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Thread: Jacqueline, Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, Countess of Holland, Zeeland, Hainaut and Oostervant

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    Default Jacqueline, Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, Countess of Holland, Zeeland, Hainaut and Oostervant

    Jacqueline, Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, Countess of Holland, Zeeland, Hainaut and Oostervant



    Jacqueline, anonymous painting from the 16th C.

    In the early fifteenth century, Jacqueline (Dutch: Jacoba) was the heiress of an immense territory in what is now called the Low Countries. In her own right she was Countess of Holland, Countess of Zeeland, and Countess of Hainaut. For a short time she was Dauphine of France and Duchess of Gloucester. Like any woman of means in that era, she was forced to fight to keep her patrimony. Jacqueline fought with everything she had, marrying four times and raising armies in resistance. She was feisty, persistent, energetic and gutsy.

    Jacqueline was born on August 16, 1401 in the Castle of Le Quesnoy in Hainaut, the only child of William II Duke of Bavaria-Straubing and Margaret, daughter of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Jacqueline’s parents did everything in their power to ensure that she would succeed to all of her father’s properties. When she was twenty-two months old and again when she was five, she was betrothed to John, Duke of Touraine, fourth son of King Charles VI of France and Queen Isabeau of Bavaria.

    There was a magnificent ceremony in Compiègne and John left France to go live with his new wife in Hainault. This was a highly unusual arrangement but since Jacqueline’s inheritance was vast and important, her parents wanted John to learn and become familiar with these areas so he could rule them better in the future. It also guaranteed John’s safety away from the turbulent French court in Paris where civil war was raging. In April 1411, the Pope gave his dispensation for the marriage and the couple were wed in The Hague on August 6, 1415.


    Jean de Touraine, Dauphin of France, Jacqueline’s first husband

    John’s brother Louis of Guyenne, Dauphin of France died unexpectedly on December 15, 1415. With his death John became Dauphin. Duke William didn’t allow John to return to France immediately. He was worried John would fall under the influence of the Armagnac’s or the Burgundians who were at war at the time. This made the Dauphin look weak and lacking initiative to seize control of the political situation, leading to a plot for an uprising in Paris. Jacqueline and her mother were sent to Queen Isabeau to negotiate the return of John. Finally, in January of 1417 John returned to France but then he suddenly died on April 4, either of an abscess in the head or of poisoning. Jacqueline was a widow at the age of sixteen. Her father died on May 31, 1417 and she inherited her patrimony.

    Jacqueline was acknowledged as the sovereign in Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut. But her father’s brother John, who was Bishop of Liège and now the Duke of Bavaria-Straubing claimed Holland and Zeeland were his by inheritance. He was backed by the German emperor Sigismund in his claims. With her position becoming increasingly weak, Jacqueline sought a new husband. Her uncle John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy arranged for her to marry her first cousin John IV, Duke of Brabant. The marriage needed papal dispensation which was opposed by Sigismund. But Pope Martin V finally confirmed his permission and the marriage was celebrated on March 8, 1418. Civil war commenced between her uncle John of Bavaria and her husband.


    John IV, Duke of Brabant, Jacqueline’s second husband

    The marriage was to prove unsatisfactory in the effort to stabilize Jacqueline’s position. The showdown between her uncle and Jacqueline and her supporters occurred in the summer of 1418 with the Siege of Dordrecht, a city that supported her uncle. The siege was unsuccessful and Jacqueline’s husband was forced to parley the truce of Woudrichem in February of 1419. John of Bavaria was named Regent of Holland and Jacqueline’s husband mortgaged Holland and Zeeland to him for twelve years to raise funds. Jacqueline refused to accept these terms.

    In addition to wasting her inheritance, her husband began to interfere in the management of her household. He dismissed all of her servants who had tended to her since childhood. The couple were incompatible and he grossly mistreated her. Jacqueline managed to flee from Brussels to her mother’s court in Hainaut and began pursuing external assistance for her cause. Jacqueline and her allies decided to seek an annulment of her marriage. She claimed the marriage was invalid because they were too closely related and formally repudiated the union in February of 1421. John never accepted the annulment of his marriage.

