Isabeau of Bavaria Isabeau of Bavaria ( also Elisabeth of Bavaria - Ingolstadt ; c . 1370 – 24 September 1435 ) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI , whom she married in 1385 . She was born into the old and prestigious House of Wittelsbach , the eldest daughter of Duke Stephen III of Bavaria - Ingolstadt and Taddea Visconti of Milan . Isabeau was sent to France when she was around 15 or 16 , on approval to the young French king who liked her enough to marry her three days after meeting her . In 1389 , Isabeau was honored with a lavish coronation ceremony and entry into Paris . Charles suffered the first attack of his lifelong progressive mental illness in 1392 , and was forced to temporarily withdraw from government . These episodes occurred with increasing frequency thereafter , leaving a court divided by political factions and steeped in social extravagances . A 1393 masque for one of Isabeau ' s ladies - in - waiting — an event later known as " Bal des Ardents " — ended in disaster with the King almost burned to death . Although the King demanded Isabeau ' s removal from his presence during his attacks of illness , he consistently allowed her the authority to act on his behalf and granted her role of regent to the Dauphin of France ( heir apparent ) , giving her a seat on the regency council , far more power than was usual for a medieval queen . Charles ' illness created a power vacuum that eventually led to the Armagnac – Burgundian Civil War between the supporters of Charles ' brother , Louis of Orléans , and the royal dukes of Burgundy . Isabeau shifted allegiances between the factions , choosing courses she believed most favorable for the heir to the throne . When she chose to follow the Armagnacs , the Burgundians accused her of adultery with Louis of Orléans ; when she sided with the Burgundians , the Armagnacs removed her from Paris and had her imprisoned . In 1407 , John the Fearless assassinated Orléans , sparking hostilities between the factions . The war ended soon after her eldest son Charles assassinated John the Fearless in 1419 — an act that caused him to be disinherited . Isabeau was present at the signing of the Treaty of Troyes in 1421 , at which France ceded control to the English . Isabeau lived in English - occupied Paris until her death in 1435 . Although championed by contemporary author Christine de Pizan , Queen Isabeau was perceived as a spendthrift and irresponsible adulteress . In the late 20th and early 21st centuries historians re - examined the extensive chronicles written during her lifetime , concluding that much of her negative reputation was unearned and most likely the result of political propaganda written by contemporary chroniclers . Lineage and marriage . Isabeau ' s parents were Duke Stephen III of Bavaria - Ingolstadt and Taddea Visconti , whom he married for a 100 , 000 ducat dowry . She was most likely born in Munich where she was baptized as Elisabeth at the Church of Our Lady . Hers was the ancient and well - established Wittelsbach family , descended from Charlemagne , and she was great - granddaughter to the Wittelsbach Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV . At that period Bavaria was the most powerful of the German states and divided between members of the House of Wittelsbach , who confusingly all used the title Duke of Bavaria . Isabeau ' s uncle , Duke Frederick of Bavaria - Landshut , suggested in 1383 that she be considered as a bride to King Charles VI of France . The match was proposed again at the lavish Burgundian double wedding in Cambrai in April 1385 — John the Fearless and his sister Margaret of Burgundy married Margaret and William of Bavaria - Straubing respectively . Charles , then 17 , rode in the tourney s at the wedding . He was an attractive , physically fit young man , who enjoyed jousting and hunting and was excited to be married . Charles VI ' s uncle , Philip the Bold , Duke of Burgundy , thought the proposed marriage ideal to build an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire and against the English . Isabeau ' s father reluctantly agreed to the proposal and sent her with his brother to France on the pretext that she was to go on pilgrimage to Amiens with her uncle , but he was adamant that she not be told the reason for the visit to France , which was to be examined as a prospective bride for Charles . He refused permission for Isabeau to be examined in the nude , customary at the time . According to the contemporary chronicler Jean Froissart she was 13 or 14 when the match was proposed and about 16 at the time of the marriage in 1385 , suggesting a birth date of around 1370 . Before her presentation to Charles , Isabeau visited Hainaut for about a month , staying with her granduncle Duke Albert I , ruler of some of Bavaria - Straubing and Count of Holland . Albert ' s wife , Margaret of Brieg , replaced Isabeau ' s Bavarian style of dress , considered unsuitable for French courtly attire , and taught her etiquette suitable to the French court . She learned quickly , suggestive of an intelligent and quick - witted character . On 13 July 1385 she then traveled to Amiens to be presented to Charles . Froissart writes of the meeting in his " Chronicles " , saying that she stood motionless while being inspected , exhibiting perfect behavior by the standards of her time . Arrangements were made for the two to be married in Arras , but on the first meeting Charles felt " happiness and love enter his heart , for he saw that she was beautiful and young , and