by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, the first wife of François I, King of France, was born on October 13, 1499, in Romorantin-Lanthenay, France. Her father was King Louis XII of France who had succeeded his second cousin once removed, King Charles VIII, because Charles had no surviving sons to succeed him, nor any surviving daughters either. Louis XII was the great-grandson of King Charles V of France through his second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans, and the next in line of the throne after the line of Charles V’s eldest son and successor King Charles VI of France, represented by King Charles VIII, died out.

Claude’s mother was King Louis XII’s second wife Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Anne had been King Charles VIII’s wife and during her marriage to Charles VIII, she had three stillbirths, three children who died in infancy, and one son who died from measles at age three. Before he became king, Louis XII had been in a childless marriage to Jeanne of France, the sister of King Charles VIII. After he succeeded to the throne, Louis XII decided to annul his 22-year marriage to Jeanne and marry the younger Anne of Brittany in hopes of a male heir.

Claude’s father King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude’s mother Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France, at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude was her parents’ first child. She received her name, somewhat unusual for a female, because her mother had made a pilgrimage to the burial site of Saint Claude of Besançon, a 7th-century French bishop who became a popular French saint, in the hope of having a living child after the sad pregnancy history of her first marriage. However, Anne’s poor obstetrical history persisted. Louis XII and Anne had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages. Claude and her sister Renée were their only surviving children. In fact, out of Anne’s total of sixteen pregnancies from her two marriages, Claude and Renée were her only surviving children. The lack of sons again created a succession problem because France followed the Salic Law which allowed only male succession.

Claude had one surviving sibling:

• Princess Renée of France (1510 – 1574), married Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara, had five children

François I, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Because Louis XII and his first wife had no children, upon Louis XII’s accession to the French throne, four-year-old François, Count of Angoulême (the future King François I of France) became the heir presumptive to the French throne and remained the heir throughout Louis XII’s reign due to his lack of sons. François was a great-great-grandson of King Charles V of France through Charles V’s second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans whose descendants were members of the Orléans cadet branch of the ruling House of Valois.

Because her parents had no sons, Claude was the heir to her mother’s Duchess of Brittany. The Duchy of Brittany was located on the northwestern peninsula of modern France, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north. Queen Anne did not want to leave her daughter without her Brittany inheritance and with the help of Cardinal Georges d’Amboise, separated the Duchy of Brittany from the French crown.

Engagement of François d’Angoulême and Claude de France by Guillaume II Le Roy , Chronicles of Louis XII; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1501, a marriage contract was signed between the two-year-old Claude and the fifteen-year-old future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. However, in 1505, Louis XII became very ill and fearing for his life, and not wishing to threaten the reign of François, his heir, he canceled the 1501 marriage contract in favor of the eventual marriage of Claude and François. A marriage with François would mean that the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown if François succeeded Louis XII.

Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. Fourteen-year-old Claude succeeded her mother as Duchess of Brittany.

On May 18, 1514, François and Claude were married in the chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

They had seven children:

• Louise (1515 – 1517), died in childhood, engaged to King Charles I of Spain (later also Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
• Charlotte (1516 – 1524), died in childhood from measles, engaged to King Charles I of Spain (later also Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
• François III, Duke of Brittany (1518 – 1536), unmarried, succeeded his mother Claude as Duke of Brittany, died aged 18
• Henri II, King of France (1519 – 1559), married Catherine de’ Medici, had ten children, including three Kings of France: François II, Charles IX, and Henri III
• Madeleine (1520 – 1537), married James V, King of Scots (1st wife), no children, died six months after the marriage from tuberculosis
• Charles II, Duke of Orléans (1522 – 1545), unmarried, died at age 23
• Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry (1523 – 1574), married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, had one son

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany surrounded by her daughters (Charlotte, Madeleine, and Marguerite), her sister Renée (or her deceased older daughter Louise) and her husband’s second wife Eleanor of Austria, in Catherine de Medici’s Book of Hours, 1550; Credit – Wikipedia

After Anne of Brittany’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, in a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace in England and then in person in France on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, just three months after the wedding. He was succeeded by his son-in-law as King François I of France. François was crowned King of France on January 25, 1515, at Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral), the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France. Claude’s coronation took place on May 10, 1517, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris. Most likely the delay in Claude’s coronation was due to her first two pregnancies.

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany, aged 24, died on July 20, 1524, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. It is suspected that Claude had tuberculosis and contracted syphilis from her husband and certainly seven pregnancies in eight years weakened her health. Claude was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris.

In 1530, François married the widow of King Manuel I of Portugal, Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, co-sovereigns of the Kingdom of Castile, and the sister of Charles V, Emperor of Austria. François preferred his mistresses, ignored Eleanor, and the marriage was childless. François survived Claude by twenty-three years, dying on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet in Rambouillet, France at the age of 52 and was buried with Claude.

