'Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac' (
1360 –
June 12,
1418) was
count of Armagnac, count of Charolais and
constable of France.
He was the son of Jean II and Jeanne de Périgord. He became count of Armagnac at the death of his brother, Jean III in
1391. After prolonged fighting, he also became count of Comminge in
1412.
His first wife was Bonne de Berry, the daughter of Duke
Jean de Berry and widow of Count
Amédée VII of Savoy. He first gained influence at the French court when
Louis, Duke of Orléans married
Valentina Visconti, the daughter of
Giangaleazzo Visconti,
Duke of Milan. Béatrice d'Armagnac, Bernard's sister married Carlo Visconti, Valentina's brother.
After Louis's
assassination in
1407, Armagnac remained attached to the cause of Orléans. He married his daughter Bonne d'Armagnac to the young
Charles, Duke of Orléans in
1410. Bernard d'Armagnac became the nominal head of the faction which opposed
John the Fearless,
Duke of Burgundy, and the faction came to be called the "Armagnacs" as a consequence. (See:
Armagnac (party) )
He became constable of France in
1415 and was the head of the
Dauphin's government until the Burgundians triumphed in
1418. He died in the insurrection which delivered Paris to the Burgundians on
June 12,
1418.
See also
★
Counts of Armagnac
External links
★
Ancestors of Bernard VII -Family tree from the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
★
The Households of the Counts of Armagnac in the Late Middle Ages - abstract of a paper analyzing the household expenses of Count Bernard VII, from the Société Internationale des Médiévistes.