Jeanne de Bar, Countess of Marle and Soissons
Encyclopedia
Jeanne de Bar, suo jure
Countess of Marle and Soissons, Dame d'Oisy, Viscountess of Meaux, and Countess of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano (1415 - 14 May 1462) was a noble French heiress and Sovereign Countess. She was the only child of Robert of Bar, Count of Marle and Soissons, Sire d'Oisy, who was killed at the Battle of Agincourt
when she was a baby, leaving her the sole heiress to his titles and estates. In 1430, at the age of fifteen, Jeanne was one of the three women placed in charge of Joan of Arc
when the latter was a prisoner in the castle of John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
, Jeanne's stepfather.
She was the first wife of Louis of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano
, Constable of France
. From their marriage descended Mary, Queen of Scots, King Henry IV of France
and the subsequent Bourbon
kings of France.
, Viscountess of Meaux (c.1397- late 1450).
Her paternal grandparents were Henry of Bar
, Marquis Pont-à-Mousson and Marie de Coucy, Countess of Soissons, and her maternal grandparents were Robert VIII de Béthune, Viscount of Meaux, and Isabelle de Ghistelles, daughter of Jean VII de Ghistelles and Marguerite de Reingleset. Through her paternal grandmother, Jeanne was a descendant of King Edward III of England
and Philippa of Hainault
- their eldest daughter Isabella being the mother of Marie de Coucy.
On 25 October 1415, her father was killed at the Battle of Agincourt
, leaving Jeanne, who was a baby, as sole heiress to her father's titles and estates. In 1418, her mother married secondly John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
and de Guise (1392- 5 January 1441), son of John of Luxembourg, Sire de Beauvois and Marguerite of Enghien
, Countess of Brienne and of Conversano. The marriage was childless.
It was Jeanne's stepfather John who received Joan of Arc
as his prisoner, and kept her at his castle of Beaurevoir
. Joan, who was three years Jeanne's senior was placed in the care of Jeanne, her mother and Jeanne of Luxembourg
, John's elderly aunt. The three ladies did all they could to comfort Joan in her captivity, and unsuccessfully tried to persuade her to abandon her masculine clothing for feminine attire. They earned Joan's gratitude for their kind and compassionate treatment of her. Despite the pleas of Jeanne and the other two women, John sold Joan of Arc to the English, who were his allies, for 10,000 livres.
. His elder sister was Jacquetta of Luxembourg
, mother of Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville
, by her second marriage to Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
. Louis had been brought up by his paternal uncle, who was Jeanne's stepfather, John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
and Guise; therefore the young couple were well-acquainted with one another. John designated Louis as his heir to the counties of Ligny and Guise, but upon John's death in 1441, King Charles VII of France
sequestered the estates and titles. The title of Ligny was eventually restored to Louis. The title and estates of Guise were given to Louis' youngest sister, Isabelle as her dowry, which passed to her husband, Charles, Count of Maine, upon their marriage in 1443.
Jeanne succeeded as Viscountess of Meaux suo jure upon the death of her mother in late 1450.
Jeanne and Louis had seven children:
Jeanne died on 14 May 1462 aged about forty-seven years. Her husband married secondly Marie of Savoy, daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus, (20 March 1448- 1475), by whom he had three more children. Marie was a younger sister of his daughter-in-law Marguerite of Savoy. Louis of Luxembourg was imprisoned in the Bastille
and afterward beheaded in Paris on 19 December 1475 for treason against King Louis XI of France
.
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Marle and Soissons, Dame d'Oisy, Viscountess of Meaux, and Countess of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano (1415 - 14 May 1462) was a noble French heiress and Sovereign Countess. She was the only child of Robert of Bar, Count of Marle and Soissons, Sire d'Oisy, who was 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...
when she was a baby, leaving her the sole heiress to his titles and estates. In 1430, at the age of fifteen, Jeanne was one of the three women placed in charge 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...
when the latter was a prisoner in the castle of John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny was a French nobleman and soldier, a younger son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and Marguerite of Enghien....
, Jeanne's stepfather.
She was the first wife of Louis of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano
Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano belonged to the Ligny branch of the House of Luxemburg and was Constable of France....
, 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...
. From their marriage descended Mary, Queen of Scots, King Henry IV of France
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....
and the subsequent 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...
kings of France.
Family
Jeanne was born in 1415, the only child of Robert of Bar, Count of Marle and Soissons, Sire d'Oisy (1390- 25 October 1415) and Jeanne de BéthuneJeanne de Béthune
Jeanne de Béthune, Viscountess of Meaux, Countess of Ligny , was a French noblewoman, the suo jure Viscountess of Meaux, having inherited the title upon her father's death in 1408. Her father was Robert VIII de Béthune, Viscount of Meaux...
, Viscountess of Meaux (c.1397- late 1450).
Her paternal grandparents were Henry of Bar
Henry of Bar
Henry of Bar was lord of Marle and the Marquis de Pont-à-Mousson. He was the eldest son of Robert I of Bar and Marie of Valois....
, Marquis Pont-à-Mousson and Marie de Coucy, Countess of Soissons, and her maternal grandparents were Robert VIII de Béthune, Viscount of Meaux, and Isabelle de Ghistelles, daughter of Jean VII de Ghistelles and Marguerite de Reingleset. Through her paternal grandmother, Jeanne was a descendant of King Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
and Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
- their eldest daughter Isabella being the mother of Marie de Coucy.
On 25 October 1415, her father was 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...