François and Claude’s tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution in October 1793. Archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir was able to save the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. The tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830).

Tomb of François and Claude; Credit – Par Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France Tomb of François 1er @ Basilique de Saint-Denis @ Saint-Denis, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52701972

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_of_France> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. François I, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/François-i-king-of-france/> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude De France (1499-1524). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_de_France_(1499-1524)> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
• Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Клод Французская. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 15 June 2020]. (Claude of France from Russian Wikipedia)

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

François I, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

A contemporary of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King Henry VIII of England, François I, King of France was born on September 12, 1494, at the Château de Cognac in Cognac, Kingdom of France. He was the only son and the younger of the two children of Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy. François was a great-great-grandson of King Charles V of France through Charles V’s second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans whose descendants were members of the Orléans cadet branch of the ruling House of Valois. The Orléans branch came to the French throne in 1498 with the accession of King Louis XII, the great-grandson of King Charles V through his second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans after the line of Charles V’s eldest son and successor King Charles VI of France died out.

François had one older sister:

• Marguerite of Angoulême (1492 – 1549), married (1) Charles IV, Duke of Alençon, no children (2) Henri II, King of Navarre, had one surviving child Jeanne III, Queen of Navarre who was the mother of Henri IV, King of France, the first King of the House of Bourbon.

François’ parents playing chess, circa 1496-1498; Credit – Wikipedia

During the winter of 1495, François’s father had a serious fall while out riding and he died from his injuries on January 1, 1496. 16-month-old François became Count of Angoulême and François’s mother was left a 19-year-old widow with two young children.

At the time of François’s birth, 24-year-old Charles VIII was King of France. Charles VIII had married Anne, Duchess of Brittany in 1491 and there were expectations that they would provide a male heir to the French throne as France followed the Salic Law which allowed only male succession. In 1498, Charles VIII violently hit his head on a stone lintel of a low door and died without a male heir. His wife Anne of Brittany had given birth to seven children but none survived.

King Charles VIII was succeeded by his second cousin once removed Louis II, Duke of Orléans as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII’s father Charles I, Duke of Orléans was the grandson of King Charles V of France through his second son, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. King Louis XII also had succession issues. His 22-year marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France had produced no children. Therefore, in 1498, four-year-old François, Count of Angoulême became the heir presumptive to the French throne. Louis XII had his marriage to Jeanne of France annulled and married Charles VII’s widow Anne, Duchess of Brittany, hoping the marriage would produce a male heir.

François’ mother Louise of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

Meanwhile, François’ mother Louise of Savoy, who never remarried, began the work that would secure each of her children a promising future. After her husband’s death, Louise and her two children Marguerite and François initially remained at the Château de Cognac. Upon the accession of King Louis XII to the throne of France, she moved her family to Louis XII’s court and Louise’s main goal was to prepare her son to become King of France. Louise was quite aware of court politics and diplomacy and was interested in the flourishing of the arts and sciences during the Renaissance. With the help of her Italian confessor Cristoforo Numai of Forli, Louise ensured that Marguerite and François were educated in the spirit of the Renaissance. She commissioned books specifically for them and she taught them Italian and Spanish.

Meanwhile, King Louis XII and his second wife Anne of Brittany failed to produce a male heir. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages. They did have two daughters who survived to adulthood, Claude (1499 – 1524) and Renée (1510 – 1574), but because of the Salic Law neither could succeed their father. On January 9, 1514, 36-year-old Anne, Duchess of Brittany, the only woman to have been Queen of France twice, weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, died from a kidney stone attack.

Anne’s elder daughter Claude succeeded her as Duchess of Brittany. Claude had previously been contracted to marry the future Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. However, in 1505, Louis XII had become very ill and fearing for his life and not wishing to threaten the reign of François, his only heir, he canceled the marriage contract in favor of the eventual marriage of Claude and François. A marriage with François would mean that the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown.

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany surrounded by her daughters (Charlotte, Madeleine, and Marguerite), her sister Renée (or her deceased older daughter Louise) and her husband’s second wife Eleanor of Austria, in Catherine de Medici’s Book of Hours, 1550; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 18, 1514, François and Claude were married in the chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. They had seven children:

• Louise (1515 – 1517), died in childhood, engaged to King Charles I of Spain (later also Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
• Charlotte (1516 – 1524), died in childhood from measles, engaged to King Charles I of Spain (later also Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
• François III, Duke of Brittany (1518 – 1536), unmarried, succeeded his mother Claude as Duke of Brittany, died aged 18
• Henri II, King of France (1519 – 1559), married Catherine de’ Medici, had ten children, including three Kings of France: François II, Charles IX, and Henri III
• Madeleine (1520 – 1537), married James V, King of Scots (1st wife), no children, died six months after the marriage from tuberculosis
• Charles II, Duke of Orléans (1522 – 1545), unmarried, died at age 23
• Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry (1523 – 1574), married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, had one son

After Anne of Brittany’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, in a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace in England and then in person in France on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, just three months after the wedding. As Louis XII had no sons, he was succeeded by his son-in-law as King François I of France. François was crowned King of France on January 25, 1515, at Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral), the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France. Claude’s coronation took place on May 10, 1517, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris. Most likely the delay in Claude’s coronation was due to her first two pregnancies.