thus he greatly desired to gaze at her and possess her " . She did not yet speak French and may not have reflected the idealized beauty of the period , perhaps inheriting her mother ' s dark Italian features , then unfashionable , but Charles most certainly approved of her because the couple were married three days later . Froissart documented the royal wedding , joking about the lascivious guests at the feast and the " hot young couple " . Charles seemingly loved his young wife , lavishing gifts on her . In 1386 on the occasion of their first New Year , he gave her a red velvet palfrey saddle , trimmed with copper and decorated with an intertwined K and E ( for " Karol and Elisabeth " ) , and he continued to give her gifts of rings , tableware and clothing . The uncles too , apparently , were pleased with the match , which contemporary chroniclers , notably Froissart and Michel Pintoin ( the Monk of St . Denis ) , describe similarly as a match rooted in desire and based on her beauty . The day after the wedding , Charles went on a military campaign against the English and Isabeau went to Creil to live with his great - aunt Blanche , Duchess of Orléans , who taught her courtly traditions . In September , Isabeau took up residence at the Château de Vincennes , where in the early years of their marriage Charles frequently joined her , and which became her favorite home . Coronation . Isabeau ' s coronation was celebrated on 23 August 1389 with a lavish ceremonial entry into Paris . Her second cousin and sister - in - law Valentina Visconti , who had married her own cousin Louis of Orléans ( Charles ' younger brother ) , two years earlier by proxy and papal dispensation , arrived in style escorted across the Alps from Milan by 1 , 300 knights carrying personal luxuries such as books and a harp . The noblewomen in the coronation procession were dressed in lavish costumes with thread - of - gold embroidery and rode in litters escorted by knights . Philip the Bold wore a doublet embroidered with 40 sheep and 40 swans , each decorated with a bell made of pearls . The procession lasted from morning to night . The streets were lined with tableaux vivant s displaying scenes from the Crusades , Deësis and the Gates of Paradise . More than a thousand burghers stood along the procession route ; those on one side were dressed in green facing those on the opposite side in red . The procession began at the Porte de St . Denis , passing under a canopy of sky blue cloth beneath which children dressed as angels sang , wound into the Rue Saint - Denis before arriving at the Notre Dame for the coronation ceremony . As Tuchman describes the event , " So many wonders were to be seen and admired that it was evening before the procession crossed the bridge leading to Notre Dame and the climactic display . " As Isabeau crossed the Grand Pont to Notre Dame a person dressed as an angel descended from the church by mechanical means and " passed through an opening of the blue taffeta with golden fleurs - des - lis , which covered the bridge , and put a crown on her head . " The angel was then pulled back up into the church . An acrobat carrying two candles walked along a rope suspended from the spires of the cathedral to the tallest house in the city . After Isabeau ' s crowning , the procession made its way back from the cathedral along a route lit by 500 candles . They were greeted by a royal feast where they were presented with a progression of narrative pageants , complete with a depiction of the Fall of Troy . Isabeau , who was seven months pregnant , nearly fainted from heat on the first of the five days of festivities . To pay for the extravagant event , taxes were raised in Paris two months later . Charles ' illness . Charles suffered the first of what was to become a lifelong series of bouts of insanity in 1392 when on a hot August day outside Le Mans , he attacked his household knights , including his brother Orléans , killing four men , after which he fell into a coma that lasted for four days . Few believed he would recover ; his uncles , the dukes of Burgundy and Berry , took advantage of the King ' s illness and quickly seized power , re - established themselves as regents , and dissolved the Marmouset council . The King ' s sudden onset of insanity was seen by some as a sign of divine anger and punishment and by others as the result of magic ; modern historians speculate he may have suffered from the onset of paranoid schizophrenia . The comatose king was returned to Le Mans , where Guillaume de Harsigny — a venerated and well - educated 92 - year - old physician — was summoned to treat him . After Charles regained consciousness , and his fever subsided , he was gradually returned to Paris in September . His physician recommended a program of amusements , which prompted a member of the court to suggest Charles surprise Isabeau and the other ladies as a member of a group of courtiers disguised as wild men invading the masquerade given to celebrate the remarriage of Isabeau ' s lady - in - waiting , Catherine de Fastaverin . Charles was almost killed and four of the dancers burned to death in a fire , ignited by a spark from a torch brought by Orléans that lit the flammable costume of one of the dancers . The disaster came to be known as the " Bal des Ardents " . It undermined confidence in Charles ' capacity to rule ; Parisians considered it proof of courtly decadence and threatened to rebel against the more powerful members of the nobility . The public ' s outrage forced the King and Orléans , whom a contemporary chronicler accused of attempted regicide and sorcery , into offering penance for the event . The following June , Charles suffered a second and more prolonged attack , removing him for about six months , and setting a pattern which would hold for the next three decades as his condition deteriorated and he went through continued bouts of insanity . Froissart described the King ' s bouts of illness as so severe that he was " far out of the way ; no medicine could help him " , although he had recovered from the first attack of illness within months . For the first 20 years of his illness he sustained periods of lucidity , enough that he continued to rule . Suggestions were made to replace him with a regent , although there was uncertainty and debate as to whether a regency could assume the full role of a living monarch . When he was incapable of ruling because of illness , his brother Orléans , and their cousin , the new Duke of Burgundy , John the Fearless , were chief among those who sought to take control of the government . When Charles became ill in the 1390s , Isabeau was a 22 - year - old woman with three children , and had already lost two infants . During the worst of his illness Charles was unable to recognize Isabeau , causing her great distress by demanding her removal when she entered his chamber . The Monk of St Denis wrote in his chronicle , " What distressed her above all was to see how on all occasions . . . the king repulsed her , whispering to his people , ' Who is this woman obstructing my view ? Find out what she wants and stop her from annoying and bothering me . As his illness worsened at the turn of the century , she was accused of abandoning him , particularly when she moved her residence to the Hôtel Barbette . Historian Rachel Gibbons speculates Isabeau wanted to distance herself from her husband and his illness , writing " it would be unjust to blame her if she did not want to live with a madman . " Since the King often did not recognize her during his psychotic episodes and was upset by her presence , it was eventually deemed advisable to provide him with a mistress , Odette de Champdivers , the daughter of a horse - dealer , who according to Tuchman is said to have resembled Isabeau and was called " the little Queen " . Odette had probably assumed this role by 1405 with Isabeau ' s consent , but during his remissions the King still had sexual relations with his wife , whose last pregnancy occurred in 1407 . Records show she was in the King ' s chamber on 23 November 1407 , the night of Orléans ' assassination , and again in 1408 . Charles ' bouts of illness continued unabated until his death . The two may have still felt mutual affection , and Isabeau exchanged gifts and letters with him during his periods of lucidity , but distanced herself during the prolonged attacks of insanity . Adams writes Isabeau ' s attachment and loyalty is evident in the great efforts she made to retain the crown for his heirs in the ensuing decades . Political factions and early diplomatic efforts . Isabeau ' s life is well documented , most likely because Charles ' s illness placed her in an unusual position of power . Nevertheless , not much is known about her personal characteristics and historians even disagree about her appearance . She is variously described as " small and brunette " , or as " tall and blonde " . Contemporary evidence is contradictory ; chroniclers said of her either she was " beautiful and hypnotic , or so obese through dropsy that she was crippled . " Despite living in France after her marriage , she spoke with a heavy German accent that never diminished , which Tuchman describes as giving her an " alien " cast at the French court . Historian Tracy Adams describes Isabeau as a talented diplomat who navigated court politics with ease , grace and charisma . Charles had been crowned in 1387 , aged 20 , attaining sole control of the monarchy . His first acts included the dismissal of his uncles and the reinstatement of the so - called Marmousets — a group of councilors to his father , Charles V — and he gave Orléans more responsibility . Some years later , after Charles ' first attack of illness , tensions mounted between Orléans and the royal uncles — Philip the Bold , Duke of Burgundy , John , Duke of Berry , and Louis II , Duke of Bourbon . Forced to assume a greater role in maintaining peace amidst the growing power struggle , which was to persist for many years , Isabeau succeeded in her role as peacekeeper among the various court factions . As early as the late 1380s and early 1390s , Isabeau demonstrated she possessed diplomatic influence when the Florentine delegation requested her political intervention in the Gian Galeazzo Visconti affair . Orléans and the Duke of Burgundy were in the pro - Visconti faction while the anti - Visconti faction included Isabeau , her brother , Louis VII , Duke of Bavaria , and John III , Count of Armagnac . At that time Isabeau lacked the political power to effect change . Some years later , however , at the 1396 wedding of her seven - year - old daughter , Isabella , to Richard II of England ( an event at which Charles attacked a herald for wearing Galeazzo ' s livery ) , Isabeau successfully negotiated an alliance between France and Florence with Florentine ambassador Buonaccorso Pitti . In the 1390s , Jean Gerson of the University of Paris formed a council to eliminate the Western Schism and in recognition of her negotiating skills , he placed Isabeau on the council . The French wanted both