A Duke of Bourbon at the court of Charles IV (1357-1359). A note on the relations between France and the Empire at the time of imprisonment of John II. the Good, King of France.
Abstract
The study deals with twenty-four charters issued by Charles IV in the years 1357-1359, in which a duke called Petrus Borboniensis appears as a witness. Since no Duke of Bourbon named Peter lived at that time, the author asks whether the person in question might be Louis II, duke of Bourbon, son of Duke Peter I.
She reaches the conclusion that it was him, indeed, putting forward the following arguments: she compares the data from the charters with Louis̕ s itinerary published in La Guerre de Cent Ans et le prince chevalier le Bon Duc Louis II de Bourbon (1337-1410) by O. Troubat (two volumes published in 2001 and 2003).
She also supplements the itinerary with information on five or six stays of the Duke at the Imperial court, placing them in the context of the relations between France and the Empire of that period. It was Charles, French Regent and the Emperorʼs nephew, son of John the Good and Bonne of Bohemia, who sent Louis II to the Emperor.
Charles IV supported his nephew throughout those difficult times and thus shaped the political profile of the future king Charles the Wise. The study finishes with an explanation of the change of the Dukeʼs name.