, leaving Jeanne, who was a baby, as sole heiress to her father's titles and estates. In 1418, her mother married secondly John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny was a French nobleman and soldier, a younger son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and Marguerite of Enghien....
and de Guise (1392- 5 January 1441), son of John of Luxembourg, Sire de Beauvois and Marguerite of Enghien
Marguerite of Enghien
Marguerite d'Enghien, suo jure Countess of Brienne and of Conversano, suo jure Heiress of Enghien, and Lady of Beauvois , was a wealthy noblewoman from the County of Hainaut in her own right, having inherited the counties of Brienne and of Conversano, and the Lordship of Enghien from her father...
, Countess of Brienne and of Conversano. The marriage was childless.
It was Jeanne's stepfather John who received 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...
as his prisoner, and kept her at his castle of Beaurevoir
Beaurevoir
Beaurevoir is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.-Population:...
. Joan, who was three years Jeanne's senior was placed in the care of Jeanne, her mother and Jeanne of Luxembourg
Jeanne of Luxembourg
Joan, Countess of Saint-Pol and Ligny , called the Demoiselle de Luxembourg, was the daughter of Guy of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny and Mahaut of Châtillon, Countess of Saint-Pol....
, John's elderly aunt. The three ladies did all they could to comfort Joan in her captivity, and unsuccessfully tried to persuade her to abandon her masculine clothing for feminine attire. They earned Joan's gratitude for their kind and compassionate treatment of her. Despite the pleas of Jeanne and the other two women, John sold Joan of Arc to the English, who were his allies, for 10,000 livres.
Marriage and issue
On 16 July 1435, at the age of twenty, Jeanne married Louis of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano, Constable of France (1418- 19 December 1475). The marriage took place at the Chateau de Bohain. She was Louis' first wife. Louis was the eldest son of Peter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Brienne, and Conversano, by his wife Margaret de BauxMargaret de Baux
Margaret de Baux, Countess of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, and of Conversano, sometimes known as Margherita del Balzo , was a member of the noble del Balzo family of the Kingdom of Naples, which had its origins in Provence dating back to the 11th Century...
. His elder sister was Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol, Conversano and Brienne and his wife Margaret de Baux...
, mother of Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
, by her second marriage to Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville , 1st Earl Rivers, KG was an English nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV....
. Louis had been brought up by his paternal uncle, who was Jeanne's stepfather, John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny was a French nobleman and soldier, a younger son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and Marguerite of Enghien....
and Guise; therefore the young couple were well-acquainted with one another. John designated Louis as his heir to the counties of Ligny and Guise, but upon John's death in 1441, 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...
sequestered the estates and titles. The title of Ligny was eventually restored to Louis. The title and estates of Guise were given to Louis' youngest sister, Isabelle as her dowry, which passed to her husband, Charles, Count of Maine, upon their marriage in 1443.
Jeanne succeeded as Viscountess of Meaux suo jure upon the death of her mother in late 1450.
Jeanne and Louis had seven children:
- John of Luxembourg, Count of Marle and Soissons, Governor of Burgundy (killed at the Battle of Morat on 22 June 1476)
- Jacqueline of Luxembourg, (died 1511), married Philippe de Croy, 2nd Count of Porcien, by whom she had issue.
- Pierre II de LuxembourgPierre II de LuxembourgPeter II was Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, Marle and Soissons.In 1478 Peter was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece....
, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, Marle and Soissons (1440- 25 October 1482), on 12 July 1466, married Marguerite of SavoyMarguerite of SavoyMargaret of Savoy , also known as Marguerite de Savoie or Margherita di Savoia, was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the wife of Margrave John IV of Montferrat and later the wife of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, Marle and Soissons...
(1439 TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
- 9 March 1483 BrugesBrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
), the daughter of Louis, Duke of SavoyLouis, Duke of SavoyLouis I was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death.-Life:...
and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus, and widow of Giovanni IV Paleologo, Margrave of Montferrat, by whom he had issue, including Marie de LuxembourgMarie de LuxembourgMarie of Luxembourg was a French noblewoman, the elder daughter and principal heiress of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, by Margaret, a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy...
(c. April 1467- 1 April 1547), wife of François de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme, and from whom Mary, Queen of Scots, King Henry IV of FranceHenry IV of FranceHenry 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 subsequent BourbonHouse of BourbonThe 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...
kings of France, and the LorraineHouse of LorraineThe House of Lorraine, the main and now only remaining line known as Habsburg-Lorraine, is one of the most important and was one of the longest-reigning royal houses in the history of Europe...
Dukes of Guise were directly descended. - Helene of Luxembourg (died 23 August 1488), married Janus of Savoy, Count of Faucigny, Governor of Nice (1440–1491), the brother of her sister-in-law, Marguerite of SavoyMarguerite of SavoyMargaret of Savoy , also known as Marguerite de Savoie or Margherita di Savoia, was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the wife of Margrave John IV of Montferrat and later the wife of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, Marle and Soissons...
, by whom she had a daughter, Louise of Savoy (1467- 1 May 1530). - Charles of Luxembourg, Bishop of Laon (1447- 24 November 1509), had several illegitimate children by an unknown mistress.
- Antoine of Luxembourg, Count of Brienne, Roussy, and de Ligny (died 1519), married firstly Antoinette de Bauffrémont, Countess de Charny, by whom he had issue; he married secondly, Francoise de Croy, by whom he had issue; he married thirdly Gillette de Coélivy. His last marriage was childless. By his mistress, Peronne de Machefert, he had an illegitimate son, Antoine of Luxembourg, Bastard of Brienne, who married and left descendants.
- Philippe of Luxembourg, Abbot at Moncel
Jeanne died on 14 May 1462 aged about forty-seven years. Her husband married secondly Marie of Savoy, daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus, (20 March 1448- 1475), by whom he had three more children. Marie was a younger sister of his daughter-in-law Marguerite of Savoy. Louis of Luxembourg was imprisoned in the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
and afterward beheaded in Paris on 19 December 1475 for treason against King Louis XI of France
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
.