the Avignon and Roman popes to abdicate in favor of a single papacy in Rome ; Clement VII in Avignon welcomed Isabeau ' s presence given her record as an effective mediator . However , the effort faded when Clement VII died . During his short - lived recovery in the 1390s , Charles made arrangements for Isabeau to be " principal guardian of the dauphin " , their son , until he reached 13 years of age , giving her additional political power on the regency council . Charles appointed Isabeau co - guardian of their children in 1393 , a position shared with the royal dukes and her brother , Louis of Bavaria , while he gave Orléans full power of the regency . In appointing Isabeau , Charles acted under laws enacted by his father , Charles V , which gave the Queen full power to protect and educate the heir to the throne . These appointments separated power between Orléans and the royal uncles , increasing ill - will among the factions . The following year , as Charles ' bouts of illness became more severe and prolonged , Isabeau became the leader of the regency council , giving her power over the royal dukes and the Constable of France , while at the same time making her vulnerable to attack from various court factions . Orléans became financially powerful during Charles ' illness as the official tax collector , and in the following decade Isabeau and Orléans agreed to raise the level of taxation . In 1401 , during one of the King ' s absences , Orléans installed his own men to collect royal revenues , angering Philip the Bold who in retaliation raised an army , threatening to enter Paris with 600 men - at - arms and 60 knights . At that time Isabeau intervened between Orléans and Burgundy , preventing bloodshed and the outbreak of civil war . Charles trusted Isabeau enough by 1402 to allow her to arbitrate the growing dispute between the Orléanists and Burgundian s , and he turned control of the treasury over to her . After Philip the Bold died in 1404 and his son John the Fearless became Duke of Burgundy , the new duke continued the political strife in an attempt to gain access to the royal treasury for Burgundian interests . Orléans and the royal dukes thought John was usurping power for his own interests and Isabeau , at that time , aligned herself with Orléans to protect the interests of the crown and her children . Furthermore , she distrusted John the Fearless who she thought overstepped himself in rank — he was cousin to the King whereas Orléans was Charles ' brother . Rumors that Isabeau and Orléans were lovers began to circulate , a relationship that was considered incestuous . Whether the two were intimate has been questioned by contemporary historians , including Gibbons who believes the rumor may have been planted as propaganda against Isabeau as retaliation against tax increases she and Orléans ordered in 1405 . An Augustinian friar , Jacques Legrand , preached a long sermon to the court denouncing excess and depravity , in particular mentioning Isabeau and her fashions — with exposed necks , shoulders and décolletage . The monk presented his sermon as allegory so as not to offend Isabeau overtly , but he cast her and her ladies - in - waiting as " furious , vengeful characters " . He said to Isabeau , " If you don ' t believe me , go out into the city disguised as a poor woman , and you will hear what everyone is saying . " Thus he accused Isabeau as having lost touch with the commoners and the court with its subjects . At about the same time a satirical political pamphlet , " Songe Veritable " , now considered by historians to be pro - Burgundian propaganda , was released and widely distributed in Paris . The pamphlet hinted at the Queen ' s relations with Orléans . John the Fearless accused Isabeau and Orléans of fiscal mismanagement and again demanded money for himself , in recompense for the loss of royal revenues after his father ' s death ; an estimated half of Philip the Bold ' s revenues had come from the French treasury . John raised a force of 1 , 000 knights , and entered Paris in 1405 . Orléans hastily retreated with Isabeau to the fortified castle of Melun , with her household and children a day or so behind . John immediately left in pursuit , intercepting the party of chaperones and royal children . He took possession of the Dauphin , and returned him to Paris under control of Burgundian forces ; however , the boy ' s uncle , the duke of Berry , quickly took control of the child at the orders of the Royal Council . At that time Charles was lucid for about a month and able to help with the crisis . The incident , that came to be known as the " enlèvement of the dauphin " , almost caused full scale war , but it was averted at that time . Orléans quickly raised an army while John encouraged Parisians to revolt ; they refused claiming loyalty to the King and his son ; Berry was made captain general of Paris and the city ' s gates were locked . In October , Isabeau became active in mediating the dispute , in response to a letter from Christine de Pizan and an ordinance from the Royal Council . Orléans ' assassination and aftermath . In 1407 , John the Fearless ordered Orléans ' assassination . On 23 November , hired killers attacked the duke as he returned to his Paris residence , cut off his hand holding the horse ' s reins , and " hacked [ him ] to death with swords , axes , and wooden clubs " . His body was left in a gutter . John first denied involvement in the assassination , but quickly admitted that the act was done for the Queen ' s honor , claiming