Charles, Duke of Orleans
Charles of Valois (1391-1465) was Duke of Orléans in 1407, following the murders of his father Louis of Valois. He was also Duke of Milan, through his mother Valentina Visconti, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and an accomplished poet.
Charles was one of the many French noblemen wounded in the Battle of Agincourt (October 25 1415), captured and taken to England as a hostage. He was then in his mid-twenties and would remain in captivity for the next twenty-five years. The confining conditions were not strict; he was allowed to live more or less in the manner to which he had become accustomed, like so many others captured nobles. However he was not offered release in exchange of a ransom, possibly due to his close relationship with the French royal family. Restored to his home territory, he made a feeble attempt to regain lost lands of Orléans, before settling down to end his life as Count of Blois, where he became a celebrated patron of the arts.
Charles married three times, first with Isabella of Valois (widow of Richard II of England) and then with Bonne of Armagnac in 1410. After his return from captivity, Charles married Marie of Cléves and from her had a son, future King Louis XII of France.
