3. The Assassination of John the Fearless
John the Fearless was Duke of Burgundy from 1404 to 1419. Louis of Orléans and John the Fearless were open rivals as the King was demented and both men desperately wanted to fill the power void left by the ill king. The two made open threats against each other until their uncle made them vow to stop.
A few days later, however, John had Louis assassinated in the streets. He was able to get favor with the King again, saying that Louis was killed for cheating on his wife. The King absolved John for this, but the rest of his life was not easy.
With a mentally ill King still in control of France, England’s Henry tried to take control of the country. John also wanted power but sided with France for fear of losing his popularity with the common people.
With civil unrest remaining, John and his army took control of Paris. John made himself the protector of the King. Dauphin Charles, who controlled other regions in France, called a meeting to merge power with John and try to give France more strength against England. At this meeting, John was assassinated by Charles’ men. Charles claims that he was unaware of his men’s intentions and he never paid for the assassination. The murder of John the Fearless launched France into what’s now known as The Hundred Years’ War.