James II, Count of La Marche
Encyclopedia
James II of Bourbon-La Marche (1370 – 1438, Besançon
) was the son of John I, Count of La Marche
and Catherine of Vendôme
.
. After returning to France
, he commanded a force which invaded England in support of Owain Glyndŵr
. His troops burned Plymouth
in 1403, but twelve ships of his fleet were lost in a storm while returning to France in 1404.
He was an adherent of John the Fearless and foe of the Armagnac
party. However, his affairs in France were interrupted by a sojourn abroad. In 1415, the barons of the Kingdom of Naples
arranged his marriage to Joan II of Naples
, hoping he would break the power of her court favorites, Pandolfo Alopo and Muzio Sforza
, to their advantage. He had Alopo executed and imprisoned Sforza, but he also kept the queen in confinement and aspired to personal rule. The indignant barons captured and imprisoned him in 1416; he was compelled to free Sforza and resign the kingship, and was ejected from the kingdom in 1419. However their marriage does not seem to have been annulled and neither Joan nor James would ever marry again.
Returning to France, he fought against the English for Charles VII of France
in 1428 and was made Governor
of Languedoc
.
In 1435, he resigned his titles and became a Franciscan
monk, dying in 1438.
, he married Beatrix d'Évreux
, daughter of Charles III of Navarre
and Eleanor of Castile
. The couple had three children:
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
) was the son of John I, Count of La Marche
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:...
.
Early life
He first bore arms in the crusade which culminated in the Battle of NicopolisBattle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied army of Hungarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German and assorted troops at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising of the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and leading to the end of the...
. After returning to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he commanded a force which invaded England in support of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
. His troops burned Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in 1403, but twelve ships of his fleet were lost in a storm while returning to France in 1404.
He was an adherent of John the Fearless and foe of the Armagnac
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...
party. However, his affairs in France were interrupted by a sojourn abroad. In 1415, the barons of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
arranged his marriage to Joan II of Naples
Joan II of Naples
Joan II was Queen of Naples from 1414 to her death, upon which the senior Angevin line of Naples became extinct. As a mere formality, she used the title of Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily, and Hungary....
, hoping he would break the power of her court favorites, Pandolfo Alopo and Muzio Sforza
Muzio Sforza
Muzio Attendolo Sforza was an Italian condottiero. Founder of the Sforza dynasty, he led a Bolognese-Florentine army at the Battle of Casalecchio.He was the father of Francesco Sforza, who ruled Milan for 16 years....
, to their advantage. He had Alopo executed and imprisoned Sforza, but he also kept the queen in confinement and aspired to personal rule. The indignant barons captured and imprisoned him in 1416; he was compelled to free Sforza and resign the kingship, and was ejected from the kingdom in 1419. However their marriage does not seem to have been annulled and neither Joan nor James would ever marry again.
Returning to France, he fought against the English for 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...
in 1428 and was made Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
.
In 1435, he resigned his titles and became a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monk, dying in 1438.
Marriage
In 1406 in PamplonaPamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, he married Beatrix d'Évreux
Beatrice of Navarre (1392–1412)
Beatrice of Navarre was a daughter of Charles III of Navarre and his wife Eleanor of Castile.- Biography :She was a member of the House of Évreux...
, daughter of Charles III of Navarre
Charles III of Navarre
Charles III , called the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1387 to his death and Count of Évreux from 1387 to 1404, when he exchanged it for the title Duke of Nemours...
and Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (d. 1416)
Eleanor of Castile was an infanta of Castile and the Queen consort of Navarre.She was the daughter of King Henry II of Castile and his wife, Juana Manuel of Castile, from a cadet branch of the Castilian royal house...
. The couple had three children:
- Isabelle (1408 – after 1445), a nun at Besançon
- Marie (1410 – after 1445), a nun at AmiensAmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
- Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche (1412 – after 21 August 1464), married Bernard d'Armagnac, Count of PardiacBernard d'Armagnac, Count of PardiacBernard d'Armagnac, Count of Pardiac was a younger son of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and Bonne of Berry.He fought at the Battle of Patay in 1429. That year he married Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche, daughter and ultimately heir of James II, Count of La Marche...
(d. 1462)