern in his absence as he fought wars upon the Continent. No mindless war-crazed king he, Philip's strategy was to secure the legitimacy of his neighbors' thrones should an occasion arise in which he would need the strength of allies to bolster his own weak borders.
In the early fall of 1329, after receiving word that his great friend, lover, and the maker of his throne perished at sea, Philip took advantage of the retreating English and laid claim to the Aquitaine, a phenomenally rich province that has long been a point of contention between the English and French crowns. In the spring of 1330, Philip took Brittany. For the first time in French history, all French-speaking provinces were under governance by the French crown. As Philip continues to consolidate his power and strengthen his borders, as well as secure the line of his own throne in the event of his mortality, France is emerging as a major player upon the Continent, even if its motives are entirely internal.
The Players
Philip VI (Philip of Valois) -- King of France. An indecisive but effective king, largely due to the efforts of his wife. Since the death of Ghislain and the capture of the Aquitaine and Brittany, Philip has been extremely reclusive, separating himself from his favored courtiers, and retreating to privacy.
Jeanne d'Evreux (Joan the Lame) -- Queen of France, mother of John II (b. 1319), Marie (b. 1326, betrothed to the Duke of Brabant's eldest son Jean), and Philip (who has not yet been born)
Ghislain d'Armagnac-- Kingmaker, primary point of contact and mouthpiece of the French military, who campaigned in Flanders on the behest of Philip. Bastard son of the Duke of Auvergne, and uncle of Rosalind de Beauquesne. Died in a sea battle in late summer 1329.
Rosalind de Beauquesne -- Duchess of Auvergne, Princess of Corsica. The rumored bastard daughter of Philip IV and half-sister to Isabella, her contacts upon the Continent are as many and varied as contacts of family. With relations to the House d'Evreux, legal but not blood relatives sit upon thrones in Navarre, Portugal, France, and the Germanic states, while holding considerable power herself in the autonomous region of Auvergne. Niece of Ghislain d'Armagnac.
Isabella of England -- Sister of Charles IV. Were Philip VI to die without heir, Isabella's claim to the French throne would be strongest as the only surviving child left of Philip IV. Partially to satisfy her own ambitions, partly to secure futures for her own children, she completed an arrangement begun by her unknown half-sister Rosalind de Beauquesne to Alfonso of Aragon, thus securing a French alliance and unity within a majority of Spain.
Jean-Claude de Aquitaine – A prodigal son, of sorts, returned to Paris after his widely-publicized exit in 1320, during the first of two devastating witch burnings. A scientist, scholar, and proprietor of Paris’s most influential atelier, he nevertheless remains a shadow figure.
Adelaide de Sauveterre – Skye’s best established apothecary, she began her life as a milkmaid from Embrun, and later found herself hustling in the streets of Paris until she found her way into Master Benoit’s apothecary, and then into the Prince’s bed as a distraction from his longtime relationship with the kingmaker.
Nasrin al-‘Anizzah – Half-Bedouin, half-Mongol daughter of the khan, wife of a Chagatai Mongol warrior, sent with the Roman Catholic diplomatic venture into France to court Philip’s hand in conquering the Seljuks to the Ilkhanate’s western frontier.
Qadan Ulagadai of the Jalayir – Of all the Mongol tribes, the Jalayir of the Chagatai are the most fierce, and the most feared. Though the rumors fly about the Mongol party, none are as intense as those surrounding the terrifyingly quiet Ilkhanate ambassador.
Charles d’Evreux – Rosalind’s legal half-brother, and once-favorite of the court following the events of Rosalind’s return to Auvergne and brief marriage to Alfonso of Aragon.
Godart Benoit – One of a very small, accomplished network of scientists, mathematicians, and physicians active in Paris’s rising school of intellects persecuted in the fires of spring of 1328. Former master of Adelaide and Gauthier.
James du'Chere -- Coming Soon
The Alliances
Aragon and Castille -- With Isabella's marriage, traditional friction between the two nations has eased somewhat.
Austria -- Alliance by marriage to Rudolf III of Austria
Empire of Constantinople -- In 1302, Charles de Valois married Catherine I of Courtenay, titular Empress of Constantinople. Had issue.