he acted to " avenge " the monarchy of the alleged adultery between Isabeau and Orléans . His royal uncles , shocked at his confession , forced him to leave Paris while the Royal Council attempted a reconciliation between the Houses of Burgundy and Orléans . In March 1408 , Jean Petit presented a lengthy and well - attended justification , at the royal palace before a large courtly audience . Petit argued convincingly that in the King ' s absence Orléans became a tyrant , practiced sorcery and necromancy , was driven by greed , and planned , while almost succeeding , in committing fratricide at the " Bal des Ardents " . John should be exonerated because , as Petit argued , he defended the King and monarchy by assassinating Orléans . Charles , " insane during the oration " , was convinced by Petit ' s argument , pardoned John the Fearless , only to rescind the pardon in September . Violence again broke out after the assassination ; Isabeau had troops patrol Paris and , to protect the Dauphin Louis , Duke of Guyenne , she again left the city for Melun . In August , Isabeau staged an entry to Paris for Dauphin Louis . Early in the new year , Charles signed an ordinance giving the 13 - year - old Dauphin the power to rule in the Queen ' s absence . During these years , Isabeau ' s greatest concern was the Dauphin ' s safety as she prepared him to take up the duties of the King ; she formed alliances to further those aims . At this point , the Queen and her influence were still crucial to the power struggle . Physical control of Isabeau and her children became important to both parties and she was forced to frequently change sides , for which she was criticized and called unstable . She joined the Burgundians from 1409 to 1413 , and switched sides to form an alliance with the Orléanists from 1413 to 1415 . At the Peace of Chartre in March 1409 , John the Fearless was reinstated to the Royal Council after a public reconciliation with Orléans ' son , Charles , Duke of Orléans , at Chartres Cathedral , although the feuding continued . In December of that year , Isabeau bestowed the " tutelle " ( guardianship of the Dauphin ) upon John the Fearless , made him the master of Paris , and allowed him to mentor the Dauphin Louis , after he had Jehan de Montagu , Grand Master of the King ' s household , executed . At that point the Duke essentially controlled Paris and the Dauphin , and was popular in Paris because of his opposition to taxes levied by Isabeau and Orléans . Isabeau ' s actions with respect to John the Fearless angered the Armagnacs , who in the fall of 1410 marched to Paris to " rescue " the Dauphin from the Duke ' s influence . At that time members of the University of Paris , Jean Gerson in particular , proposed that all feuding members of the Royal Council step down and be immediately removed from power . To defuse tension with the Burgundians a second double marriage was arranged in 1409 . Isabeau ' s daughter Michelle married John the Fearless ' son Philip the Good ; Isabeau ' s son , Dauphin Louis , married John ' s daughter Margaret . Before the wedding , Isabeau negotiated a treaty with John the Fearless in which she clearly defined family hierarchy and her position in relation to the throne . Civil war . Despite Isabeau ' s efforts to keep the peace , the Armagnac – Burgundian Civil War broke out in 1411 . John gained the upper hand during the first year but the Dauphin began to build a power base ; Christine de Pizan wrote of him that he was the savior of France . Still only 15 , he lacked the power or backing to defeat John , who fomented revolt in Paris . In retaliation against John the Fearless ' actions , Charles of Orléans denied funds from the royal treasury to all members of the royal family . In 1414 , instead of allowing her son , then 17 , to lead , Isabeau allied herself with Charles of Orléans . The Dauphin , in return , then changed allegiance and joined John , which Isabeau considered unwise and dangerous . The result was continued civil war in Paris . Parisian commoners joined forces with John the Fearless in the Cabochien Revolt , and at the height of the revolt a group of butchers entered Isabeau ' s home in search of traitors , arresting and taking away up to 15 of her ladies - in - waiting . In his chronicles Pintoin wrote Isabeau was firmly allied with the Orléanists and the 60 , 000 Armagnacs who invaded Paris and Picardy . King Henry V of England took advantage of the internal strife in France , invading the northwest coast and in 1415 he delivered a crushing defeat to the French at Agincourt . Nearly an entire generation of military leaders died or were taken prisoner in a single day . John , still feuding with the royal family and the Armagnacs , remained neutral as Henry V went on to conquer towns in northern France . In December of 1415 , Dauphin Louis died suddenly at age 18 of illness , leaving Isabeau ' s political status unclear . Her 17 - year - old fourth - born son , John of Touraine , who was now the Dauphin , had been raised since childhood in the household of Duke William II of Bavaria in Hainaut . Married to Countess Jacqueline of Hainaut , Touraine was a Burgundian sympathizer . William of Bavaria refused to send Touraine to Paris during a period of upheaval as Burgundians plundered the city and the Parisians revolted against another wave of tax increases initiated by Count Bernard VII of Armagnac whom , in a period of lucidity , Charles had raised to be the Constable of France . Isabeau attempted to intervene by arranging a