Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris

Of course I couldn't resist a real life murder mystery that rocked Paris six centuries ago.

Eric Jager's Blood Royal recounts the assassination of Louis, Duke of Orleans, in November 1407. Among other attributes, Louis was a gambler, a philanderer, and a profligate spender. He was widely hated for the regularity with which he levied taxes to fund his pleasures. Not insignificantly, he was also the de fact ruler of France for long and frequent stretches when his brother, King Charles VI, was incapacitated by bouts of madness.

Still, his murder - led in to a trap and then attacked with axes and knives, then left in a muddy gutter - shocked Paris. With truly old-fashioned detective work, the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, solved the crime, in the process setting France on a course to civil war and prolonging the already long and bloody struggle with the English.

Jager's book was excellent as he recounted the murder, detailed the various personalities involved (evidently Louis liked to play at being a monk when he grew bored of being a prince), examined potential motives (a cuckolded husband seemed most likely), and created a picture of life in medieval Paris (not pretty - the gutter was most definitely not the place to wind up!). de Tignonville's investigation makes for great reading, as does the escape of the murdered.

I have to admit that I wish the book had ended here. Once the murder was solved and the country descended bit-by-bit into chaos and war, the factions fighting for control, I became much less interested. The later focus on the battles with the English, most importantly Agincourt, felt a bit disconnected from Louis's murder. That is, I understand how one led to another, but they still felt like different stories.