Some accomplishments and events during the reign of François I, King of France:

François at the deathbed of Leonardo da Vinci; Credit – Wikipedia

Patron of the arts: The magnificent art collection of the French kings began. It can still be seen at the Musée du Louvre, which occupies most of the former Louvre Palace. Among the artists François patronized were Andrea del Sarto and Leonardo da Vinci. da Vinci lived in France during the last years of his life. He brought with him many of his greatest works, including the Mona Lisa and these works remained in France after his death.

Construction: François focused on both new construction and renovations. Among his projects was the renovation of the Louvre Palace from a medieval fortress into a Renaissance palace and the building of a new City Hall (the Hôtel de Ville) for Paris.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold, circa 1545; Credit – Wikipedia

Foreign Policy: François continued with the Italian Wars (1494 – 1559). As Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also King of Spain) of the House of Habsburg gained power and land, France was surrounded by Habsburg land. François unsuccessfully attempted to gain the support of King Henry VIII of England at a summit and a tournament called the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Instead, François allied with the Muslim Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a controversial move for a Christian king. France became the first European country to establish formal relations with the Ottoman Empire.

Exploration: In 1524, François financed the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazzano to North America. On this expedition, Verrazzano was the first documented European to visit the present site of New York City (where the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is named after him) and claimed Newfoundland in present-day Canada for the French crown. In 1534, François sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in the present-day Canadian province of Quebec.

Religion: The Reformation began during the reign of the Roman Catholic François. Initially tolerant of the Reformation and its effect upon France, François’ attitude toward Protestants changed from tolerance to persecution with the issue of the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1540.

François’ wife Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany, aged 24, died on July 20, 1524, at the Château de Blois. It is suspected that Claude had tuberculosis and contracted syphilis from her husband and certainly seven pregnancies in eight years weakened her health.

François with his second wife Eleanor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1529, the Treaty of Cambrai was signed ending the Seventh Italian War, also known as the War of the League of Cognac, fought between Charles V’s Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Spain and François I’s Kingdom of France and his allies. To seal the treaty, François I agreed to marry Charles V’s sister Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile, the widow of King Manuel I of Portugal. Eleanor was the daughter of Philip of Austria and Joanna of Castile, co-sovereigns of the Kingdom of Castile. François and Eleanor were married on July 4, 1530, and Eleanor was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis on May 31, 1531.

Eleanor was ignored by François who preferred his mistresses. Needless to say, Eleanor and François had no children. However, Eleanor was useful as an intermediary between France and her brother’s Holy Roman Empire.  She took an active role in the care and education of François’ two youngest daughters Madeleine and Marguerite. Eleanor played her role as Queen of France on official occasions such as the marriage of François’ heir, the future King Henri II, and Catherine de Medici in 1533.

There is suspicion that François suffered from syphilis and primary documents say he had some urinary tract issues. François I, King of France died on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet, aged 52, after a reign of thirty-two years. According to the report of his autopsy, the cause of his death was sepsis associated with severe kidney failure due to nephritis. He was succeeded by his only surviving son Henri II who became King of France on his 28th birthday.

François was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris with his first wife Claude of France. François and Claude’s tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution in October 1793. Archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir was able to save the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. It was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830).

Tomb of Francois and Claude; Credit – Par Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France Tomb of François 1er @ Basilique de Saint-Denis @ Saint-Denis, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52701972

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Francis I Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_France> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise Of Savoy. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_of_Savoy> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan and McMahon, Emily, 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_of_France> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude De France (1499-1524). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_de_France_(1499-1524)> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. François Ier (Roi De France). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Ier_(roi_de_France)> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise De Savoie. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_Savoie> [Accessed 13 June 2020].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Charles VIII, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VIII of France was born at the Château d’Amboise in France on June 30, 1470. He was the seventh of the eight children and the fourth and the only surviving son of the five sons of King Louis XI of France and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. Out of his parents’ eight children, only Charles and his sisters Anne and Jeanne survived childhood. Charles’ father had no children from his first marriage to Margaret of Scotland, daughter of James I, King of Scots.