meeting with Jacqueline in 1416 , but Armagnac refused to allow Isabeau to reconcile with the House of Burgundy , while William II continued to prevent the young Dauphin from entering Paris . In 1417 , Henry V invaded Normandy with 40 , 000 men . In April that year Dauphin John died and another shift in power occurred when Isabeau ' s fifth and last son Charles , age 14 , became Dauphin . He was married to Armagnac ' s daughter Marie of Anjou and favored the Armagnacs . At that time , Armagnac imprisoned Isabeau in Tours , confiscating her personal property ( clothing , jewels and money ) , dismantling her household , and separating her from the younger children as well as her ladies - in - waiting . She secured her freedom in November through the help of the Duke of Burgundy . Accounts of her release vary : Monstrelet writes Burgundy " delivered " her to Troyes , and Pintoin writes the Duke negotiated Isabeau ' s release so as to gain control of her authority . Isabeau maintained her alliance with Burgundy from that period until the Treaty of Troyes . Isabeau at first assumed the role of sole regent but in January 1418 yielded her position to John the Fearless . Together Isabeau and John abolished parliament ( " Chambre des comptes " ) and turned to securing control of Paris and the King . John took control of Paris by force on 28 May 1418 , slaughtering Armagnacs . The Dauphin fled the city . According to Pintoin ' s chronicle , the Dauphin refused Isabeau ' s invitation to join her in an entry to Paris . She entered the city with John on 14 July . Shortly after he assumed the title of Dauphin , Charles negotiated a truce with John in Pouilly . Charles then requested a private meeting with John , on 10 September 1419 at a bridge in Montereau , promising his personal guarantee of protection . The meeting , however , was a ploy to assassinate John the Fearless , whom Charles had " hacked to death " on the bridge . His father , King Charles , immediately disinherited his son for killing the Duke of Burgundy . The civil war ended after Fearless ' assassination . The Dauphin ' s actions fueled more rumor about his legitimacy , and his disinheritance set the stage for Treaty of Troyes . Treaty of Troyes and later years . By 1419 , Henry V occupied much of Normandy and demanded an oath of allegiance from the residents . The new Duke of Burgundy , Philip the Good , allied with the English , putting enormous pressure on France and Isabeau , who remained loyal to the King . In 1420 , Henry V sent an emissary to confer with the Queen , after which according to Adams , Isabeau " ceded to what must have been a persuasively posed argument by Henry V ' s messenger " . France effectively was without an heir to the throne , even before the Treaty of Troyes . Charles VI had disinherited the Dauphin , whom he considered responsible for " breaking the peace for his involvement in the assassination of the duke of Burgundy " . He wrote in 1420 of Charles that he had " rendered himself unworthy to succeed to the throne or any other title " . Charles of Orléans , next in line as heir under salic law , had been taken prisoner at the Battle of Agincourt and was kept in captivity in London . In absence of an official heir to the throne , Isabeau accompanied King Charles to sign the Treaty of Troyes in May 1420 , and Gibbons writes the treaty " only confirmed [ the Dauphin ' s ] outlaw status " . The King ' s malady prevented him from appearing at the signing of the treaty , forcing Isabeau to stand in for him , which according to Gibbons gave her " perpetual responsibility in having sworn away France " . For many centuries , Isabeau stood accused of relinquishing the crown because of the Treaty . Under the terms of the Treaty , Charles remained as King of France but Henry V , who married Charles ' and Isabeau ' s daughter , Catherine , kept control of the territories he conquered in Normandy , would govern France with the Duke of Burgundy , and was to be Charles ' successor . Isabeau was to live in English - controlled Paris . Charles VI died in October 1422 . As Henry V had died earlier the same year , his infant son by Catherine , Henry VI , was proclaimed King of France , according to the terms of the Treaty of Troyes , with the Duke of Bedford acting as regent . Rumors circulated about Isabeau again ; some chronicles describe her living in a " degraded state " . According to Tuchman , Isabeau had a farmhouse built in St . Ouen where she looked after livestock , and in her later years , during a lucid episode , Charles arrested one of her lovers whom he tortured and then drowned in the Seine . However , historian Desmond Seward attributes this same episode to the disinherited Dauphin , who went on to become Charles VII . He kept at his own court as a favorite the " poisoner and wife - murderer " and former lover whom he eventually had drowned . At that period rumors about Isabeau ' s promiscuity flourished , which Adams attributes to English propaganda , who may have felt a need to secure their grasp on the throne . An allegorical pamphlet , called " Pastorelet " , was published in the mid - 1420s painting Isabeau and Orleans as lovers . At about the same period Isabeau was contrasted with Joan of Arc , considered virginally pure , in the allegedly popular saying " Even as France had been lost by a woman it would be saved by a woman " . Adams writes Joan of Arc has been attributed with the words " France . having been lost by a woman , would be restored by a virgin " , but neither saying can be