When Tours Was The Capital of France
39 Rue Colbert, Tours
The Capital of France was wherever the King was. Because Paris was under English occupation, Charles VII established his Court in Tours.
All of his and Marie of Anjou’s children were born and grew up in the Loire Valley. Like their father, grandfather and great grandfather they were born when large areas of France were under English rule. But for Henry V, they would have been born in Paris.
In England, Henry V was, probably still is, a hero. In fact he was, in today’s parlance, a war criminal*. 1415. After his victory at Agincourt, he ordered the cold blooded execution of his prisoners.
The scene of the battle was a recently ploughed field which, after a week of relentless rain, was a sea of mud. French Knights fought on foot. Because of their heavy armour they were stuck fast, unable to defend themselves. Thousands were beaten to death with axes, swords and mallets. It was a massacre. One historian described Agincourt as ‘the graveyard of chivalry’.
What is now known as The Hundred Years’ War (in fact it was a hundred and sixteen) wasn’t a war, it was a series of English invasions through which France lost half its population.
1429. The tide began to turn in Charles favour when he received what the French saw as a gift from God, Joan of Arc.
Until her victory in Orléans Charles was sceptical but his mother-in-law, Yolande of Aragon, had so much faith in her, she had Joan fitted out for armour in Tours and financed her army.
Thanks to Yolande and Joan, the greatest patriot France has ever known, Charles was crowned in Reims. He then established a meagre, bare bones Court in a ramshackle, brick built old manor house in Tours.
This is when Tours replaced Paris as the Capital of France.
Yolande of Aragon hated Charles’ Grand Chamberlain, Georges de la Trémoille.
He was insanely jealous of the teenage Joan of Arc. No wonder. With no experience of battle her miraculous victories against England put him to shame. She gave France hope.
Trémoille betrayed Joan during the siege of Paris and handed her over to the Burgundians who offered to ransom her to Charles. He refused saying he had no money so they ransomed her to the English instead.
Joan was burnt alive.
A devastated Yolande plotted with Louis of Amboise to assassinate Trémoille. Having fought side by side with Joan at Orléans, he was more than willing.
The plot failed.
Charles couldn’t punish Yolande but to punish Louis, he took Château Amboise from him. His children were the first from the House of Valois to grow up there.
Charles finally managed to convince The Estates General to fund a standing army.
1436. Paris was liberated. Charles could now move his Court there? Yes.
Did he? No.
He preferred life on the banks of the Loire. As did his successors. The Court did not return to Paris until 1528 when Francis I moved into the Louvre Palace.
1453. Charles won the decisive battle** which ended the English occupation of France.***
It came too late for his children to enjoy the trappings of royalty but not too late for his son who succeeded him as Louis XI or for his grandson Charles VIII who transformed gloomy old Château Amboise into a Renaissance palace.
Many of Charles VIII and Marie of Anjou’s fourteen children were born at his Court in Tours. It would take down at heel, war weary, France almost a hundred years before the State had the where-with-all to fund a grand Court. If it were not for Henry V they would have been born in their gradfather’s palace in Paris.
As for Henry V, he died not as he would have liked, a hero on the battlefield. While carrying out a reign of terror in areas loyal to Charles, he died in his own bed in his own excrement suffering from camp dysentery.
* 2010. Using primary sources, a mock court trial was held in Washington DC. Henry V was unanimously found guilty of war crimes.
** The Battle of Castillon (twenty-five miles from Bordeaux).
*** Except for Calais which England managed to hang on to until 1558.
Post by Pamela (BA History of Art).
A Royal Childhood In The Loire Valley
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