    During this time, King Henry V of England sent envoys to Jacqueline seeking to gain her trust and make her an ally. Jacqueline asked for and obtained a safe conduct and secretly traveled to Westminster. Henry gave her a monthly income of £100 and asked her to be godmother to his newborn son, the future Henry VI. Soon after she arrived in England, the Spanish antipope Benedict XIII annulled her marriage to John of Brabant but this was only recognized in England.

    King Henry V died in August of 1422 leaving his infant son king. Henry’s will appointed his brother Humphrey Duke of Gloucester as regent for the boy. But he faced opposition from the King’s council and was denied the position he felt he deserved. Gloucester decided to put his career in England on hold and to help Jacqueline. They were married some time before January of 1423. In October Jacqueline became a citizen of England and the couple spent Christmas together at St. Albans. Preparations then began for an expedition to recover Holland and Zeeland from Jacqueline’s uncle John and Hainaut from her estranged husband John IV.


    Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Jacqueline’s third husband

    The two men on the continent counted on the support of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy who was looking to incorporate Jacqueline’s patrimony into a broader Low Countries state. He was actively working to reduce the interests of England in the territories. In October 1424, Gloucester and Jacqueline crossed the channel to Calais with five thousand soldiers. By mid-December, they had conquered much of Hainaut and set up a government in Mons. Philip of Burgundy then came to the aid of John of Brabant and by March 1425, he advanced far into Hainaut with his troops. After a heated correspondence between Philip and Humphrey, the quarrel became personal. Neither the King of England nor the King of France would enter the fray. Philip challenged Humphrey to a duel of single combat and Humphrey accepted. The date was set for April 23, 1425.

    Entry into Mons of Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut and her new husband Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1885

    By this time, Gloucester’s enthusiasm for Jacqueline’s cause had waned. He had met and taken as his lover one of Jacqueline’s ladies-in-waiting, Eleanor Cobham. On the grounds of preparing for the combat with Philip, Gloucester returned to England leaving Jacqueline in Mons. The King’s Council in England forbade Gloucester from fighting. Jacqueline could no longer resist Philip’s advance on her counties and was forced to surrender. She was captured and imprisoned in the palace of Posteerne in Ghent in genteel custody. Philip had already occupied Holland and Zeeland as the heir of Jacqueline’s uncle John who died in January of 1425.

    Philip asked the Pope to issue a ruling on the validity of Jacqueline’s marriages. As she awaited word, some of her supporters decided to liberate her. A couple of local lords managed to meet with her to plan her escape and brought her men’s clothing. She requested privacy to take a bath, changed her clothes and managed to steal away being well disguised. The two lords met her with horses and they got away, eventually making their way to Gouda where she stayed with supporters. She fought the Duke of Burgundy and renewed the Dutch civil war.

    She repeatedly requested help from England. The King’s Council didn’t want to offend Philip of Burgundy. Jacqueline won a small battle at Gouwsesluis and later, in October won at Alphen. Philip then began to lead his troops personally. Gloucester sent a force of fifteen hundred soldiers to reinforce Jacqueline. Philip intercepted the English troops at sea and caught three hundred soldiers. The rest of the force met the Burgundians at Brouwershaven and Jacqueline was soundly defeated on January 13, 1426.


    Jacqueline by an anonymous artist, c. 1600

    Jacqueline fought on mostly in skirmishes. When her second husband John IV of Brabant died in April of 1427, her influence was weakened. She maintained an effective position in Holland until Pope Martin V ruled that her marriage to John of Brabant was her only valid marriage. Gloucester was now married to Eleanor Cobham and was no longer willing or able to support her, forcing her to sue for peace. On July 3, 1428, the terms of the Treaty of Delft were ratified. Jacqueline was able to keep her titles of Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut but the administration of her territories was turned over to a jointly appointed regency council and Philip of Burgundy was named her heir if she had no children. She was not allowed to marry without the permission of Philip, her mother and the three counties.

