Joan (furthest left) protects the King from the flames

Joan II, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne (French: Jeanne d'Auvergne), also known as Jeanne de Boulogne, and Joan, Duchess of Berry, (1378 – c. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people 1424), was the daughter of John II of Auvergne (d. 1394), and second wife of John, Duke of Berry. John of Valois, the Magnificent, ( November 30 1340 &ndash March 15 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne She is arguably most famous for saving the life of her nephew, Charles the Mad, during the disastrous Bal des Ardents (Ball of the Burning Men). Charles VI (3 December 1368 &ndash 21 October 1422 called the Well-loved (le Bien-Aimé and the Mad (French le Fol or le Fou) was the

Lineage

Joan was the daughter and heiress of John II, Count of Auvergne and Boulogne. Her grandfather, John I, had been an uncle of Queen Joanna of France, a previous heiress to Auvergne and Boulogne; John inherited the counties when his great-nephew, Philip of Burgundy, died without issue. Philip I of Burgundy, also Philip II of Palatine Burgundy, Philip II of Boulogne, Philip III of Artois, Philip III of Boulogne, nicknamed

In 1389, Joan was married to John, Duke of Berry (a son of John II of France), whose wife had died in the previous year. John II (16 April 1319 &ndash 8 April 1364 called John the Good (Jean le Bon was Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, and Duke of Normandy They had no children.

Bal des Ardents

The Bal des Ardents

At the age of fourteen, Joan was present at the infamous Bal des Ardents given by Queen Isabeau, wife of the Duke of Berry's nephew King Charles, on 28 January 1393. Isabeau de Bavière (also Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c 1370 &ndash September 24, 1435) was a Queen Consort of France (1385-1422 Charles VI (3 December 1368 &ndash 21 October 1422 called the Well-loved (le Bien-Aimé and the Mad (French le Fol or le Fou) was the Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted During this, the King and five nobles dressed up as wildmen, clad "in costumes of linen cloth sewn onto their bodies and soaked in resinous wax or pitch to hold a covering of frazzled hemp," and proceeded to dance about chained together. At length, the King became separated from the others, and made his way to the Duchess, who jokingly refused to let him wander off again until he told her his name. When Charles' brother, Louis of Orleans, accidentally set the other dancers on fire, Joan swathed the King in her skirts, protecting him from the flames and saving his life. Louis of Valois ( March 13 1372 &ndash November 23 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death

Later Life

Upon her father's death in 1394, Joan became Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne.

Joan was widowed upon the death of the Duke of Berry in 1416. She married Georges de la Trémoille soon after; however, they produced no children, and the counties passed to her cousin, Marie I of Auvergne, upon her death in 1424. Georges de la Trémoille (c 1382 - 6 May 1446) was count of de Guînes from 1398 to 1446 and Grand Chamberlain of France to King Charles