Cabochien Revolt

The Cabochien revolt was an episode in the Civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians which was in turn a part of the Hundred Years' War.

In the spring 1413, John the Fearless, duke of Burgundy managed to raise the people of Paris and to impose a reform called the Cabochien ordinance. However, after several months, Parisians, desiring a return to order supported return of the Armagnacs.

On November, 1407 Louis, Duke of Orléans and brother of the mad king Charles VI was murdered by masked assassins in the service of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy. Following this event, John acquired considerable popularity among Parisians.

He aligned himself with a popular faction of Parisians called “Cabochiens” after their commander, a butcher named Simon the Cutler who was also called Simon Caboche. This group had its origins among working Parisians who were relatively wealthy but not integrated within the class of nobility. In April, 1413, John encouraged the Cabochiens to revolt in a bid to gain power. Revolutionary mobs sporting distinctive white caps, assaulted Armagnac noblemen and their assets throughout the city. On April 27, they seized the Bastille and assassinated the Provost of Paris, Pierre de Essarts, penetrated up to the king’s Palace and controlled Paris for several weeks.

Academics took this opportunity to propose administrative reforms known as the “Cabochienne Ordinance” which tended to limit the power of the monarchy giving, for example, greater fiscal control to the Estates General. Although the ordinance carries the name of Caboche who was at the time terrorizing Parisians, it was actually the work of advisors of John of Burgundy who imposed the ordinance on Charles VI.

In January 1413, the king was compelled to call an Estates General to sign the ordinance. However, by this time the acts of the Cabochiens and the Burgundians were causing increasing malcontent among the populace who began to rise up against the Cabochiens. By the end of August, a number of university leaders reunited around the Duke of Burgundy and the Parisian haute bourgeoisie led by the lawyer, Jean Jouvenel des Ursins favored return of the Armagnacs.

However, the poet, Charles d’Orléans, son of the duke of Orléans had married Bonne d’Armagnac, daughter of the count Bernard VII of Armagnac. The count was a brutal and powerful lord who commanded a number of troops from the Ardour and Garonne. Putting himself at the disposal of his son-in-law, he took control of Paris. The Cabochiens who were unable to flee were executed and the ordinance was overturned on September 5, 1413. Simon Caboche was able to escape with John of Burgundy. In thanks for his help, Bernard VII was made constable of France by Isabelle of Bavaria the queen mother and head of the regency council.