    Jacqueline’s financial situation became serious. She didn’t have enough income to run her household. In addition, Philip bought off the loyalty of her adherents or estranged them from her in other ways. It is at this point in her life where there is a discrepancy as to what happened.

    One story is that Jacqueline married for love. It was a secret marriage in the summer of 1432 to Francis, Lord of Borssele (Frank van Borssele), a powerful local nobleman in Zeeland. This marriage was against the terms of the Treaty of Delft. When the marriage was discovered, Francis was imprisoned. The situation was not totally resolved until April of 1433. Jacqueline was forced to abdicate all rights to her territories to have her marriage confirmed. She was given income and allowed to live in certain properties.


    Frank van Borssele, Count of Oostervant, Jacqueline’s fourth husband

    The other story says there is no evidence of a secret marriage and Jacqueline relinquished her titles to Philip in April of 1433 in return for income and living quarters, mostly in Zeeland. While there she became acquainted with Francis. There were rumors she was to be married beginning in November 1433 and the wedding was celebrated in public in the spring of 1434 with Philip of Burgundy granting Francis the title of Count of Oostervant.

    Whatever the true story is, Jacqueline and Francis lived comfortably in her castle of Teylingen. However, the marriage was short lived. Jacqueline became ill in 1436, probably of consumption and died on October 8. Philip of Burgundy inherited her counties of Hainaut and Holland. Francis survived for another thirty-four years. In her will she requested burial in the church of St. Maartensdijk in Zeeland. However, her mother overrode her wishes and had her buried with her ancestors in the court chapel at The Hague. Her funeral was attended by many people. During renovations of the chapel in 1770, tombs were found in the partially collapsed cellar. One of these tombs was Jacqueline’s and Albert Frese made a drawing of what was found.


    Court chapel drawing by Albert Frese of four coffins containing remains of Jacoba of Bavaria (1401-1436), Countess of Holland. From top to bottom: the wooden casket, the casket with her heart and two lead cases


    .
    Further reading:
    “The Life and Afterlife of Isabeau of Bavaria” by Tracy Adams,
    “Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France (1300-1500)” by R.C. Famiglietti,
    “The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy: 1363-1477” by Robert Douglas Smith and Kelly DeVries,
    “Philip the Good: The Apogee of Burgundy 1419-1467” by Richard Vaughn,
    entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on Jacqueline of Bavaria by Marty N. Atkins,
    entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on Humphrey Duke of Gloucester written by G.L. Harriss, e
    ntry on Humphrey (1391-1447) in the Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 28 by Thomas Frederick Tout



    Wake up and smell the coffee.


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    The Battle of Brouwershaven – 1426


    Image of Brouwershaven from 1582


    Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy was a very ambitious man. In earlier medieval times, the area of Burgundy had been a kingdom but in 1004, it was reduced to ducal status. During his reign, Philip pursued a policy of restoring the Burgundian kingdom. He never was able to obtain the crown he so diligently pursued but he did manage to double the size of his duchy. The methods he used were inheritance, treaty, conquest and purchase. The Battle of Brouwershaven was one small incident in this pursuit.

    Ever since the Valois Dukes gained control of Burgundy, they had sought to increase their empire by adding the Low Countries. The first to fall was Flanders and Namur. The duchy of Brabant and the counties of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut were linked to Burgundy by marriage or kinship during the reign of Philip the Bold, Philip the Good’s grandfather. When William of Bavaria, Count of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland died in 1417, his only heir was his daughter Jacqueline. She inherited Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut in her own right.



    Jacqueline, anonymous painting from the 16th C.



    Philip the Good’s father, John the Fearless arranged for Jacqueline to marry Duke John IV of Brabant. They were married two years later but this did not cement an alliance for the Burgundians. Holland immediately came into dispute with Jacqueline’s paternal uncle John, prince-bishop of Liège putting forth his claim to the county. The dispute dragged on due to Burgundian interests being engaged elsewhere. Philip the Good would intervene when open warfare was threatened.