Flanders -- Valois has long been a supporter of Flanders, even at the expense of relations with the Duke of Brabant. These relations were repaired in the spring of 1333 by the betrothal of Philip's daughter Marie to the Duke's son, Jean. The monarchical crises in Flanders startled Valois into taking action. Despite the popular overthrow of the Flemish monarch, Philip fought several campaigns to re-install the king, thereby securing the throne while making an enemy of Brabant, whose separation from the Holy Roman Empire was cemented in Brabant's refusal to participate in the invasion of Lombardy in 1327. This was an alliance Philip was willing to forgo to ensure he had the support of the Lowlanders.
Hungary -- Alliance by marriage of Philip III to Isabella of Aragon, daughter of Yolande of Hungary.
Holy Roman Empire -- Charles de Valois's daughter Blanch of Valois married Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor was united with France in disliking Brabant and the Dukes of Burgundy. Philip had cause to despite Brabant: by disrupting trade to the north, it inspired considerable friction with England in regards to wool trade, thus creating a trade war between England and France. By the 15th century, the Holy Roman Empire had shed itself of any ties to Brabant and the Dukes of Burgundy.
Navarre -- Philip's niece is Joan II of Navarre. With ascendancy to the throne of France, he claimed the kingdom of Navarre and the counties of Champagne, Troyes, Meaux, and Brie, becoming closely allied with the Royal Domain of France. However, he was not entitled to these lands, and was forced to cede Navarre to Joan II. Joan was compensated with vast tracts of land in Normandy, adjacent to her family's (the powerful House d'Evreux) fief in Evreux. Philip was allowed to keep Champagne.
Portugal -- Alliance by marriage
The Enemies
England -- Though maintaining neutrality with England, France seized Brittany and the Aquitaine. Wool trade and friction with Brabant makes an alliance tenuous at best, non-existent at worst.
Mongols and Moors -- Pesky infidels.
In 1328, Philip's first cousin, King Charles IV, died without a direct male descendant. At the time of his death, his wife was pregnant. The ceremony was delayed until the child's gender was announced in early spring.
Philip was one of the two chief claimants to the throne. His adversary, one whose lineage was far more direct than his own, was the Dowager Queen Isabella of England, the late King Charles's sister, who claimed the throne for her young son King Edward III of England. With the support of French magnates, and backed by the military might of Ghislain d'Armagnac, the bastard son of the Duke of Auvergne, Philip attained his throne and secured the unity of his country. Like his grandfather, Philip III, Valois' main concern was the unity of his country, and he left his wife Joan to govern in his absence as he fought wars upon the Continent. No mindless war-crazed king he, Philip's strategy was to secure the legitimacy of his neighbors' thrones should an occasion arise in which he would need the strength of allies to bolster his own weak borders.
In the early fall of 1329, after receiving word that his great friend, lover, and the maker of his throne perished at sea, Philip took advantage of the retreating English and laid claim to the Aquitaine, a phenomenally rich province that has long been a point of contention between the English and French crowns. In the spring of 1330, Philip took Brittany. For the first time in French history, all French-speaking provinces were under governance by the French crown. As Philip continues to consolidate his power and strengthen his borders, as well as secure the line of his own throne in the event of his mortality, France is emerging as a major player upon the Continent, even if its motives are entirely internal.
The Players
Philip VI (Philip of Valois) -- King of France. An indecisive but effective king, largely due to the efforts of his wife. Since the death of Ghislain and the capture of the Aquitaine and Brittany, Philip has been extremely reclusive, separating himself from his favored courtiers, and retreating to privacy.
Jeanne d'Evreux (Joan the Lame) -- Queen of France, mother of John II (b. 1319), Marie (b. 1326, betrothed to the Duke of Brabant's eldest son Jean), and Philip (who has not yet been born)
Ghislain d'Armagnac-- Kingmaker, primary point of contact and mouthpiece of the French military, who campaigned in Flanders on the behest of Philip. Bastard son of the Duke of Auvergne, and uncle of Rosalind de Beauquesne. Died in a sea battle in late summer 1329.
Rosalind de Beauquesne -- Duchess of Auvergne, Princess of Corsica. The rumored bastard daughter of Philip IV and half-sister to Isabella, her contacts upon the Continent are as many and varied as contacts of family. With relations to the House d'Evreux, legal but not blood relatives sit upon thrones in Navarre, Portugal, France, and the Germanic states, while holding considerable power herself in the autonomous region of Auvergne. Niece of Ghislain d'Armagnac.
Isabella of England -- Sister of Charles IV. Were Philip VI to die without heir, Isabella's claim to the French throne would be strongest as the only surviving child left of Philip IV. Partially to satisfy her own ambitions, partly to secure futures for her own children, she completed an arrangement begun by her unknown half-sister Rosalind de Beauquesne to Alfonso of Aragon, thus securing a French alliance and unity within a majority of Spain.
Jean-Claude de Aquitaine – A prodigal son, of sorts, returned to Paris after his widely-publicized exit in 1320, during the first of two devastating witch burnings. A scientist, scholar, and proprietor of Paris’s most influential atelier, he nevertheless remains a shadow figure.
Adelaide de Sauveterre – Skye’s best established apothecary, she began her life as a milkmaid from Embrun, and later found herself hustling in the streets of Paris until she found her way into Master Benoit’s apothecary, and then into the Prince’s bed as a distraction from his longtime relationship with the kingmaker.
Nasrin al-‘Anizzah – Half-Bedouin, half-Mongol daughter of the khan, wife of a Chagatai Mongol warrior, sent with the Roman Catholic diplomatic venture into France to court Philip’s hand in conquering the Seljuks to the Ilkhanate’s western frontier.
Qadan Ulagadai of the Jalayir – Of all the Mongol tribes, the Jalayir of the Chagatai are the most fierce, and the most feared. Though the rumors fly about the Mongol party, none are as intense as those surrounding the terrifyingly quiet Ilkhanate ambassador.
Charles d’Evreux – Rosalind’s legal half-brother, and once-favorite of the court following the events of Rosalind’s return to Auvergne and brief marriage to Alfonso of Aragon.
Godart Benoit – One of a very small, accomplished network of scientists, mathematicians, and physicians active in Paris’s rising school of intellects persecuted in the fires of spring of 1328. Former master of Adelaide and Gauthier.
James du'Chere -- Coming Soon
The Alliances
Aragon and Castille -- With Isabella's marriage, traditional friction between the two nations has eased somewhat.
Austria -- Alliance by marriage to Rudolf III of Austria
Empire of Constantinople -- In 1302, Charles de Valois married Catherine I of Courtenay, titular Empress of Constantinople. Had issue.
Flanders -- Valois has long been a supporter of Flanders, even at the expense of relations with the Duke of Brabant. These relations were repaired in the spring of 1333 by the betrothal of Philip's daughter Marie to the Duke's son, Jean. The monarchical crises in Flanders startled Valois into taking action. Despite the popular overthrow of the Flemish monarch, Philip fought several campaigns to re-install the king, thereby securing the throne while making an enemy of Brabant, whose separation from the Holy Roman Empire was cemented in Brabant's refusal to participate in the invasion of Lombardy in 1327. This was an alliance Philip was willing to forgo to ensure he had the support of the Lowlanders.
Hungary -- Alliance by marriage of Philip III to Isabella of Aragon, daughter of Yolande of Hungary.
Holy Roman Empire -- Charles de Valois's daughter Blanch of Valois married Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor was united with France in disliking Brabant and the Dukes of Burgundy. Philip had cause to despite Brabant: by disrupting trade to the north, it inspired considerable friction with England in regards to wool trade, thus creating a trade war between England and France. By the 15th century, the Holy Roman Empire had shed itself of any ties to Brabant and the Dukes of Burgundy.
Navarre -- Philip's niece is Joan II of Navarre. With ascendancy to the throne of France, he claimed the kingdom of Navarre and the counties of Champagne, Troyes, Meaux, and Brie, becoming closely allied with the Royal Domain of France. However, he was not entitled to these lands, and was forced to cede Navarre to Joan II. Joan was compensated with vast tracts of land in Normandy, adjacent to her family's (the powerful House d'Evreux) fief in Evreux. Philip was allowed to keep Champagne.
Portugal -- Alliance by marriage
The Enemies
England -- Though maintaining neutrality with England, France seized Brittany and the Aquitaine. Wool trade and friction with Brabant makes an alliance tenuous at best, non-existent at worst.
Mongols and Moors -- Pesky infidels.