Isabel of Burgundy : the duchess who played politics in the age of Joan of Arc, 1397-1471

Isabel (1397-1471), third wife of Philip the Good Duke of Burgundy, played a powerful role in the court politics and foreign affairs of this small duchy until her machinations led to her banishment. Taylor's accessible narrative history sets Isabel's life and her struggles for personal and financial independence against the fascinating backdrop of civil war, family feuds and warfare, notably Burgundy's betrayal of Joan of Arc. When The Powerful Duke Of Burgundy Philip The Good, Took A Portuguese Princess As His Third Wife, He Found He Had Married A Woman Who Not Only Had Large Ambitions, But Also The Ingenuity And Determination To Attain Them. For More Than Twenty-five Years After Her Marriage In 1429, Isabel Wielded Considerable Influence In The Domestic And Foreign Affairs Of Burgundy, A Small, Strategically Placed Duchy Battling To Maintain Its Independence And Prosperity In A Triangular Struggle With England And France. First As A Mediator And Then As A Negotiator Who Was Recognized As Speaking With The Full Authority Of Burgundy During Her Husband's Absences, Isabel Faced Charles Vii Of France Across The Bargaining Table, Fought To Secure Burgundy's Economic Future And Political Sovereignty, And Helped Maintain Domestic Equilibrium During Civil Rebellions. In Tracing Isabel's Career, One Follows A Court's Descent From Opulence To Dissolution; From The Burgundian Forces' Capture And Betrayal Of Joan Of Arc To The Rise Of King Louis Xi, Who Absorbed The Duchy Into His Realm. Blending Vivid Detail With Historical Analysis, This First Biography Of This Exceptional Woman Is A Twisting Narrative Of Splendor And Greed, Of Plots And Counterplots, Of Betrothals And Betrayals, Of Personal Skirmishes And All-out War. Isabel Of Burgundy Is A Colorful And Compelling Portrait Of A Renaissance Woman In A Medieval World Marked By Almost Perpetual Warfare, Court Intrigue, Plague, Civil Rebellion, And Dynastic Strife And Of Her Pursuit Of Power Both For Herself And For Her People.--jacket. Flashpoint: Isabel In Jeopardy, 1457 -- The Renaissance Princess, The Medieval Bride, 1397-1431 -- A Diplomatic Education, 1432-1435 -- The Duchess At The Negotiating Table At Home And Abroad, 1435-1445 -- Dual Challenges From France And England, 1446-1453 -- The Eclipse Of Isabel, 1454-1456 -- Retreat, Reconciliation, And Renewed Challenge, 1457-1460 -- The Changing Cast Of Royal Players, 1461-1466 -- Madame Le Grande, 1467-1470 -- The Death Of Isabel: Danger For Burgundy, 1471. Aline S. Taylor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. When the powerful Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, took a Portuguese princess as his third wife, he found he had married a woman who not only had large ambitions, but also the ingenuity and determination to attain them. For more than twenty-five years after her marriage in 1429, Isabel wielded considerable influence in the domestic and foreign affairs of Burgundy, a small, strategically placed duchy battling to maintain its independence and prosperity in a triangular struggle with England and France. First as a mediator and then as a negotiator who was recognized as speaking with the full authority of Burgundy during her husband's absences, Isabel faced Charles VII of France across the bargaining table, fought to secure Burgundy's economic future and political sovereignty, and helped maintain domestic equilibrium during civil rebellions. In tracing Isabel's career, one follows a court's descent from opulence to dissolution; from the Burgundian forces' capture and betrayal of Joan of Arc to the rise of King Louis XI, who absorbed the duchy into his realm. Blending vivid detail with historical analysis, this first biography of this exceptional woman is a twisting narrative of splendor and greed, of plots and counterplots, of betrothals and betrayals, of personal skirmishes and all-out war. Isabel of Burgundy is a colorful and compelling portrait of a Renaissance woman in a medieval world marked by almost perpetual warfare, court intrigue, plague, civil rebellion, and dynastic strife and of her pursuit of power both for herself and for her people. - Jacket. Isabel of Burgundy Contents Illustrations, Maps, and Genealogical Tables Preface 1§1 1 Flashpoint: Isabel in Jeopardy, 1457 !§| !§I 2 The Renaissance Princess, the Medieval Bride, 1397—1431 3 A Diplomatic Education, 1432-1435 1st 4 The Duchess at the Negotiating Table at Home and Abroad, 1435-1445 !§1 ÜI 5 Dual Challenges from France and England, 1446-1453 Isl 6 The Eclipse of Isabel, 1454—1456 7 Retreat, Reconciliation, and Renewed Challenge, 1457—1460 Ü1 8 The Changing Cast of Royal Players, 1461—1466 Ü1 9 Madame La Grande, 1467—1470 10 The Death of Isabel: Danger for Burgundy, 1471 l§f Epilogue Index About the Author This is the only biography available of Isabel of Burgundy (1397-1471) who, amid the shadowy intrigues and bloody politics of fifteenth-century court life, had the ambition and ingenuity to achieve prominence in a man's world. Recognized as speaking with the full authority of the state in her husband's absence, Isabel fought to secure Burgundy's economic future and political independence, helped to maintain domestic equilibrium during civil rebellions, and plotted to give her son a rich inheritance. The Duchess Isabel of Burgundy walked purposefully beside her husband, Philip the Good, as they left the private chapel of the ducal palace in Brussels.