    In 1420, Jacqueline’s husband settled the dispute by mortgaging Holland and Zeeland to the bishop. Jacqueline refused to accept these terms which in her eyes amounted to the loss of her patrimony. She fled from her husband to Brussels and eventually to England. While there she joined up with Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, uncle of King Henry VI. After Gloucester and Jacqueline were married, he promised her he would assist her in regaining her counties of Holland and Zeeland.

    In 1424, prince-bishop John of Bavaria declared Philip the Good his heir. Gloucester arrived with an army allegedly headed for Hainaut which was still under Jacqueline’s control. Philip prohibited the English from marching through Flanders. He was forced to cross Artois with an escort. In the meantime, Jacqueline’s uncle, the prince-bishop died. Technically, the mortgaged lands of Holland and Zeeland should have reverted back to Jacqueline and her erstwhile husband John of Brabant.

    Gloucester and Jacqueline took over some of the relinquished territory with little warfare. Relations between Philip the Good and the English Duke were strained. To put it mildly, they did not like each other. Philip found the duke to be brash and resented his interference in the Low Countries on Jacqueline’s behalf. Communication between Gloucester and Philip of Burgundy devolved into provocation and personal attacks. Eventually, it was agreed the two men would fight one-on-one in personal combat to avoid further bloodshed. The date for the duel was set for April 23, 1425.



    Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Jacqueline’s third husband



    It was at this point Gloucester lost interest in the venture and returned to England with one of Jacqueline’s ladies-in-waiting, effectively abandoning her. The English king’s council forbid Gloucester from fighting the duel. In September of 1425, Philip managed to capture Jacqueline and imprisoned her in Ghent. Preparations were being made to transfer her to Lille where she would be more secure and more tightly under Philip’s control when she made a daring escape in men’s clothing. She galloped away to Antwerp and eventually made her way to Gouda. She was joined there by supporters and started to rally opposition to stop the seizure of Holland by the Burgundians.

    Philip now turned his full attention to waging all-out war in Holland. This would be a civil war of occupation and conquest. Jacqueline had the support of the feudal elements of society along with the aristocrats. Fighting against her were the merchant class, the burgesses of Haarlem, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. As soon as Philip heard the news of Jacqueline’s escape, he put out a call to knights and squires to raise their men and arms and join him in Sluis to fight in Holland and Zeeland. He received oaths of allegiance from many towns in Holland which were loyal to him.

    Jacqueline was not going down without a fight. On October 22, 1425, her supporters attacked the Burgundian army at Alphen. Jacqueline and her adherents won the battle against Philip’s superior forces. Philip was disappointed and was forced to reunite his supporters and gather reinforcements. Philip decided to lead his own troops.

    In the meantime, Jacqueline was begging Gloucester to send her help from England in the form of troops to fight Philip’s forces. Gloucester heeded her call and was gathering troops. Gloucester’s brother, John Duke of Bedford, was head of the regency council for King Henry VI of England. He wanted to do everything in his power to avoid alienating Philip of Burgundy. Trade relations and alliances depended on good relations between England and Burgundy. Bedford warned Philip in December of Gloucester’s plans and actually confirmed that the English troops set sail for Holland on December 30.



    Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy

    Philip himself wrote a letter to his council in Dijon on January 19, 1426 recounting what had occurred at the battle. There is also the record of a chronicler who spoke to a participant of the battle which substantially corroborates Philip’s account. Philip headed his own troops which numbered about four thousand and consisted of his own personal retainers and municipal levies from Dutch towns loyal to Philip. They included municipal militia from Dordrecht and citizen soldiers from The Hague and Delft. Some of the men from Dordrecht were gunners and there were also over one thousand crossbowmen. Jacqueline’s troops amounted to about fifty-five hundred. These included English troops along with four thousand men from Zeeland led by Floris, the lord of Heemstede and his cousin the count of Heemstede.