• Louis (1458 – 1460)
• Joachim (born and died 1459)
• Louise (born and died 1460)
• Anne of France (1461 – 1522), married Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, had two children
• Jeanne of France (1464 – 1505), married King Louis XII of France (first of three wives), no children, marriage annulled, founded the monastic Order of the Sisters of the Annunciation of Mary, canonized as a saint in 1950
• François ( born and died 1466)
• François, Duke of Berry (1472 – 1473)

King Louis XI of France; Credit- Wikipedia

Since Charles was his father’s only surviving son and was often ill, his father Louis XI was more concerned with his health than his education. Accordingly, Charles’ education was less rigorous than it normally would have been. The study of Latin was eliminated although Louis XI had first studied Latin at the age of six. Charles was given a humanist tutor Guillaume Tardif. Tardif ordered simplified treatises written for Charles and read them to him. One such treatise was on the Wars of Roses which was occurring at the time in England.

In 1475, the Treaty of Picquigny between King Edward IV and the Kingdom of England and King Louis XI and the Kingdom of France ended the Hundred Years War. One of the agreements was that five-year-old Charles would marry nine-year Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV of England. That arrangement did not come to fruition and Elizabeth of York eventually married King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch.

Next, Louis XI tried to make two Burgundian marriages for his only son Charles. After the death of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1477, Louis XI had plans to take over the guardianship of Charles the Bold’s only child Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. He planned to marry his seven-year-old son Charles to the twenty-year-old Mary and reunite Burgundy with France. However, Mary was of legal age, the sovereign ruler of the Duchy of Burgundy, and decided to marry Archduke Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Archduchess Margaret of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1482, 25-year-old Mary, Duchess of Burgundy died of internal injuries following a severe fall from her horse. France and Burgundy had been at war over land and Mary’s widower decided to settle the situation. The Treaty of Arras ended the dispute. Mary’s two-year-old daughter Archduchess Margaret of Austria would marry Louis XI’s son Charles. The Imperial County of Burgundy, west of the Duchy of Burgundy, would come to the French crown as part of Margaret’s dowry. Charles and Margaret were betrothed in 1483 and Margaret’s guardianship was transferred to King Louis XI of France. She was to be raised in France as a fille de France (daughter of France) and prepared for her future role as Queen of France. However, within months of the betrothal, King Louis XI died and his thirteen-year-old son became King Charles VIII of France.  The coronation of King Charles VIII took place on May 30, 1484, in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims, France, the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France.

Under Louis XI’s will, his daughter Anne and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon ruled as regents until 1491. Margaret of Austria remained in France where she continued to be educated and prepared for her future role as Charles’ wife and Queen of France. However, the sudden death of François II, Duke of Brittany as a result of a fall from his horse, on September 9, 1488, changed the situation. François II had only two surviving children, both daughters, and the elder daughter succeeded him as Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Fearing for the independence of her duchy against the might of France, Anne arranged a marriage for herself with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right.

Anne, Duchess of Brittany at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena by Jean Bourdichon; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, the regents of France, refused to allow a marriage between Anne of Brittany and Maximilian of Austria because it would put the Habsburgs, Maxililian’s family, on two French borders. A month before Anne of Brittany’s father died, he had been forced to sign the Treaty of Verger and thereby becoming a vassal of King Charles VIII of France and agreeing to seek Charles’ consent before arranging the marriage of his daughters. The Treaty of Verger was used to force Anne to renounce Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who she had married by proxy, and marry King Charles VIII of France. Likewise, Margaret of Austria was also jilted and she resented the House of Valois for the rest of her life. However, Margaret became one of the greatest government administrators, political negotiators, and patrons of her time. She served her nephew Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands.

Waxwork reenactment of the marriage of Anne, Duchess of Brittany and King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne, Duchess of Brittany and King Charles VIII of France were married at the Château de Langeais on December 6, 1491. On February 8, 1492, Anne was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France.

Anne and Charles had seven children but none survived:

• Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (1492 – 1495), died from measles at the age of three
• François (stillborn 1493)
• Stillborn daughter (1494)
• Stillborn daughter (1495)
• Charles, Dauphin of France (September 1496 – October 1496)
• François, Dauphin of France (1497), died several hours after birth
• Anne of France (1498), died several hours after birth

French troops under Charles VIII entering Florence, November 17, 1494, by Francesco Granacci; Credit – Wikipedia

The main event of Charles VIII’s reign was the Italian War of 1494–1498 fought against the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and an alliance of Italian powers led by Pope Alexander VI. Charles made a series of concessions to neighboring monarchs and conquered Italy without much opposition. However, a coalition of armies ultimately drove out Charles’ army.

