King John II *the Good* OfFrance

John II of France
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John II the Good
King of France (more...)

Reign 22 August 1350 8 April 1364
Coronation 26 September 1350, Reims
Titles Count of Anjou and Maine, Duke of Normandy (1332 1350)
Count of Poitiers (1344 1350)
Duke of Guyenne (1345 1350)
John I, Duke of Burgundy (1361-1363)
Jure uxoris Count of Auvergne and Boulogne (13491360)
Born 16 April 1319(1319-04-16)
Died 8 April 1364 (aged 44)
Savoy Palace, London, England
Buried Saint Denis Basilica
Predecessor Philip VI
Successor Charles V
Consort Bonne of Bohemia (1315-1349)
Joanna I of Auvergne (1326-1360)
Issue Charles V (1338-1380)
Louis of Anjou (1339-1384)
John, Duke of Berry (1340-1416)
Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342-1404)
Jeanne, Queen of Navarre (1343-1373)
Royal House Valois Dynasty
Father Philip VI (1293-1350)
Mother Joan of Burgundy (1293-1348)
John II (16 April 1319 8 April 1364), called the Good (French: Jean le Bon), was Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, and Duke of Normandy from 1332, Count of Poitiers from 1344, Duke of Aquitaine from 1345, and King of France from 1350 until his death, as well as Duke of Burgundy (as John I) from 1361 to 1363. By his marriage to Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne, he became jure uxoris Count of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1349 to 1360. John was a member of the House of Valois, and was the son of Philippe VI and Jeanne of Burgundy.

John succeeded his father in 1350 and was crowned at Notre-Dame de Reims. As king, John surrounded himself with poor administrators, preferring to enjoy the good life his wealth as king brought. Later in his reign, he took over more of the administration himself.

In 1354, John's son-in-law and cousin, Charles II of Navarre, who, in addition to his small Pyrenean kingdom, also held extensive lands in Normandy, was implicated in the assassination of the Constable of France, Charles de la Cerda. Nevertheless, in order to have a strategic ally against the English in Gascony, on 22 February 1354, John signed the Treaty of Mantes with Charles. The peace did not last between the two and Charles eventually struck up an alliance with Henry of Grosmont, the first Duke of Lancaster. The next year (1355), John signed the Treaty of Valognes with Charles, but this second peace lasted hardly longer than the first. In 1355, the Hundred Years' War flared up again.

In the Battle of Poitiers (1356) against Edward, the Black Prince, (son of King Edward III of England), John suffered a humiliating defeat and was taken as captive back to England. While negotiating a peace accord, he was at first held in the Savoy Palace, then at a variety of locations, including Windsor, Hertford, Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire, Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire and briefly at King John's Lodge, formerly known as Shortridges, in East Sussex. A local tradition in St Albans is that he was held in a house in that town, at the site of the 15th-century Fleur de Lys inn, before he was moved to Hertford. There is a sign on the inn to that effect, but apparently no evidence to confirm the tradition [1]. Eventually, John was taken to the Tower of London.

As a prisoner of the English, John was granted royal privileges, permitting him to travel about and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. At a time when law and order was breaking down in France and the government was having a hard time raising money for the defense of the realm, his account books during his captivity show that he was purchasing horses, pets, and clothes while maintaining an astrologer and a court band.[citation needed]

Coin of Jean le Bon (1350-1363).The Treaty of Brétigny (1360) set his ransom at 3,000,000 crowns. Leaving his son Louis of Anjou in English-held Calais as a replacement hostage, John was allowed to return to France to raise the funds.

While King John tried to raise the money, his son Louis, accorded the same royal dignity, easily escaped from the English. An angry King John surrendered himself again to the English, claiming an inability to pay the ransom as the reason. The true motive of John's decision remains murky today, with many pointing to the devastation in France caused by war with England and the Jacquerie peasant uprising as likely candidates. His councillors and nearly the whole nation was critical of the decision, since they had sacrificed much to raise the ransom. When John arrived in England in early 1364, however, he was viewed with admiration by ordinary citizens and English royalty alike. Although treated with honor while held in the Savoy Palace, he died in London a few months later.

His body was returned to France, where he was interred in the royal chambers at Saint Denis Basilica.

Contents [hide]
1 Ancestors
2 Family and children
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Ancestors
John's ancestors in three generations

Philip III of France

Charles of Valois

Isabella of Aragon

Philip VI of France

Charles II of Naples

Marguerite of Anjou and Maine

Maria Arpad of Hungary

John II of France

Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy

Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

Yolande of Dreux

Joan the Lame

Louis IX of France

Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy

Marguerite of Provence

[edit] Family and children
On July 28, 1332, at the age of 13, John was married to Bonne of Bohemia (d. 1349), daughter of John I (the Blind) of Bohemia. Their children were:

Charles V (January 21, 1338September 16, 1380)
Louis I, Duke of Anjou (July 23, 1339September 20, 1384)
John, Duke of Berry (November 30, 1340June 15, 1416)
Philippe II, Duke of Burgundy (January 17, 1342 April 27, 1404)
Jeanne (June 24, 1343 November 3, 1373), married Charles II (the Bad) of Navarre
Marie (September 12, 1344October 1404), married Robert I, Duke of Bar
Agnès (13451349)
Marguerite (13471352)
Isabelle (October 1, 1348September 11, 1372), married Gian Galeazzo I, Duke of Milan
French Monarchy
Capetian Dynasty
(House of Valois)

Philip VI
Children
John II
John II
Children
Charles V
Louis I of Anjou
John, Duke of Berry
Philip the Bold
Charles V
Children
Charles VI
Louis, Duke of Orléans
Charles VI
Children
Isabella of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Charles VII
Charles VII
Children
Louis XI
Charles, Duke of Berry
Louis XI
Children
Charles VIII
Charles VIII

On February 19, 1349 (old style), at Nanterre, he married Joanna I of Auvergne (d. 1361), Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne. She was widow of Philip of Burgundy, the deceased heir of that duchy, and mother of the young Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (1344-61) who became John's stepson and ward. John and Joanna had two daughters, both of whom died young:

Blanche (b. 1350)
Catherine (b. 1352)
He was succeeded by his son, Charles V.

[edit] External links
John II on Find-A-Grave

[edit] References
John II of France
House of Valois
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 16 April 1319 Died: 8 April 1364
French nobility
Preceded by
New Creation
(Philip VI of France) Count of Anjou and Maine
133222 August 1350 Succeeded by
Merged into crown
(eventually Louis I of Naples)
Preceded by
New creation
(John I of England) Duke of Normandy
133222 August 1350 Succeeded by
Merged into the crown
(eventually Charles V of France)
Preceded by
New Creation
(Philip V of France) Count of Poitou
134422 August 1350 Succeeded by
Merged into crown
(eventually John II)
Preceded by
Edward III of England Duke of Guyenne
134522 August 1350 Succeeded by
Merged into the crown
(eventually Charles, 5th Dauphin)
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Philip VI King of France
22 August 1350 8 April 1364 Succeeded by
Charles V
Preceded by
Philip of Burgundy Count of Auvergne and Boulogne by marriage
with Joanna I
13 February 1349 29 September 1360 Succeeded by
Margaret of Dampierre
Preceded by
Philip of Rouvres Duke of Burgundy
as 'John I'
1361 1363 Succeeded by
Philip the Bold