She brought with her a most gorgeous trousseau of clothes and jewels; amongst her many dresses was a scarlet one sewn thick with pearls and diamonds, and a cap of scarlet and pearls for the hair; another of gold brocade with sleeves and headdress of woven pearls.[120]
State entry of Isabeau into Paris--Magnificent fêtes--Southern tour of Charles and Louis--Bad health of Charles--Bonne d’Artois and Jean de Clermont--Dreadful storm--Birth of Dauphin--Death of Blanche, Duchesse d’Orléans--Pierre de Craon and the Constable de Clisson--Madness of the King.
Although it was now four years since her marriage with Charles VI., Isabeau had never been crowned; and although she had of course often been in Paris, she had not made any ceremonial entry into that city.
But she had no idea of giving up the honours usually conferred on the Queens of France; and the King, always delighted at the idea of any new festival, made inquiries as to how these state entries had been arranged in the times of his predecessors, so that nothing might be wanting in magnificence on the present occasion.
There was one member of the royal family who was considered a great authority on these and many other matters. The famous Blanche de Navarre, although she had been Queen-dowager for forty-one years and was the widow of the King’s great-grandfather, Philippe de Valois, was only about fifty-nine years old, had been in her youth the brightest star of the Valois court, and all her life one of the most brilliant, powerful, and popular women of her century.[121] To her Charles applied for advice, and into her hands he gave authority to regulate every detail of the whole ceremony. She consulted the records kept at St. Denis, and from those and her own recollections she arranged one of the most splendid pageants known to history.
The Queen went from Melun to St. Denis, where she stayed two days until the royal family and court were assembled. On Sunday, August 17th, at midday, the procession started for Paris. Isabeau, dressed in a silk robe covered with golden _fleur-de-lis_, was in a gorgeous open litter, followed by Queen Blanche, the Duchesses of Burgundy, Berry, and Bar, the Comtesse de Nevers, and the Dame de Coucy, all in their litters. The royal dukes on horseback surrounded the Queen’s litter, and among them rode Valentine, Duchesse de Touraine, on a horse covered with trappings embroidered with gold. Each litter was escorted by a troop of cavaliers, and burghers dressed in red and green, and mounted on horses with trappings of the same colours, lined the road from St. Denis to Paris, from the gates of which issued a brilliant crowd, shouting, “Vive le roi! Vive la reine! Noël! Noël!”