On March 20, 1498, Queen Anne had given birth to a daughter at the Château d’Amboise, who died on the day of her birth. To distract her from her sadness, on April 7, 1498, Charles decided to take Anne to watch a game of jeu de paume (real tennis). As they were walking to the tennis court at the Château d’Amboise, Charles violently hit his head on a stone lintel of a low door. He stumbled but did not lose consciousness and proceeded to the tennis court where he watched the game. At around two o’clock in the afternoon, Charles suddenly collapsed, fell into a coma, and died nine hours later at the age of 27. Modern medical experts suspect that Charles died from a head trauma that led to a stroke with a subdural hematoma and neurological damage.

King Charles VIII had a grand funeral with the services lasting until May 1, 1498, when the tomb was closed. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France but his heart was buried at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Cléry in Cléry-Saint-André, France so he could be near his parents. His tomb at the Basilica of Saint-Denis was one of the most beautiful tombs there. It was made of gilded bronze and enamel and was quite large. The enameled statue of Charles VIII showed him praying, wearing a blue robe with fleur-de-lis (lily flowers). At the four corners were bronze angels and around the base were female figures in medallions. During the French Revolution, Charles’ tomb was destroyed and the materials melted down.

Tomb of Charles VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

Because King Charles VIII had no surviving sons (nor daughters), he was succeeded by his second cousin once removed Louis II, Duke of Orléans as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII’s father Charles I, Duke of Orléans was the grandson of King Charles V of France through his second son, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. In 1476, the future Louis XII had married Jeanne of France, daughter of King Louis XI of France and sister of King Charles VIII. Charles VIII’s widow Anne returned to her Duchy of Brittany after his death and began taking steps to ensure the independence of her duchy. Louis XII did not want this to happen and so he had his 24-year childless marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France annulled. Once more, Anne of Brittany, had the Treaty of Verger used against her as Louis XII, as King of France, had to consent to her marriage. She was forced to agree to marry King Louis XII.

King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Louis XII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. Louis XII never did get his male heir. Anne and Louis had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages but they did have two daughters who survived to adulthood. Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, twice Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514. After Anne’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, but Louis XIII died three months after the marriage – without a male heir.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles VIII Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VIII_of_France> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XI Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XI_of_France> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Anne, Duchess Of Brittany, Queen Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anne-duchess-of-brittany-queen-of-france/> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles VIII (Roi De France). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VIII_(roi_de_France)> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XI. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XI> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
• McMahon, Emily and Flantzer, Susan. 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 1 June 2020].

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Louise de la Vallière was the mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 until 1667. She later entered a convent, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde (Sister Louise of Mercy) until her death in 1710.

Louise de La Vallière – source: Wikipedia

Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc was born on August 6, 1644, at the Hôtel de la Crouzille in Tours, France. She was the daughter of Laurent La Baume Le Blanc, Marquis of La Vallière and Françoise Le Provost.

Following her father’s death in 1651, Louise’s mother was remarried to the Marquis de Saint Rémy, who served in the court of the Gaston, Duke of Orléans, son of King Henri IV of France. Louise became a companion to the Duke’s three younger daughters and was educated alongside them. After the Duke died, Louise accompanied the widowed Duchess and her daughters to Paris where they took up residence at the Palais de Luxembourg.

Soon, Louise became a Maid of Honor to Princess Henrietta Anne of England, the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the brother of King Louis IV of France. Henrietta then presented Louise to King Louis XIV, and within months she had become his mistress. Although discreet, their relationship soon became well-known within the French court, causing Louise much distress. She continued to serve as a Maid of Honor to Princess Henrietta, which caused a falling out with the King in 1662. Louise refused to reveal any information to him about the Princess’s alleged affair with the Count of Guiche and fled to a convent before King Louis XIV convinced her to return. Pregnant with her first child, Louise was removed from service to the Duchess, and given apartments in the Palais Royal.  Over the next five years, gave birth to five children – only two of whom would survive:

• Charles de La Baume Le Blanc (1663-1665)
• Philippe de La Baume Le Blanc (1665-1666)
• Louis de La Baume Le Blanc (1665-1666)
• Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666-1739) – legitimized by the King in 1667, and later married to Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
• Louis de Bourbon (1667-1683) – legitimized by the King in 1669, created Count of Vermandois

After the birth of her daughter Marie Anne in 1666, the relationship between Louise and King Louis XIV began to change. Much of this was due to the return to the court of Madame de Montespan who quickly drew the King’s attention and replaced Louise as his favorite mistress.

Marie Anne de Bourbon, later Princess of Conti. source: Wikipedia

In 1667, King Louis XIV legitimized their daughter Marie Anne, known as Mademoiselle de Blois, and created Louise Duchess de La Vallière and Duchess de Vaujours. This allowed Louise a greater position at court. However, she would not remain there for much longer. She gave birth to their last child Louis de Bourbon in October 1667. During the next several years, Louise remained at court, sharing apartments with Madame de Montespan, but her relationship with King Louis XIV was long over. Two years later, King Louis XIV legitimized their son, creating him Count of Vermandois.

