Jean II of France (16 April 1319-8 April 1364) was the King of France from 1350 to 1364, succeeding Philip VI of France and preceding Charles V of France. Jean was married to Jutte of Bohemia, the daughter of King John of Bohemia, and he fought alongside his father-in-law in the Hundred Years' War; he was captured at the battle of Poitiers in 1356 and died in English captivity.
Biography[]
Jean in 1337
The son of Philip VI, French king Jean II first experienced war against the English as Duke of Normandy in the 1340s. Acceding to the throne in 1350, he attempted to reform the French forces. His Royal Ordinance of 1351 set rates of pay for knights and soldiers and denied nobles the right to withdraw their troops from the battlefield on their own orders.
However, the king's authority was weak and contested. Jean assembled a large army to face the English at Poitiers in 1356, but his decision to attack with most of his knights on foot proved disastrous - as did his lack of control over his noble subordinates. He fought bravely in the latter stages of the battle, but fell into English hands and was imprisoned. Jean's treatment in captivity was an example of perfect chivalry, however. He was allowed to roam freely and given royal privileges. But the failure of France to raise the vast ransom demanded for his release meant that he died in captivity.