Jean Le Mercier, who died 3 July 1397, Lord of Nouvion, was a French politician, advisor to kings Charles V and Charles VI. He was appointed by his detractors as being one the Marmousets. He was also Grand Master of France.
In 1358 he was notary and secretary to the king, [1] soon becoming one of the most trusted advisors of Charles V. Appointed treasurer of wars in 1369, [1] he performed on behalf of Charles V several diplomatic missions of financial interest. Charles V. ennobled him in 1374 and named him general of aid. [1] He was sent to Normandy in 1378 with the task of strengthening the fortifications, negotiating the surrender of those controlled by the party in Navarre, and also to proceed to the arming of a fleet. In 1383 he became steward of the king, assuming his post as general of aid again. [1]
In 1388 he became one of the advisors to Charles V, later recalled by his successor to take office as a member of the council of King Charles VI. Having amassed an enormous fortune, he became very unpopular and accused of speculation. [2] In 1392, under the government of the dukes who governed France during the king's illness, he was deprived of his power. In 1394 all his properties were confiscated and he was then banished from the kingdom. He took refuge in Cambrai. [3]
Pope Clement VI, born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1348–1350), during which he granted remission of sins to all who died of the plague.
Philip II the Bold was Duke of Burgundy and jure uxoris Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Charles VI, called the Beloved and later the Mad, was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic episodes which plagued him throughout his life.
Charles V, called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory held by the English, and successfully reversed the military losses of his predecessors.
Louis VI, called the Fat or the Fighter, was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137.
Philip the Handsome, also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506 and the first Habsburg King of Castile for a brief time in 1506.
Jean de Lorraine was the third son of the ruling Duke of Lorraine, and a French cardinal, who was archbishop of Reims (1532–1538), Lyon (1537–1539), and Narbonne (1524–1550), bishop of Metz, and Administrator of the dioceses of Toul, Verdun, Thérouanne, Luçon, Albi, Valence, Nantes and Agen (1538–1550). He was a personal friend, companion, and advisor of King Francis I of France. Jean de Lorraine was the richest prelate in the reign of Francis I, as well as the most flagrant pluralist. He is one of several cardinals known as the Cardinal de Lorraine.
John of Berry or John the Magnificent was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg; his brothers were King Charles V of France, Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy. He is primarily remembered as a collector of the important illuminated manuscripts and other works of art commissioned by him, such as the Très Riches Heures. His personal motto was Le temps venra.
The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry or Très Riches Heures, is the most famous and possibly the best surviving example of manuscript illumination in the late phase of the International Gothic style. It is a book of hours: a collection of prayers to be said at the canonical hours. It was created between c. 1412 and 1416 for the extravagant royal bibliophile and patron John, Duke of Berry, by the Limbourg brothers. When the three painters and their sponsor died in 1416, possibly victims of plague, the manuscript was left unfinished. It was further embellished in the 1440s by an anonymous painter, who many art historians believe was Barthélemy d'Eyck. In 1485–1489, it was brought to its present state by the painter Jean Colombe on behalf of the Duke of Savoy. Acquired by the Duc d'Aumale in 1856, the book is now MS 65 in the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.
Jean II Le Maingre, also known as Boucicaut, was a French knight and military leader. Renowned for his military skill and embodiment of chivalry, he was made a marshal of France.
The Archdiocese of Reims is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus of Reims, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750. The archbishop received the title "primate of Gallia Belgica" in 1089.
The Diocese of Nancy and Toul is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. After a considerable political struggle between Louis XV, Louis XVI, and the Dukes of Lorraine, the diocese was erected by Pope Pius VI on 17 December 1777. The Diocese of Nancy is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Besançon.
Marie of Berry was suo jure Duchess of Auvergne and Countess of Montpensier in 1416-1434. She was the daughter of John, Duke of Berry, and Joanna of Armagnac. She was married three times. She acted as administrator of the Duchy of Bourbon for her third spouse John I, Duke of Bourbon, during his imprisonment in England after he was captured following the French defeat at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, until 1434.
The marmousets is a nickname, first recorded in the chronicles of Jean Froissart, for a group of counselors to Charles VI of France. Although they were neither princes nor civil servants, they were very close to the king. Thanks to this position, they were able to access the highest functions of the state. These men were endowed with another quality, the solidarity between them. Chosen by Charles VI in 1388, they vowed to remain united and friends.
Bureau de La Rivière was a French politician, knight and royal adviser. He was the chamberlain of Charles V the Wise and an advisor to Charles VI the Beloved. Like Bertrand du Guesclin and Louis de Sancerre, he was buried in the Basilica of St Denis at the feet of the king he had loyally served.
Nicolas du Bosc, or du Bois, was a French politician, advisor to kings Charles V and Charles VI of France. He was one of the marmousets appointed by his detractors who took the governing of France from November 1392.
Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut or Montaigu, Montagu, known as Cardinal de Laon, born between 1320 and 1325 and died 8 November 1388, was a fourteenth-century French cardinal, who was the bishop of Nevers (1361–1371) and bishop of the Diocese of Laon (1371-1386), advisor to the king of Charles V and peer of France.
Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359), also known as Jeanne de Belleville and the Lioness of Brittany, was a French / Breton former noblewoman who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by the French king. She crossed the English Channel targeting French ships and often slaughtering their crew. It was her practice to leave at least one sailor alive to carry her message to the King of France.
Jean de Vienne was a French prelate and diplomat. He served as the bishop of Avranches from 1328 until he was transferred to the diocese of Thérouanne in 1331. He was transferred again in 1334 to the archdiocese of Reims, which he held until his death. Jean twice served the king of France as an ambassador to the Holy See and once as an ambassador to Castile.
Olivier IV de Clisson (1300–1343), was a Breton Marche Lord and knight who became embroiled in the intrigue of Vannes and was subsequently executed by the King of France for perceived treason. He was the husband of Jeanne de Clisson who eventually became known as the Lioness of Brittany.