Mad War (Grand Duke of the West)

The Mad War (French: la Guerre folle) was a late medieval conflict between a coalition of feudal lords and the French monarchy. It occurred during the regency of Anne of Beaujeu in the period after the death of Louis XI and before the majority of Charles VIII. The war began in 1485 and ended in 1488.

The three most important figures in the league were Louis II of Orléans, the cousin of the king (who would be installed as King himself); Francis II of Brittany; and, of course, King Charles of Burgundy. All three were interested in weakening the French crown and Charles in particular wanted revenge for the Burgundian Wars a decade earlier as well as to suppress pro-French nobles and sentiment within his own domain. Surrounded on all sides, Charles found himself overthrown two years into his reign and replaced by the pro-Burgundian Duke of Orleans, who would become King Louis XI. Louis XI would enact the Statute of Orleans, which would mark the end of the war and the devolution of the French monarchy. The statute would place limits on the French king and grant more autonomy to regional lords. It would also guarantee the independence of Brittany.

Name and Extent
The derogatory expression "Mad War" to designate this struggle of major feudal lords against central royal power was coined by Paul Emile in his Histoire des faicts, gestes et conquestes des roys de France, published in 1581.

There is some dispute about the extent to which the events can be defined as a single war. It followed a long succession of conflicts between royalty and the great lords of the kingdom in the second half of the 15th century, subsequent to the formation of the League of the Public Weal. As part of these power struggles, in 1484-1485, Louis II of Orléans, supported by Francis II of Brittany and a certain number of lords, attempted to depose the regent, Anne de Beaujeu. Charles the Bold would aid these struggles and eventually decide to intervene on November 2 1485, marking the beginning of the full-scale war largely between the alliance of Burgundy and Brittany against the Regency. It would end with a truce in the Peace of Bourges. The peace was highly favorable to the alliance and effectively allowed the rebels to keep their gains but forced Burgundian forces to stay out of France. During this year, a proclamation would be issued against the French language in Lower Burgundy.

The second half of the war, beginning in 1486 and ending in 1488, is known as the Second Franco-Burgundian War in Burgundy and the Second Franco-Breton War in Brittany. Some Breton historians even view this as war of independence for Brittany against the French King.

Development
At the beginning of the reign of Charles VIII, Louis II of Orléans tried to seize the regency, but was rejected by the States General of Tours (15 January to 11 March 1484). In April, Louis fled to Burgundy to the court of King Charles I. He also sent a request to the pope to annul his marriage, so that he could marry Mary of Burgundy. The marriage was arranged by Anthony the Bastard, Philip the Good's favorite son. Anthony would travel to Brittany and marry Anne of Burgundy, heir to Francis II. Antoine was also granted the title of Prince since Charles had no male heirs.

On 30 August 1485, Louis of Orléans launched a proclamation against the regency. The royal army went to Orléans, but Louis escaped to Beaugency. The inexperienced general Louis II de La Trémoille would face off against Louis and his allies in Beaugency. The battle would result in a frustrating stalemate and the subsequent Peace of Bourges, which would create a truce for 1 year.

Renewed Hostilities
With the end of the truce, the rebellion again erupted. Already in June 1486, Charles I of Burgundy had invaded the north of France, but then retreated; in November, the rebel François de Dunois seized the castle of Parthenay. In January of 1487, Louis II would invade Maine and Anjou while Burgundy would mount a second offensive towards Paris.

In April 1487, Duke Francis II's attempt to mobilize Breton military forces (nobility and urban militia) failed due to widespread resentment of the corruption of his government. At the same time, the royal army advanced into Brittany. It was accommodated favorably in Châteaubriant, Vitré, Ancenis and Clisson. It besieged Nantes, but Cornish allies of Brittany, helped by foreign mercenaries, broke the siege. At the same time, Norman corsairs blockaded the Breton coast to stop further pro-Breton forces arriving from Britain and elsewhere. This blockade would be lifted by the intervention of the Burgundian and English navies and the French army would be repelled by the Bastard of Burgundy.

By October 1487, rebel forces would gain control over much of northwestern and southern France. In November 1487, Charles would reach the city of Paris.

The Capture of Paris and the Statute of Orleans
By January 1488, Burgundy would enter the streets of Paris and depose King Charles VIII. Louis XII would be crowned in Orleans and would declare the end of the tyranny of French monarchy. A meeting of the Estates-General in Orleans would see the second and third estates pushing for decentralization and lowering of taxes. This would make Louis XII popular and give him the moniker "Father of the People". The statute would also move the capital from Paris, near the Burgundian border, to Orleans. The war marked the beginning of the end for the centralized French monarchy.