Historical Figures

John the Fearless(1371 - 1420)

Jean is the son of Philippe le Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He took part in the crusade undertaken by Sigismund of Hungary against the Turks, fought valiantly and earned his famous nickname. Returned to France in 1398, he succeeded his father in 1404. The house of Burgundy, which had empty coffers, had to go to the side of the royal money. He therefore skillfully wields demagogy and acquires sympathy among the Parisian bourgeoisie. In order not to be ousted from power in the kingdom, he threatened Paris in 1405, then had the Duke of Orléans assassinated in 1407 and entered into conflict with the party of Orléans, whose strongman was now Bernard VII of Armagnac. . He got involved in the Cabochian insurrection and thus alienated the moderates. He had to leave Paris suddenly in 1413, giving way to the Armagnac reaction. Returning in force to the capital in 1418, he sought to get closer to the Dauphin against the English. Some Armagnac henchmen then assassinated him, during an interview with the dolphin in Montereau in 1420.