Anne of Armagnac
Encyclopedia
Anne of Armagnac, Dame d'Albret, Countess of Dreux (1402 – before March 1473) was a French noblewoman and a member of the powerful Gascon
Armagnac family
which played a prominent role in French politics during the Hundred Years War and were the principal adversaries of the Burgundians
throughout the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War
. Anne was the wife of Charles II d'Albret. One of her illustrious descendants was Queen Jeanne III of Navarre
, mother of King Henry IV
, the first Bourbon
king of France.
, France, the daughter of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac
, and Bonne de Berry, who was the widow of Amadeus VII of Savoy. Anne had six siblings, including John IV of Armagnac
, Bernard of Armagnac, and Bonne of Armagnac, wife of Charles, Duke of Orléans. She had three half-siblings from her mother's marriage to Count Amadeus, including Amadeus VIII of Savoy.
Her paternal gandparents were John II of Armagnac and Jeanne de Périgord, and her maternal grandparents were John, Duke of Berry
and Jeanne of Armagnac.
Anne's father was head of the powerful, pro-French, pro-Orléans
Armagnac party which played a prominent role in French politics in the early 15th century, and whose bitter opponents during the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War were the pro-English Burgundians, headed by John II, Duke of Burgundy. On 30 December 1415, her father was appointed Constable of France
. He controlled the government of the Dauphin Charles
(the future King Charles VII of France). On 12 June 1418, he was assassinated in Paris by the Burgundians.
Anne died on an unknown date sometime before March 1473. Her husband Charles died in 1471. The lordship of Albret passed to Alain, the grandson of Charles and Anne; the county of Dreux went to Arnaud Amanieu, but was later seized by Alain. Through Alain, who married Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges (died 1481), Anne was an ancestress of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre
, mother of Henry IV. Other notable descendants of Anne of Armagnac included Charlotte of Albret
, wife of Cesare Borgia, Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
, King Charles II of England
, King James II of England
, and Diana, Princess of Wales
.
, Constable of France who had been killed at the Battle of Agincourt
on 25 October 1415, as co-commander of the French Army. At the time of his marriage, Charles was only the titular Count of Dreux as the lands were in English hands. He would be confirmed as count in 1441 by King Charles VII of France
. He served on the royal council of the Dauphin Charles. He participated in the military campaigns of Joan of Arc
, including the Siege of Orléans
, and was appointed lieutenant of the province of Berry
.
Charles and Anne together had seven children:
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
Armagnac family
Armagnac (party)
The Armagnac party was prominent in French politics and warfare during the Hundred Years' War. It was allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis of Orléans was killed at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy in 1407...
which played a prominent role in French politics during the Hundred Years War and were the principal adversaries of the Burgundians
House of Burgundy
The House of Burgundy was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of Robert II of France....
throughout the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War
Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War
The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a French civil war between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions from 1407 to 1435 AD. It occurred while France was already being ravaged by the Hundred Years' War against the English and the wars surrounding the Western Schism of the papacy.-Causes:The war's...
. Anne was the wife of Charles II d'Albret. One of her illustrious descendants was Queen Jeanne III of Navarre
Jeanne III of Navarre
Jeanne d'Albret , also known as Jeanne III or Joan III, was the queen regnant of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. She married Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, and was the mother of Henry of Bourbon, who became King of Navarre and of France as Henry IV, the first Bourbon king...
, mother of King Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, the first Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
king of France.
Family
Anne was born in 1402 in Gages, near RodezRodez
Rodez is a town and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called Ruthénois.-History:Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by the Celts...
, France, the daughter of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac
Count of Armagnac
The following is a list of rulers of the county of Armagnac:-House of Armagnac:*William Count of Fézensac and Armagnac ?– 960*Bernard the Suspicious, First count privative of Armagnac 960– ?*Gerald I Trancaléon ? –1020*Bernard I Tumapaler 1020–1061...
, and Bonne de Berry, who was the widow of Amadeus VII of Savoy. Anne had six siblings, including John IV of Armagnac
John IV of Armagnac
John IV was a Count of Armagnac, Fézensac, and Rodez from 1418 to 1450. He was the son of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac, Pardiac, and Rodez; and the brother of Bernard of Armagnac, Count of Pardiac, of La Marche and Duke of Nemours...
, Bernard of Armagnac, and Bonne of Armagnac, wife of Charles, Duke of Orléans. She had three half-siblings from her mother's marriage to Count Amadeus, including Amadeus VIII of Savoy.
Her paternal gandparents were John II of Armagnac and Jeanne de Périgord, and her maternal grandparents were John, Duke of Berry
John, Duke of Berry
John of Valois or John the Magnificent was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were King Charles V of France, Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy...
and Jeanne of Armagnac.
Anne's father was head of the powerful, pro-French, pro-Orléans
House of Orleans
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
Armagnac party which played a prominent role in French politics in the early 15th century, and whose bitter opponents during the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War were the pro-English Burgundians, headed by John II, Duke of Burgundy. On 30 December 1415, her father was appointed Constable of France
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King...
