There are quite a few streets in Paris that look completely ordinary at first glance, and we walk down them without paying attention on our way to more interesting places. But sometimes it’s exactly these streets that hide the most interesting stories. One of them is Rue Barbette, found in the heart of the 3rd arrondissement (the Marais).
Here once stood a mansion, built in the late 13th century by Étienne Barbette, head of the merchants’ guild of Paris. Barbette was known not only for building the first quay in Paris (Quai des Augustins, in the 6th arrondissement) but mainly for the law that bears his name, which requires both landlord and tenant to give the other party three months’ notice before an eviction from an apartment (a law still in effect today).
Despite his public works, the man wasn’t especially popular because of his close ties to King Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair (don’t let the nickname fool you). In 1306, an angry Parisian mob burned the mansion down. In 1390 the mansion was rebuilt by the French finance minister Jean de Montaigu, who was also not especially popular (like most finance ministers). In 1409, he was accused of embezzlement and executed (his body was left hanging for three years, until a retrial cleared him of all charges).
The Murder of the Duke of Orléans Opens Paris’s Back Door to the English
The mansion passed into the hands of Isabeau of Bavaria (1370-1435), queen of France, who moved in there after her husband, King Charles VI (r. 1380-1422), lost his mind. During her stay there, the queen began an affair with the king’s handsome younger brother, Louis of Orléans (1372-1407). This stirred the jealousy of John the Fearless (1371-1419), Duke of Burgundy and the king’s cousin, who was also in love with the queen.
Since Louis of Orléans was tall and good-looking while the Duke of Burgundy was short and plain, it was fairly clear that John the Fearless would need a bit more than a few chansons and a romantic dinner to win the queen’s heart. And so, true to his name, the Duke of Burgundy decided to act.
On November 23, 1407, the Duke of Orléans was visiting the queen at the Barbette mansion when a messenger told him that the king wished to speak with him and that he had to present himself at the Hôtel Saint-Pol, located in the southern part of the Marais (today’s 4th arrondissement). When the duke reached the Rue des Arbalétriers, 18 hired killers armed with hammers and axes attacked him. Louis still managed to shout “I am the Duke of Orléans,” thinking the killers had mistaken him for someone else, but the killers shouted back, “You’re exactly who we’re looking for.”
The duke and his companions stood no chance. His mangled body was found the next morning and given a grand funeral, during which the Duke of Burgundy declared, “Never has such a vile and treacherous murder been committed on French soil.” The Duke of Burgundy’s words convinced no one, and he was forced to flee Paris, only to come back later with an army.
So began a bloody civil war between the supporters of Burgundy and the supporters of the Duke of Orléans, who were called the “Armagnacs” after Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac (c. 1360-1418), who commanded them. John the Fearless paid for his deed in 1419, when he was murdered by supporters of the Count of Armagnac, but before that he had already managed to open the gates of Paris to the English.
About a century after these bloody events, the Barbette mansion was bought by Louis de Brézé (1463-1531), one of the most powerful noblemen in France, who married a 15-year-old girl named Diane de Poitiers (1500-1566). When King Francis I (r. 1515-1547) passed through the area, he noticed the beautiful girl and decided to bring her to the royal court. However, the king’s mistress, the Duchess d’Étampes (Anne de Pisseleu, 1508-1580), immediately suspected his intentions weren’t so pure, and didn’t let the romance develop.
But Diane de Poitiers didn’t give up, and instead of trying to win the king’s heart, she turned her efforts toward winning his son’s heart (you can read about their amazing love story here). After Diane de Poitiers’s death, her daughter sold the mansion. Over the years it was torn down, and Rue Barbette and Rue Elzevir were laid out on its ruins.
Today there’s nothing special to see on the street, but as you’re walking from the Musée Cognacq-Jay toward the Hôtel de Soubise, take this street and picture the drama that unfolded here about 600 years ago.
Have you visited Rue Barbette? Here are a few more good options to continue your trip
- If you’re looking for walking routes that include Rue Barbette and more information about the Marais, you’ll find them in the article The Marais: The Complete Traveler’s Guide.
- If you’d like to visit museums, you’ll be happy to know that Musée Carnavalet, Musée Picasso and the Centre Pompidou are all within easy walking distance.
- If you’ve finished exploring the Marais and want to visit somewhere else, I recommend my itineraries page.