By 1670, having been forced to remain at court and live with the King’s new mistress, Madame de Montespan, Louise became ill and at one point was near death. Upon recovering, she sought solace in religion, and the following year, decided to leave the court and enter a convent. However, King Louis XIV forced her to return for several years. Finally, in 1674, she was permitted to leave the court and entered the Carmelite convent in Faubourg-Saint-Jacques. She took her vows the following year, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde.

Louise remained at the convent until her death, 35 years later, on June 6, 1710. Per her wishes, she was buried in the convent cemetery. By that time, she was survived only by her daughter Marie Anne, who inherited the Duchies of La Vallière and Vaujours and Louise’s entire estate.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Anne at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena by Jean Bourdichon; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right, is the only woman to have been Queen Consort of France twice. She was the wife of King Charles VIII of France and the second of the three wives of King Louis XII of France. Born on January 25, 1477, at the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France, Anne was the elder of the two daughters of François II, Duke of Brittany and his second wife Margaret of Foix, Princess of Navarre.

Anne had one younger sister:

• Isabeau of Brittany (1478 – 1490), died at age 12 from pneumonia

Anne had one half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Margaret of Brittany but he died in infancy:

• Jean, Count of Montfort (born and died 1463)

At the age of four, Anne was on track to become Duchess of Brittany and the Queen Consort of England. In 1481, Anne had been officially engaged to Edward, Prince of Wales, the elder son and heir apparent of King Edward IV of England. When his father died in 1483, Edward was briefly King of England as Edward V. The Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III, had his nephew Edward V brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483, to await his coronation, which never happened. Edward V’s mother Elizabeth Woodville and her children sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions. Elizabeth agreed to let her second son Richard, Duke of York leave sanctuary and join his lonely brother at the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Edward and Richard’s uncle the Duke of Gloucester assumed the English throne as King Richard III. Edward and his brother Richard were seen less and less until the end of the summer of 1483 when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown and remains one of history’s greatest mysteries.

Location of the Duchy of Brittany; Credit – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11234869

The Duchy of Brittany was located on the northwestern peninsula of modern France, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north. The inheritance of the Duchy of Brittany was determined by the 1365 Treaty of Guérande which stated that in the absence of a male heir from the House of Montfort, the heirs of Joanna of Penthièvre, Duchess of Brittany would succeed to the Duchy of Brittany. Anne’s father was the only male from the House of Montfort and the House of Blois-Penthièvre’s heir was also a female, Nicole of Blois, who sold her rights to Brittany to King Louis XI of France. To avoid having the Duchy of Brittany revert to the King of France, Anne’s father had her recognized officially as his heiress by the Estates of Brittany in 1486. This move greatly angered the powers that be in France but increased the competition among the possible husbands for Anne, now a very eligible heiress.

Among the contenders for Anne’s hand in marriage were:

• Henry Tudor: the last male of the House of Lancaster, then in exile in Brittany, but the marriage did not interest him, became King Henry VII of England in 1485.
• Maximilian, King of the Romans and Archduke of Austria: widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right.
• Alain d’Albret, a great-grandson of Jean V, Duke of Brittany, and therefore a possible heir, Anne found him repulsive and refused to consider him.
• Louis, Duke of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France): the great-grandson of King Charles V of France, the most senior claimant as the heir of King Charles VIII who had no surviving children. However, Louis was already married to Jeanne of France but would have had his loveless, childless marriage annulled to marry Anne.
• Jean de Chalon, Prince of Orange (1443-1502), nephew of Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany, and next in line to the Duchy of Brittany after Anne and her sister Isabeau who would die in 1490.
• Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham: the marriage was suggested by King Henry VII of England but Henry VII got a better deal when the executors of the will of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, paid Henry VII £4000 for Buckingham’s marriage to Percy’s eldest daughter Eleanor.

King Charles VIII of France, Anne’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 9, 1488, Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany died after a fall from his horse, and Anne became the Duchess of Brittany in her own right.  Because Anne feared for the independence of her duchy against the might of France, she arranged a marriage for herself with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. King Charles VIII succeeded his father as King of France in 1483.  However, he was a minor, and his elder sister Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, served as regents. They refused to allow a marriage between Anne and Maximilian because it would put the Habsburgs, Maxililian’s family on two French borders.

A month before Anne’s father died, he had been forced to sign the Treaty of Verger, becoming a vassal of King Charles VIII of France and agreeing to seek Charles’ consent before arranging the marriage of his daughters. The Treaty of Verger was used to force Anne to renounce Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who she had married by proxy, and marry King Charles VIII of France.