. He controlled the government of the Dauphin Charles
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
(the future King Charles VII of France). On 12 June 1418, he was assassinated in Paris by the Burgundians.
Anne died on an unknown date sometime before March 1473. Her husband Charles died in 1471. The lordship of Albret passed to Alain, the grandson of Charles and Anne; the county of Dreux went to Arnaud Amanieu, but was later seized by Alain. Through Alain, who married Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges (died 1481), Anne was an ancestress of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre
Jeanne III of Navarre
Jeanne d'Albret , also known as Jeanne III or Joan III, was the queen regnant of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. She married Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, and was the mother of Henry of Bourbon, who became King of Navarre and of France as Henry IV, the first Bourbon king...
, mother of Henry IV. Other notable descendants of Anne of Armagnac included Charlotte of Albret
Charlotte of Albret
Charlotte of Albret, suo jure Dame de Châlus, Duchess of Valentinois , also known as Charlotte d'Albret, was a wealthy French noblewoman of the Albret family. She was the sister of King John III of Navarre, and the wife of the notorious Cesare Borgia whom she married in 1499...
, wife of Cesare Borgia, Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel, Countess of Nevers was the suo jure Countess of Rethel, a title which she inherited at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte of Nevers, Sovereign Countess of Rethel, on 23 August 1500...
, King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, King James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, and Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
Marriage and issue
On 28 October 1417, a marriage contract was drawn up and signed, and less than six months later, on 23 April 1418, Anne married Charles II d'Albret, Sire d'Albret and titular Count of Dreux (1401–1471). He was the eldest son of Charles d'AlbretCharles d'Albret
Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....
, Constable of France who had been killed at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
on 25 October 1415, as co-commander of the French Army. At the time of his marriage, Charles was only the titular Count of Dreux as the lands were in English hands. He would be confirmed as count in 1441 by King Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
. He served on the royal council of the Dauphin Charles. He participated in the military campaigns of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, including the Siege of Orléans
Siege of Orléans
The Siege of Orléans marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England. This was Joan of Arc's first major military victory and the first major French success to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415. The outset of this siege marked the pinnacle of English power...
, and was appointed lieutenant of the province of Berry
Berry (province)
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790....
.
Charles and Anne together had seven children:
- Jean I d'Albret, Sire d'Albet, Viscount of Talvas (died 3 January 1468), married Charlotte de Rohan in 1447, by whom he had four children, including Alain I of AlbretAlain I of AlbretAlain I of Albret , called "The Great", was a powerful French aristocrat. He was 16th Lord of Albret, Viscount of Tartas, the 2nd Count of Graves, and the Count of Castres. He was the son of Catherine de Rohan and Jean I of Albret...
, father-in-law of Cesare BorgiaCesare BorgiaCesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
. - Arnaud Amanieu d'Albret, Sire d'Orval (died 1463), married 25 November 1457, as her second husband, Isabelle de La Tour d'AuvergneLa Tour d'AuvergneLa Tour d'Auvergne was a French noble family. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held the titles of count of Auvergne and count of Boulogne for about half a century. Its junior branch, extinct in 1802, held the title of duke of Bouillon since 1594 and the titles of duke of Albret and duke of...
(died 8 September 1488), daughter of Bertrand V de La Tour, Count of Auvergne and BoulogneCount of BoulogneThe county of Boulogne was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of a part of the present-day French département of the Pas-de-Calais , in parts of which there is still a Dutch-speaking minority....
and Jacquette du Peschin, by whom he had three children, including Jean d'Albret, Sire of Orval, father of Marie of Albret, Countess of RethelMarie of Albret, Countess of RethelMarie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel, Countess of Nevers was the suo jure Countess of Rethel, a title which she inherited at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte of Nevers, Sovereign Countess of Rethel, on 23 August 1500...
. - Charles d'Albret, Seigneur de Sainte-Bazielle (beheaded 7 April 1473), married Marie d'Astarac
- Louis d'Albret (1422- 4 September 1465), Cardinal, Bishop of Cahors
- Gilles d'Albret, Seigneur Castelmoron (died 8 August 1479), married Anne d'Aguillon, by whom he had issue.
- Marie d'Albret (died after 4 January 1485), on 11 June 1456 married Charles de Nevers, Count of Nevers and Count of Rethel. The marriage was childless.
- Jeanne d'Albret, Countess of Dreux (died 20 September 1444), in 1442 married, as his second wife, Arthur III, Duke of BrittanyArthur III, Duke of BrittanyArthur III , known as the Justicier and as Arthur de Richemont, was Lord of Parthenay and titular Count of Richmond in England and for eleven months at the very end of his life, Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort after inheriting those titles upon the death of his nephew.-Biography:Belonging...
. The marriage was childless.