Joan of Burgundy

Make Them Rich

Joan spent her childhood as the oldest, and preferred, sibling amongst her seven brothers and sisters. Her father, Duke Jean I, himself the oldest of eight brothers, tirelessly promoted the Burgundian lands, optimizing their agrarian output, modernizing their mining operations, and accelerating their wine and luxury goods manufacturing. Throughout his lifetime, the duchy's coffers swelled to hitherto unknown weights, culminating in five consecutive years of harvest surpluses (2026 AUC - 2031 AUC) which propelled Burgundy’s share of the Francian royal income to nearly a third of all profits.   Jean I is often misquoted, though the sentiments in his aberrant quotations express the conception his subjects, and indeed his family, constructed of him. He did little in his time to dissuade their spread. Some of the more popular include: “If I had to choose between serving the king and serving God, I’d choose God, but only because the crosses are made of gold too” and “Clergy are rich in devotion, knights in steel, kings in blood. I am rich in coin, the only currency which pays for all.”   Through it all, young Joan listened, learned, and expanded upon her father’s teachings. Both formally and informally her education in nascent accounting practices, various languages, the commodity particulars of metallurgy and fabrics, all informed her father’s recommendation to nominate her as his heir to the duchy. His brothers, the princes of the province, didn’t immediately object.    

Swiftness, Courage, & a Touch of the Bold

Upon her father’s death, Joan’s election as duchess among the princes seemed ensured until her younger brother, Odo IV, declared his nomination by way of their eldest uncle. The result was a disputed election, with neither side able to secure the votes (or more accurately the money) for absolute rule over Burgundy. Joan, only fifteen at the time of her father’s death, road over the Francian border in the night with only two of her knights and a handmaiden. Encountering a local Bailiff, she appealed her case and within the week was in front of Philip III, King of Francia.   She is said to have knelt down before all of Philip III’s court on the cold stone of his keep before insisting she wasn’t pleading for the king’s help, but rather for him to see the trueness of God’s will, and her divine right, to rule the lands of Burgundy. So moved was the king by her fearless night ride and her boldness of his court, he took her by the hand, led her to her feet, and kissed her head. Despite Odo’s faithfulness as a knight in his service (indeed Odo had already fought bravely for Francia throughout the Discordant Era), Philip embraced Joan as though she were his daughter and decreed his vote, and therefore blessing, in becoming the leader of the Burgundian Duchy.   Highly irregular, Philip’s vote further sowed controversy among the Burgundian princes. As a semi-autonomous region not in direct personal union with the Francian crown, Burgundy’s right to pick its own ruler was an undisputed function of their royal court. Philip, and by proxy Joan, argued his vote was just one of the many, and only happened to tip the votes in her favor, having nothing to do with his position as king.    

Duchess of Burgundy, Leader of Burgundy

Slighted, the Burgundian princes raised arms against Philip, mustering some five thousand fighters off the southeastern boarder with Francia. Before tensions boiled over, Philip III died. Upon Philip IV’s ascension, he immediately professed his love for Joan, and proposed. The marriage threatened to bring Burgundy into the crown’s personal union once Joan and Philip were able to produce an heir. The princes, now backed by their uncles, threatened a full scale invasion. Already embroiled in war with Brittania, Philip relented, and agreed Burgundy would remain within the kingdom but independently ruled, but only if Joan was affirmed duchess and Burgundy increased their levy contribution to the crown’s armies. The Princes and Uncles agreed and ushered in Joan’s rule as the first female duchess of Burgundian lands.    

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