Michelle of Valois

Michelle of Valois
Duchess Consort of Burgundy, Countess consort of Artois and Flanders, consort Countess Palatine of Burgundy, Countess consort of Charolais
Michelle of France (centre) wearing a white headdress
Reign	10 September 1419 – 8 July 1422
Born	11 January 1395
Died	8 July 1422(1422-07-08) (aged 27) Ghent
Burial	St Bavon, Ghent
Spouse	Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
House	House of Valois House of Burgundy
Father	Charles VI of France
Mother	Isabeau of Bavaria

Michelle of France (11 January 1395 – 8 July 1422) was a Duchess consort of Burgundy. She was a daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. She was named for Saint Michael the Archangel after her father noted an improvement in his health after a pilgrimage to Mont Saint-Michel in 1393.

Although rumors persist that Michelle and her siblings were neglected by their parents, this was not the case. Queen Isabeau purchased luxurious toys, clothes and gifts for her children, and regularly wrote them letters when apart. In times of plague, she ensured they were sent to safety in the countryside.

In June 1409, Michelle married the future Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, later known as Philip the Good. She became melancholic in 1419 following the involvement of her brother, the future King Charles VII of France, in the murder of her father-in-law, John the Fearless. Michelle had borne a daughter, Agnes, but she died in infancy.

Michelle fell ill and died in Ghent in 1422 while her husband was away preparing for the battle of Cone. All of the inhabitants grieved, as she was much loved by the people. Michelle was interred in the monastery of St Bavon near Ghent. Only a fragment of her recumbent tomb still remains.

After her death, it was believed she had been poisoned by a lady attendant from Germany, Dame de Viesville, a close confidante who had been dismissed to Aire just before Michelle's death. The lady was never charged.

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