Catherine de Bourbon
Encyclopedia
Jeanne de Bourbon was a daughter of Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme
and Isabelle de Beauvau. Through her daughter Madeleine, she was the maternal grandmother of French queen consort Catherine de' Medici
.
and Isabelle de Beauvau. Her maternal grandparents were Louis de Beauvau, Seneschal of Anjou and Marguerite de Chambley.
Her paternal grandparents were Louis, Count of Vendôme
and Jeanne of Laval. Louis had served as both Grand Chamberman of France
and Grand Master of France
. He was a prominent member of the Armagnac party
.
Louis was the second son of John I, Count of La Marche
and Catherine of Vendôme
. John was a prominent soldier in the Hundred Years' War
.
John was in turn the second son of James I, Count of La Marche
and Jeanne of Châtillon. James was a Constable of France
but was killed in the Battle of Brignais
.
James was the second surviving son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
and Mary of Avesnes. Louis served as a Grand Chamberman of France but gained a reputation for his supposed mental instability.
Louis was the eldest son of Robert, Count of Clermont
and Beatrix of Bourbon. Beatrix was the heiress of the Bourbon family and the matriarch of the new Bourbon line of the Capetian dynasty
.
Robert was the youngest son of Louis IX of France
and Margaret of Provence.
in 1487. The groom was about sixty-one years old and the bride only twenty-two. John had survived two previous wives and his only son. He was in a need of an heir; however, they had only one son:
John II died the same year as his second and last known son.
became so struck by Jeanne's charms that he wished to marry her. A location for the wedding (Moulins) was even selected. However, his mother Queen Charlotte
(1443–1483) had another match in mind for her son: the wealthy heiress Anne of Brittany
. Consequently, the King's engagement with Jeanne was broken off. Desormeaux commented that Jeanne would have been Queen of France if beauty and love could have worn the Crown.
. They had two daughters:
John III died on 28 March 1501.
Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme
Jean de Bourbon was a French nobleman, son of Louis, Count of Vendôme. He was a courtier of King Charles VII of France and fought the English in Normandy and Guyenne. He attached himself to King Louis XI, but was not in his royal favor...
and Isabelle de Beauvau. Through her daughter Madeleine, she was the maternal grandmother of French queen consort Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
.
Family and lineage
She was a daughter of Jean VIII, Count of VendômeJean VIII, Count of Vendôme
Jean de Bourbon was a French nobleman, son of Louis, Count of Vendôme. He was a courtier of King Charles VII of France and fought the English in Normandy and Guyenne. He attached himself to King Louis XI, but was not in his royal favor...
and Isabelle de Beauvau. Her maternal grandparents were Louis de Beauvau, Seneschal of Anjou and Marguerite de Chambley.
Her paternal grandparents were Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis of Bourbon-La Marche , younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was Count of Vendôme from 1393 and Count of Castres from 1425 until his death....
and Jeanne of Laval. Louis had served as both Grand Chamberman of France
Grand Chamberman of France
The Grand Chamberman of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the Maison du Roi , and one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the Ancien Régime...
and Grand Master of France
Grand Master of France
The Grand Master of France was, during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "Maison du Roi", the king's royal household...
. He was a prominent member of the Armagnac party
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...
.
John I, Count of La Marche
John of Bourbon-La Marche , was the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon.-Life:...
and Catherine of Vendôme
Catherine of Vendôme
Catherine de Vendôme , countess of Vendôme and of Castres was a French noblewoman of the House of Montoire. She was the daughter of John VI of Vendôme and Jeanne of Ponthieu.-Marriage:...
. John was a prominent soldier in the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
.
John was in turn the second son of James I, Count of La Marche
James I, Count of La Marche
James of Bourbon-La Marche was the son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes. He was Count of Ponthieu from 1351 to 1360, and Count of La Marche from 1356 to his death.-Hundred Years War:...
and Jeanne of Châtillon. James was a 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...
but was killed in the Battle of Brignais
Battle of Brignais
The Battle of Brignais was fought on 6 April 1362, between forces of the Kingdom of France under Jacques de Bourbon and the Free Companies, led by Petit Meschin and Seguin de Badefol...
.
James was the second surviving son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I de Bourbon, le Boiteux, the Lame was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche, and the first Duke of Bourbon.-Life:...
and Mary of Avesnes. Louis served as a Grand Chamberman of France but gained a reputation for his supposed mental instability.
Louis was the eldest son of Robert, Count of Clermont
Robert, Count of Clermont
Robert of France was made Count of Clermont in 1268. He was son of King Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence...
and Beatrix of Bourbon. Beatrix was the heiress of the Bourbon family and the matriarch of the new Bourbon line of the Capetian dynasty
Capetian dynasty
The Capetian dynasty , also known as the House of France, is the largest and oldest European royal house, consisting of the descendants of King Hugh Capet of France in the male line. Hugh Capet himself was a cognatic descendant of the Carolingians and the Merovingians, earlier rulers of France...
.
Robert was the youngest son of Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
and Margaret of Provence.
First marriage
She married first John II, Duke of BourbonJohn II, Duke of Bourbon
John de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon , sometimes referred to as John the Good and The Scourge of the English, was a son of Charles I of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy...
in 1487. The groom was about sixty-one years old and the bride only twenty-two. John had survived two previous wives and his only son. He was in a need of an heir; however, they had only one son:
- Louis, Count of Clermont (1488). He was the desired heir but did not long survive his birth.
John II died the same year as his second and last known son.
Almost queen
After becoming widowed, it is said that Charles VIII of FranceCharles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
became so struck by Jeanne's charms that he wished to marry her. A location for the wedding (Moulins) was even selected. However, his mother Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Savoy
Charlotte of Savoy was the second wife and only Queen consort of Louis XI of France. She had three surviving children, one of whom succeeded Louis as King Charles VIII of France, with her eldest daughter, Anne of France, acting as his regent.- Family :She was a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy,...
(1443–1483) had another match in mind for her son: the wealthy heiress Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany
Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
. Consequently, the King's engagement with Jeanne was broken off. Desormeaux commented that Jeanne would have been Queen of France if beauty and love could have worn the Crown.
Second marriage
Jeanne remained a widow for seven years. On 11 January 1495, Jeanne married her second husband John III, Count of AuvergneJohn III, Count of Auvergne
John III of Auvergne , Count of Auvergne, was the son of Bertrand VI of Auvergne and Louise de La Tremoille , Dame de Boussac, the daughter of Georges de la Trémoille...
. They had two daughters:
- Anne, married John Stewart, 2nd Duke of AlbanyJohn Stewart, 2nd Duke of AlbanyJohn Stewart, Duke of Albany was Regent of the Kingdom of Scotland, Duke of Albany in peerage of Scotland and Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France.-Early life:...
. - MadeleineMadeleine de la Tour d'AuvergneMadeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne was a younger daughter of Jean III de La Tour , Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais, and Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendôme . She was a penultimate representative of the senior branch of the house de La Tour d'Auvergne...
, married Lorenzo II, Duke of UrbinoLorenzo II, Duke of UrbinoLorenzo di Piero de' Medici was the ruler of Florence from 1513 to his death from the plague in 1519. He was also Duke of Urbino from 1516 to 1519....
. She was the mother of Catherine de' MediciCatherine de' MediciCatherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
.
John III died on 28 March 1501.