HOUSE ARMAGNAC

Armagnac is derived from the Germanic language to mean ‘the fields of powerful warriors.’ They were narrowly related to the royal families of Navarre, Castile, and Aragon, and with all the large feudal families of the south-west. Vassal of Aquitaine, Comte Jean I Armagnac declared himself neutral in the conflict between France and England, and though finally pressured into fighting for the Prince of Wales, his heart remained with his homeland until opportunity gave him passage back to the French throne. A long standing feud existed between the houses of Armagnac and Foix.

By the early 15th Century, Armagnac gave its name to a political faction, allied with supporters of Charles, Duke of Orleans, against John the Fearless, after Charles’ father, Louis, was murdered at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy in 1407. An internal war was raged between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians.