Jean IV de Chalon-Arles

Like his father, he was dissatisfied with the decision of the Duke of Burgundy to divide the possessions of the house of Chalon-Arles between the two lines of the descendants of Louis II , so after the death of Charles the Bold he switched to the side of Louis XI . He was appointed formal commander of the army, sent to conquer both Burgundies.

The king took advantage of him, because he was a powerful lord in the county and in the duchy of Burgundy, had many relatives there and was loved by the inhabitants.

- Philippe de Commine , p. 204.

Thanks to the assistance of the prince, the gates of Dijon and other cities and fortresses of the duchy, as well as some cities of the county, were opened in front of the French. The Prince of Orange was promised the governorship in both Burgundies, as well as the return of the fortresses that were part of his grandfather’s inheritance and handed over to his uncles, seniors de Chateau-Guillon. However, having occupied these fortresses, the French did not give them to Jean. Louis XI believed that the Prince of Orange would not have the courage to go against him now ^[2] .

The king was wrong. Having not received what was promised, in the same year he went over to the side of Mary of Burgundy and was appointed governor in the county. The angry Louis accused him on September 7, 1477 of insulting His Majesty and sentenced him to eternal exile. The prince answered this with a victory over the French at Magny-sur-l'Onon ^[3] .

In October 1477, Louis captured the Principality of Oran and handed it over to Philip von Hochberg, senor de Vaudeville, grandson of Guillaume II of Vienna and Alice of Chalons, daughter of Jean III de Chalons-Arles . Philip recognized the sovereignty of France and the parliament of Grenoble as the highest legal authority. Only on December 29, 1483 the new king Charles VIII removed the arrest from the principality, but refused to return his sovereignty to it ^[4] .

In 1481, Maximilian of Habsburg sent him to the Duchy of Brittany (Jean was the nephew of Francis II of Breton ) to conclude an alliance treaty. The Prince of Orange took an active part in the political struggle in the duchy. In the question of choosing a groom for Anna of Breton, he defended the candidacy of Maximilian. He participated in a crazy war , and together with the Duke of Orleans was captured on July 28, 1488 at the Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier . He sided with the French and in 1489 was sent by Charles VIII to Brittany in order to interfere with the marriage of Alain d'Albre and Anna of Breton, as well as to negotiate with the Duchess about the entry of French troops into Brittany.

Since Anna was brought to him by a cousin, the Prince of Orange was one of the closest heirs to the duchy (along with the Viscount Jean II de Rogan ), until the birth of the Dauphin Karl-Orland, Karl, and then Claude de France . He was a member of the ducal council and in 1490-1491 defended the idea of ​​the marriage of Anna with Maximilian of Austria . He was appointed captain of Rennes and chief governor.

Under pressure from the French besieging Rennes , he was forced to begin negotiations in September 1491 on the marriage of the Duchess with Charles VIII. Having witnessed Anna at a wedding on December 6, he refused the marriage contract of his rights to Brittany for 100 thousand livres and the post of viceroy in the duchy, which he retained until his death.

He participated in the campaign of Charles VIII in Italy , since the king “trusted him very much in military affairs” ^[5] . In 1499, he was one of the witnesses at the signing of the marriage contract between Anna Breton and Louis XII . As a reward for assistance, the king recognized the sovereignty of the Principality of Orange and paid the prince 50 thousand livres ^{[6] [7]} .

1st marriage (10.24.1467): Joan of Bourbon (d. 1493), daughter of Charles I , Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy

2nd marriage (01.1494): Philibert of Luxembourg (d. 05.1539), Countess de Charney, daughter of Antoine de Luxembourg , Count de Brienne, de Ligny and de Russi.

Children:

• Claude de Chalon (1498-1521). Husband (05.1515): Henry III , Earl of Nassau, Senior Breda (1483-1538)
• Claude de Chalon (1499-1500), seigneur d'Argyol
• Philibert de Chalon

• La Franche-Comté à la charnière du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance, 1450-1550: actes du colloque de Besançon, 10-11 octobre 2002. - Besançon: Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2003 - ISBN 2-84867-027- 4 Google Books
• Leemans WF La principauté dʼOrange de 1470 à 1580: une société en mutation. Tome 1. - 1986 - ISBN 906550205X Google Books
• Ulysse R. Philibert de Chalon, prince d'Orange, vice-roi de Naple. - P., 1902
• Commine F. de. Memoirs. - M.: Science, 1986.

• JEAN IV Prince d'Orange

• Chalons house
• Hebrew Dynasty