substantiated by contemporary documentation or chronicles . In 1429 , when Isabeau lived in English - occupied Paris , the accusation was again put forth that Charles VII was not the son of Charles VI . At that time , with two contenders for the French throne — the young Henry VI and disinherited Charles — this could have been propaganda to prop up the English claim . Furthermore , gossip spread that Joan of Arc was Isabeau and Orleans ' illegitimate daughter — a rumor Gibbons finds improbable because Joan of Arc almost certainly was not born for some years after Orléans ' assassination . Stories circulated that the dauphins were murdered , and attempts were made to poison the other children , all of which added to Isabeau ' s reputation of one of history ' s great villains . Isabeau was removed from political influence and retired to live in the Hôtel Saint - Pol with her brother ' s second wife , Catherine of Alençon . She was accompanied by her ladies - in - waiting Amelie von Orthenburg and Madame de Moy , the latter of whom had travelled from Germany and had stayed with her as " dame d ' honneur " since 1409 . Isabeau died there in 1435 . Her death and funeral were documented by Jean Chartier ( member of St Denis Abbey ) who may well have been an eyewitness . Reputation and legacy . Isabeau was dismissed by historians as a wanton , weak and indecisive leader . Modern historians now see her as taking an unusually active leadership role for a queen of her period , forced to take responsibility as a direct result of Charles ' illness . Her critics accepted skewed interpretations of her role in the negotiations with England , resulting in the Treaty of Troyes , and in the rumors of her marital infidelity with Orléans . Gibbons writes a queen ' s duty was to secure the succession to the crown and look after her husband ; historians described Isabeau as having failed in both respects and she came to be seen as a one of the great villains in history . Gibbons goes on to say that even her physical appearance is uncertain and depictions of her vary depending on whether she was to be portrayed as good or evil . Rumored to be a bad mother , she was accused of " incest , moral corruption , treason , avarice and profligacy . . . political aspirations and involvements " . Adams writes that historians reassessed her reputation in the late 20th century , exonerating her of many of the accusations , seen particularly in Gibbons ' scholarship . Furthermore , Adams admits she believed the allegations against Isabeau until she delved into contemporary chronicles : there she found little evidence against the Queen except that many of the rumors came from only a few passages , and in particular from Pintoin ' s pro - Burgundian writing . After the onset of the King ' s illness , a common belief was that Charles ' mental illness and inability to rule were due to her witchcraft ; as early as the 1380s rumors spread that the court was steeped in sorcery . In 1397 , Orléans ' wife , Valentina Visconti was forced to leave Paris because she was accused of using magic . The court of the " mad king " attracted magicians with promises of cures who often were used as political tools by the various factions . Lists of people accused of bewitching Charles were compiled with Isabeau and Orléans both listed . The accusations of adultery were rampant . According to Pintoin ' s chronicle , " [ Orléans ] clung a bit too closely to his sister - in - law , the young and pretty Isabeau of Bavaria , the queen . This ardent brunette was twenty - two ; her husband was insane and her seductive brother - in - law loved to dance , beyond that we can imagine all sorts of things " . Pintoin said of the Queen and Orléans that they neglected Charles , behaved scandalously and " lived on the delights of the flesh " ; spending large amounts of money on court entertainment . The alleged affair , however , is based on a single paragraph from Pintoin ' s chronicles according to Adams , and is now no longer considered proof . Isabeau was accused of indulging in extravagant and expensive fashions , jewel - laden dresses and elaborate braid ed hairstyles coiled into tall shells , covered with wide double hennin s that , reportedly , required widened doorways to pass through . In 1406 a pro - Burgundian satirical pamphlet in verse allegory listed Isabeau ' s supposed lovers . She was accused of leading France into a civil war because of her inability to support a single faction ; she was described as an " empty headed " German ; of her children it was said that she " took pleasure in a new pregnancy only insofar as it offered her new gifts " ; and her political mistakes were said to be caused because she was fat . In the 18th and 19th centuries historians characterized Isabeau as " an adulterous , luxurious , meddlesome , scheming , and spendthrift queen " , overlooking her political achievements and influence . A popular book written by Louise de Karalio ( 1758 – 1822 ) about the " bad " French queens prior to Marie Antoinette is , according to Adams , where " Isabeau ' s black legend attains its full expression in a violent attack on the French royalty in general and queens in particular . " Karalio wrote : " Isabeau was raised by the furies to bring about the ruin of the state and to sell it to its enemies ; Isabeau of Bavaria appeared , and her marriage , celebrated in Amiens on July 17 , 1385 , would be regarded as the most horrifying moment in our history " . Furthermore , Isabeau was painted as Orléans ' passionate lover . She