    Early in the morning of January 5, Philip received word in Leiden in Holland that fifteen hundred English troops under Walter, Lord Fitzwalter, lieutenant for the Duke of Gloucester in Holland and Zeeland had arrived near Zierikzee in Zeeland. Their mission was to join forces with Jacqueline and fight in Holland and Zeeland. Philip left Leiden at dawn and arrived at Rotterdam later the same day. The next day, Philip sailed with combined troops from Burgundy, Holland and Zeeland with the goal of finding and fighting the English at sea.

    His troops discovered about three hundred English troops. He either killed or took as prisoner all of them. They then pursued the rest of the English to the port of Brouwershaven in Zeeland where they had disembarked. As Philip was anchored in the port, herald Gloucester was sent by Fitzwalter to offer a time and place for battle. Philip sent herald Burgundy to reply to Fitzwalter that it wasn’t up to him to choose the battlefield. Philip’s army was strong enough to position itself and offer battle whenever and wherever he choose.

    Severe and windy weather dictated that Philip remain at sea and blockade the English. While they were immobilized in the port, the citizens of Zierikzee did a good business with the two armies selling them provisions. The winds finally died down on Sunday, January 13th. Philip and his four thousand men began to leave the ships at Brouwershaven and attack the English. As they disembarked they were hindered by the ebb tide. The English were able to block or obstruct the troops from leaving the ships. Only about two-thirds of Philip’s men had reached the shore but these included all of his gunners from Dordrecht who wore special uniforms including hats banded in red and white.



    Map of Zierikzee, Holland from 1649



    The battle started with the gunners firing their coulevrines against the English troops. The Dutch were greatly impressed by the bravery and fighting tactics of the English. They marched forward in step taking no notice of a salvo fired at them by the cannoneer from Dordrecht. Then the Dutch heard a piercing shout from the English and the trumpets and bugles let out a fanfare. The Dutch waited until the English were within range and then shot at them with a large volume of arrows from crossbows. These arrows were useless. The English returned the volley with lethal arrows from long-bows. The Dutch were driven back in disarray.

    About this time Philip and his heavily-armored mounted knights arrived on the scene. The arrows had no effect on them. However, many men’s cuirasses and even Duke Philip’s banner were dented or damaged by arrows. The Dutch drove back the English along a dyke. The English were cruelly slaughtered. Some of the archers jumped into the ditches where they drowned or were killed as they tried to climb out.

    Of the English, the captains and principle men were all dead except for the lord of Heemstede who was taken prisoner. The Burgundians took two hundred of the English who tried to flee as prisoner. Part of Fitzwalter’s armor was found on the battlefield along with his banner which had been flung to the ground. Several people witnessed Fitzwalter fleeing the battle but Philip was unable to confirm if he was taken or dead.

    Philip had several wounded men and lost one nobleman. Andrieu de Valines was downed by an arrow in the eye because he was not wearing his helmet. The casualties on Jacqueline’s side numbered about three thousand.

    This is an obscure battle in English history and although the defeat of the English at Brouwershaven did nothing to convince the Hollanders to surrender to Philip, it was the first decisive victory of the Burgundians in Holland and he did capture most of Zeeland. Philip was in for a hard fight in Holland which would occupy his time, his troops and his money. The fighting between Jacqueline and Philip lasted from September 1425 until April of 1428.

    Jacqueline won again at Alphen in April of the next year and successfully laid siege to Haarlem. Philip once again led his troops with the siege of Zevenbergen which finally surrendered. There were a few more skirmishes until Jacqueline was forced to admit defeat and surrender. The Treaty of Delft, signed on July 3, 1428 allowed Jacqueline to retain her titles of Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut but governing was turned over to a regency council controlled by Philip. His conquest of the Low Countries was complete.


    Further reading:
    “The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy 1363-1477” by Robert Douglas Smith and Kelly DeVries,
    “Philip the Good: Apogee of Burgundy” by Richard Vaughan



    Wake up and smell the coffee.


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