France broke down into two parties: the
Armagnacs of
Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac, the tutor of the young
Charles of Orléans, and the Burgundians of John the Fearless, Philip's successor, who was supported by Charles of Lorraine. Charles did not, however, enter the Anglo-French conflict then raging—the
Hundred Years' War—but his brother,
Frederick I, Count of Vaudémont, got involved and died in the
Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Nevertheless, the queen,
Isabeau of Bavaria, appointed Charles constable in 1418. In 1425, he asserted that the load was too large for him and renounced it. Charles adopted a new stance vis-à-vis France after the assassination of
John the Fearless in 1419. John's successor,
Philip III, had much territory in the
Low Countries and only Lorraine and
Champagne separated his Burgundian from his Belgian possessions. Fearing any warlike ambitions, Charles thought it prudent to reorient his fidelities and friendships away from such a possible adversary. Through his French connections, he obtained the assistance of
Charles VII against Burgundy and married his daughter to the
Angevin René, later
king of Naples. Charles's final years were rife with conflict and unhappiness. His nephew,
Anthony of Vaudémont demanded a part of the inheritance and Charles had to war against him in 1425, without much success. Early in 1429,
Joan of Arc came on a pilgrimage to
Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. She counselled the duke to abandon his mistress, Alison du May. Ignoring this advice, Charles gave her an escort and sent her on to
Chinon. He died two years later at his capital of
Nancy on 25 January. ==Family==