was the inspiration for the Marquis de Sade ' s unpublished 1813 novel " Histoire secrete d ' Isabelle de Baviere , reine de France " about which Adams writes , " who , submitting the queen to his ideology of gallantry , gives her rapaciousness a cold and calculating violence . . . a woman who carefully manages her greed for maximum gratification . " She goes on to say that de Sade knew the charges against Isabeau to be groundless , admitting to " being perfectly aware that the charges against the queen are without ground . " Patronage . Like many of the Valois , Isabeau was an appreciative art collector . She loved jewels and was responsible for the commissions of particularly lavish pieces of " ronde - bosse " — a newly developed technique of making enamel - covered gold pieces . Documentation suggests she commissioned several fine pieces of " tableaux d ' or " from Parisian goldsmiths . In 1404 , Isabeau gave Charles a spectacular " ronde - bosse " , known as the " Little Golden Horse Shrine " , ( or " Goldenes Rössli " ) , now held in a convent church in Altötting , Bavaria . Contemporary documents identify the statuette as a New Year ' s gift — an " étrennes " — a Roman custom Charles revived to establish rank and alliances during the period of factionalism and war . With the exception of manuscripts , the Little Golden Horse is the single surviving documented " étrennes " of the period . Weighing the gold piece is encrusted with rubies , sapphires and pearls . It depicts Charles kneeling on a platform above a double set of stairs , presenting himself to the Virgin Mary and child Jesus , who are attended by John the Evangelist and John the Baptist . A jewel encrusted trellis or bower is above ; beneath stands a squire holding the golden horse . Isabeau also exchanged New Year ' s gifts with the Duke of Berry ; one extant piece is the " ronde - bosse " statuette Saint Catherine . Medieval author Christine de Pizan solicited the Queen ' s patronage at least three times . In 1402 she sent a compilation of her literary argument " Querelle du Roman de la Rose " — in which she questions the concept of courtly love — with a letter exclaiming " I am firmly convinced the feminine cause is worthy of defense . This I do here and have done with my other works . " In 1410 and again in 1411 , Pizan solicited the Queen , presenting her in 1414 an illuminated copy of her works . In " The Book of the City of Ladies " , Pizan praised Isabeau lavishly , and again in the illuminated collection , " The Letter of Othea " , which scholar Karen Green believes for de Pizan is " the culmination of fifteen years of service during which Christine formulated an ideology that supported Isabeau ' s right to rule as regent in this time of crisis . " Isabeau showed great piety , essential for a queen of her period . During her lifetime , and in her will , she bequeathed property and personal possessions to Notre Dame , St . Denis , and the convent in Poissy . Children . The birth of each of Isabeau ' s 12 children is well chronicled ; even the decoration schemes of the rooms in which she gave birth are described . She had six sons and six daughters . The first son , born in 1386 , died as an infant and the last , Philip , born in 1407 , lived a single day . Three others died young with only her youngest son , Charles VII , living to adulthood . Five of the six daughters survived ; four were married and one , Marie ( 1393 – 1438 ) , was sent at age four to be raised in a convent , where she became prioress . Her first son , Charles ( b . 1386 ) died in infancy . A daughter , Joan , born two years later lived until 1390 . The second daughter , Isabella , born in 1389 , was married at age seven to Richard II of England and after his death to Charles , Duke of Orléans . The third daughter , Joan ( 1391 – 1433 ) , who lived to age 42 , married John VI , Duke of Brittany . The fifth daughter , Michelle ( 1395 – 1422 ) , first wife to Philip the Good , died childless at age 27 . The youngest , Catherine ( 1401 – 1438 ) , married Henry V of England ; on his death she took Sir Owen Tudor as her second husband . Of her sons , the first to survive infancy and become Dauphin , Charles , ( 1392 – 1401 ) , died at age eight of a " wasting illness " . Louis , Dauphin of France ( 1397 – 1415 ) , and Duke of Guyenne , married to Margaret of Burgundy , died at age 19 . John , Dauphin of France ( 1398 – 1417 ) , and Duke of Touraine , first husband to Jacqueline , Countess of Hainaut , died without issue . Charles VII ( 1403 – 1461 ) married Marie of Anjou . According to modern historians Isabeau stayed in close proximity to the children during their childhood , had them travel with her , bought them gifts , wrote letters , bought devotional texts , and arranged for her daughters to be educated . She resisted separation and reacted against having her sons sent to other households to live ( as was the custom at the time ) . Pintoin records she was dismayed at the marriage contract that stipulated her third surviving son , John , be sent to live in Hainaut . She maintained relationships with her daughters after their marriages , writing letters to them frequently . She sent them out of Paris during an outbreak of plague , staying behind herself with the youngest infant , John , too young to travel . The Celestines allowed " whenever and as often as she liked , she and her could enter the monastery and church . . . their vineyards and gardens , both for devotion and for entertainment and pleasure of herself and her children . "