House Saint John

It was here in the house of Saint John that the most spectacular wedding of the 14th century took place. Charles the Bold married his English bride, Margaret of York, here. It was July 3, 1468. There was not much talk of love, as this was the political marriage of the century. Charles was no stranger to marriage. He had his first marriage at the age of 7. The lucky bride was the 12-year-old Catherine of Valois. She died when she was only 18 years old. By his second marriage, he was already 21. And then the bride was Isabella of Bourbon. Charles the Bold was her cousin. From his marriage to Isabella, a daughter was born, Mary of Burgundy. Mary later married Emperor Maximilian I, the grandfather of Emperor Charles V. But Isabella of Bourbon would also not live long. She was only 29 years old. Three years later, he marries Margaret of York here. Although Charles wanted a son (he already had his later famous daughter), the marriage to Margaret remained childless. Charles the Bold would fall in the famous battle of Nancy in 1477 at the age of 43. They were together for only 9 years.

Pascal Brackman