John the Fearless Capturing Paris, June 1418

This engraving, titled “John the Fearless Capturing Paris, June 1418,” depicts the seizure of Paris by the Burgundian party during the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundians, in the broader context of the Hundred Years’ War. The scene shows a Parisian street thrown into chaos, with fighters, corpses, and a panicked crowd, in a composition that emphasizes urban violence and the brutality of the event. The capture of the capital by John the Fearless in June 1418 marked a major turning point in the reign of Charles VI, temporarily strengthening Burgundian control over Paris. Created in the nineteenth century and reproduced in Paul Lehugeur’s Histoire de France en cent tableaux, the image belongs to the tradition of French historical illustration, which sought to dramatize major political and civil episodes of the national past.