Margaret de Baux
Encyclopedia
Margaret de Baux, Countess of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, and of Conversano, sometimes known as Margherita del Balzo (1394- 15 November 1469), was a member of the noble del Balzo (de Baux) family of the Kingdom of Naples
, which had its origins in Provence
dating back to the 11th Century. Her husband was Peter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
, of Brienne, and of Conversano
(1390- 31 August 1433). Margaret's descendants include English Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville
, King Henry IV of France
, Mary, Queen of Scots, and all English monarchs after 1509.
and Eleanor Plantagenet.
Her paternal grandparents were Bertrand III del Balzo, Count of Andria and Squillace
, and Marguerite d'Aulnay, and her maternal grandparents were Nicola Orsini, Count of Nola
, Senator of Rome
(27 August 1331- 14 February 1399), and Jeanne de Sabran.
She had two half-siblings from her father's second marriage to Princess Margaret of Naples:
, of Brienne, and of Conversano (1390- 31 August 1433), the eldest son of John of Luxembourg, Sire of Beauvois and Marguerite of Enghien
, Countess of Brienne and of Conversano, Heiress of Enghien. Peter inherited his mother's fiefs, which included the counties of Brienne and Conversano. He succeeded his aunt Jeanne of Luxembourg
, Countess of Saint-Pol and Ligny, as Count of Saint-Pol in 1430. His younger brother John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
, an ally of the English during the Hundred Years War, received Joan of Arc
as his prisoner, and subsequently sold her to the English, for 10,000 livres.
Peter and Margaret had nine children:
Margaret died on 15 November 1469 at the age of seventy-five and was buried in Cercamp Abbey, Frévent
, Pas-de-Calais. Her husband Peter had died of plague in 1433.
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...
, which had its origins in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
dating back to the 11th Century. Her husband was Peter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
Peter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
Peter of Luxembourg was a son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and his wife Marguerite of Enghien. His inheritance included the counties of Brienne, Conversano and Saint-Pol.- Family :...
, of Brienne, and of Conversano
Conversano
Conversano is an ancient town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located 30 km south-east of Bari, 7 km from the Adriatic coast, at 219 m above sea-level....
(1390- 31 August 1433). Margaret's descendants include English 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...
, 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....
, Mary, Queen of Scots, and all English monarchs after 1509.
Family
Margaret was born in 1394, the daughter of Francesco del Balzo (de Baux), 1st Duke of Andria (1330- 23 April 1422), by his third wife Sueva Orsini (1360- after 1422), a descendant of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of LeicesterSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
and Eleanor Plantagenet.
Her paternal grandparents were Bertrand III del Balzo, Count of Andria and Squillace
Squillace
Squillace is an ancient seaside town and comune, in the Province of Catanzaro, part of Calabria, southern Italy, facing the Gulf of Squillace....
, and Marguerite d'Aulnay, and her maternal grandparents were Nicola Orsini, Count of Nola
Nola
Nola is a city and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines...
, Senator of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(27 August 1331- 14 February 1399), and Jeanne de Sabran.
List of siblings
Margaret had two brothers by her father's third marriage to her mother, Sueva Orsini:- Guglielmo del Balzo (de Baux), Duke of Andria, married Maria Brunforte, by whom he had issue.
- Bianchino del Balzo (de Baux), was the father of Tesco del Balzo, Governor of PisaPisaPisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, and chief of the MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese Army. He married Laura Rho, by whom he had issue.
She had two half-siblings from her father's second marriage to Princess Margaret of Naples:
- Jacopo del Balzo, Prince of TarentoTarentois a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
and Archaia, Despot of Romania, Lord of Albania and Corfu, Titular Emperor of Constantinople (1353–1384), married Agnes of Naples. The marriage was childless, but he had two illegitimate daughters by an unknown mistress. - Antonia of BalzoAntonia of BalzoAntonia of Balzo was the second Queen consort of Frederick III the Simple.-Family:Antonia was a daughter of Francis of Baux, Duke of Andria and his second wife Marguerite of Taranto....
(died 1374), in 1372, married King Frederick III the SimpleFrederick III the SimpleFrederick III , called the Simple, was King of Sicily from 1355 to 1377. He was the second son of Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia. He succeeded his brother Louis...
.
Marriage and issue
On 8 May 1405, Margaret married Peter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-PolPeter of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
Peter of Luxembourg was a son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and his wife Marguerite of Enghien. His inheritance included the counties of Brienne, Conversano and Saint-Pol.- Family :...
, of Brienne, and of Conversano (1390- 31 August 1433), the eldest son of John of Luxembourg, Sire of 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, Heiress of Enghien. Peter inherited his mother's fiefs, which included the counties of Brienne and Conversano. He succeeded his aunt 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....
, Countess of Saint-Pol and Ligny, as Count of Saint-Pol in 1430. His younger brother 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....
, an ally of the English during the Hundred Years War, 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 subsequently sold her to the English, for 10,000 livres.
Peter and Margaret had nine children:
- Louis of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, de Brienne, de Ligny, and ConversanoLouis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-PolLouis 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 FranceConstable of FranceThe 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...
(1418- 19 December 1475), married firstly, in 1435, Jeanne de Bar, Countess of Marle and SoissonsJeanne de Bar, Countess of Marle and SoissonsJeanne 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 was a noble French heiress and Sovereign Countess...
(1415- 14 May 1462), by whom he had issue, and from whom descended King Henry IV of France and Mary, Queen of Scots. He married secondly, Marie of Savoy (20 March 1448- 1475), by whom he had further issue. He was beheaded in Paris in 1475 for treason against King Louis XILouis XI of FranceLouis 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....
. - Jacquetta of LuxembourgJacquetta of LuxembourgJacquetta of Luxembourg was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol, Conversano and Brienne and his wife Margaret de Baux...
(1415/1416- 30 May 1472), married firstly in 1433, John, Duke of Bedford, and secondly, in secret, c.1436, Richard Woodville, 1st Earl RiversRichard Woodville, 1st Earl RiversRichard Woodville , 1st Earl Rivers, KG was an English nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV....
, by whom she had sixteen children, including Elizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth 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...
, Queen consort of King Edward IV of EnglandEdward IV of EnglandEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
. Every English monarch after 1509 descended from her. - Thibaud of Luxembourg, Seigneur de Fiennes, Count of Brienne, Bishop of Le Mans, (died 1 September 1477), married Philippa de Melun, by whom he had issue.
- Jacques of Luxembourg, Seigneur de Richebourg (died 1487), married Isabelle de Roubaix, by whom he had issue.
- Valeran of Luxembourg, died young.
- Jean of Luxembourg, died in Africa.
- Catherine of Luxembourg (died 1492), married 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...
(24 August 1393- 26 December 1438). - Isabelle of LuxembourgIsabelle of LuxembourgIsabelle of Luxembourg was a daughter of Henry V of Luxembourg and his wife, Margaret of Bar. Isabelle was a member of the House of Luxembourg.- Family :...
, Countess of Guise (died 1472), married in 1443, Charles, Count of Maine (1414–1472), by whom she had a daughter, Louise (1445–1477), who in her own turn married Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of NemoursJacques d'Armagnac, Duke of NemoursJacques d'Armagnac, duke of Nemours was the son of Bernard d'Armagnac, count of Pardiac, and Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche....
, by whom she had six children.
Margaret died on 15 November 1469 at the age of seventy-five and was buried in Cercamp Abbey, Frévent
Frévent
Frévent is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming town situated in the valley of the Canche river, west of Arras, at the junction of the D946, the D939 and the D941 roads.-History:...
, Pas-de-Calais. Her husband Peter had died of plague in 1433.