Waxwork reenactment of the marriage of Anne, Duchess of Brittany and King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne and King Charles VIII of France were married at the Château de Langeais on December 6, 1491. On February 8, 1492, Anne was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France.

Anne and Charles had seven children but none survived:

• Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (1492 – 1495), died from measles at the age of three
• François (stillborn 1493)
• Stillborn daughter (1494)
• Stillborn daughter (1495)
• Charles, Dauphin of France (September 1496 – October 1496)
• François, Dauphin of France (1497), died several hours after birth
• Anne of France (1498), died several hours after birth

Anne’s second husband, King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly from a head injury in 1498. Because he had no surviving children, Louis, Duke of Orléans succeeded him as King Louis XII of France. Anne returned to Brittany and began taking steps to ensure the independence of her duchy. Louis XII did not want this to happen and he had his 24-year childless marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France annulled. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages but they did have two daughters who survived to adulthood:

• Princess Claude of France (1499 – 1524), married François d’Angoulême, later King François I of France, had seven children including King Henri II of France and Madeleine of Valois, first wife of James V, King of Scots; only two of Claude’s children lived past the age of 30
• Stillborn son (1500)
• Stillborn son (1503)
• Miscarriage (1503)
• Miscarriage (1505)
• Stillborn son (1508)
• Miscarriage (1509)
• Princess Renée of France (1510 – 1574), married Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara, had five children
• Stillborn son (1512)

Anne receiving a book in praise of famous women, by Jean Perréal, circa 1506; Credit – Wikipedia

Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. Claude succeeded her mother as Duchess of Brittany. Since Claude’s husband François d’Angoulême became King of France after the death of his father-in-law King Louis XII, the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown. After Anne’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, but Louis XIII died three months after the marriage.

Anne’s funeral services lasted forty days, becoming the tradition of French royal funerals until the 18th century. Following Anne’s request, her heart was placed in a gold reliquary, then transported to Nantes to be deposited in her parents’ tomb at Nantes Cathedral in the Duchy of Brittany, now in France. During the French Revolution, the gold reliquary containing Anne’s heart was removed from its place of rest, emptied, and sent to Paris to be melted down. Instead, the gold reliquary was kept intact at the National Library in Paris. In 1819, the reliquary was returned to Nantes where it was kept in several museums. Since 1896, the reliquary has been in the collection of the Musée Dobrée in Nantes. On April 13, 2018, the reliquary was stolen from the Musée Dobrée but was recovered undamaged later that month. The inscription on the reliquary reads: “In this little vessel of fine gold, pure and clean, rests a heart greater than any lady in the world ever had. Anne was her name, twice queen in France, Duchess of the Bretons, royal and sovereign.”

Anne’s heart reliquary on display at the Musée Dobrée; Credit – By Picture by –Jibi44 13:18, 31 March 2006 (UTC) – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=662433

Anne and Louis XII were buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris in a magnificent tomb carved from Carrara marble by the Juste Family, a family of Italian sculptors. The tomb was commissioned in 1515, probably by Louis XII’s successor King François I of France who was married to Louis and Anne’s elder daughter Claude. Anne and Louis’ tomb has survived although it was desecrated in October 1793 during the French Revolution and their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. However, the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir saved much of the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. During the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830), the tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis where it can be seen today.

Tomb of King Louis XII of France and his second of three wives Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany; Credit – By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18611160

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne Of Brittany. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward V Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-v-of-england/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan and McMahon, Emily, 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. François II De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_II_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Jeanne of France, Queen of France, Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Born April 23, 1464, in Nogent-le-Roi, County of Dreux, now in France, Jeanne of France, Queen of France, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Joan of Valois, was the first of the three wives of King Louis XII of France. She was the third of the three daughters and the fourth of the eight children of King Louis XI of France and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. Jeanne’s father Louis XI decided to play her marriage card early. On May 19, 1464, shortly after Jeanne’s baptism, she was betrothed to her second cousin, two-year-old Louis of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France), son of Charles, Duke of Orléans and Maria of Cleves.

Jeanne had seven siblings but her elder sister Anne and her younger brother Charles were her only siblings to survive childhood:

• Louis (1458 – 1460)
• Joachim (born and died 1459)
• Louise (born and died 1460)
• Anne of France (1461 – 1522), married Pierre II, Duke of Bourbon, had two children
• François (born and died 1466)
• King Charles VIII of France (1470 – 1498), married Anne, Duchess of Brittany, had seven children, three were stillborn, three died young
• François (1472 – 1473)

Jeanne’s sister Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

For the first five years of her life, Jeanne lived at the Chateau d’Amboise in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire, France, on the Loire River. She was often ill and probably had a spinal curvature as she had a hump on her back, and walked with a limp. In 1469, Jeanne and her sister Anne were placed in the home of François de Linières, a distant cousin of their father, and his wife Anne de Culan. The couple did not have children and became adoptive parents of the two sisters. In the home of François and his wife Anne, Jeanne and her sister learned reading, writing and mathematics, drawing and painting, embroidery tapestry, and lute playing.

François and his wife Anne were devout Catholics and instilled a deep and solid faith in the two sisters. In 1471, King Louis XI ordered the saying of the prayer Ave Maria (Hail Mary) for peace. Jeanne deeply appreciated this prayer and developed a special affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary. She would later write that during her childhood she received a prophecy from the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Before your death, you will found a religious order in my honor. In doing so, you will give me great pleasure and you will do me a service.”

King Louis XII of France, previously Duke of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 8, 1476, twelve-year-old Jeanne married her betrothed, fourteen-year-old Louis, now Duke of Orléans, having succeeded his father in 1465. This marriage became quite political because it could secure the French succession due to the ill health of King Louis XI’s only son and heir, the future King Charles VIII of France. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. Louis, Duke of Orléans was not pleased about marrying his second cousin, whom he considered deformed  The marriage was unhappy, the couple lived apart, and there were no children.

Jeanne’s brother King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XI died in 1483, leaving his 13-year-old son to succeed him as King Charles VIII of France. Louis of Orléans was eager to annul his marriage with Jeanne as it now lacked dynastic importance due to the presumption that King Charles VIII would provide his own heirs. Louis’ request to annul his marriage to Jeanne and marry Anne of Brittany, the heiress of the Duchy of Brittany, was declined by the pope. Nevertheless, Louis of Orléans unsuccessfully attempted to join Charles VIII’s sister Anne as one of Charles’ regents in 1484, ending in Anne’s arrest of Louis. During Louis’ captivity, Charles VIII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany by force. Louis was pardoned by Charles VIII in 1491 and joined the king on his failed Italian campaigns.

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and Anne of Brittany had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis of Orléans’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Eager to gain control of Anne of Brittany’s funds and territories, Louis again attempted to annul his marriage to Jeanne. Unable to prove with any documented evidence his close relation to Jeanne (they were second cousins) or his young age at the time of their marriage, Louis XII claimed that the marriage was unconsummated due to witchcraft and a deformity on Jeanne’s part. Although Jeanne fought admirably to save her reputation, on December 15, 1498, Pope Alexander VI granted the annulment based on Louis and Jeanne having been forced into the marriage by Jeanne’s father. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany and although Anne had nine pregnancies, only two children survived childbirth. After Anne of Brittany’s death, Louis XII married Mary Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII of England but Louis died three months later.

Annunciation (c. 1472–1475) is thought to be Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest complete work; Credit – Wikipedia

After the annulment ended her marriage, Jeanne was made Duchess of Berry and retired to Bourges, the capital of the Duchy of Berry, saying she would pray for her former husband. Soon, Jeanne confided to her confessor her call to the religious life. She began to make plans for the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a new enclosed religious order of contemplative nuns in honor of the Annunciation – the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child and become the mother of Jesus.

Jeanne succeeded in founding a new religious order in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Rule of Life she wrote for her new community is entitled The Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin, the imitation of which she proposed as the goal for the members of the order. The Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was confirmed by Pope Alexander VI. On October 8, 1502, the first five members of the order received the veil. Jeanne took her solemn vows on June 4, 1503, receiving the name Sister Gabriela Maria.

Chapel in the former Convent of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bourges, France that holds the empty sarcophagus of Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/history.php

Jeanne, aged 40, died on February 4, 1505, in Bourges, Duchy of Berry, now in France, and was buried in the chapel of the convent she founded in Bourges. On May 27, 1562, during the sack of Bourges by the Huguenots, Jeanne’s tomb was desecrated and her remains were burned.  Soon after her death, miracles and healings attributed to her were said to have occurred. The cause for her canonization was begun in 1631 and Pope Benedict XIV beatified her on April 21, 1742. Jeanne was canonized as a saint on May 28, 1950, by Pope Pius XII. Her feast day is February 4. The nuns of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary still maintain their way of life in four convents in France and convents in Belgium, Costa Rica, and Poland.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• Anuncjatki.pl. 2020. The Annunciade — The Order Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/nuns.php> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joan Of France, Duchess Of Berry. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_France,_Duchess_of_Berry> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XI Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XI_of_France> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Order Of The Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Annunciation_of_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Jeanne De France (1464-1505). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_de_France_(1464-1505)> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• McMahon, Emily and Flantzer, Susan. 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 1 June 2020].