Blanche of Valois
Encyclopedia
Blanche of Valois was the youngest daughter of Charles of Valois
and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon
.
and Isabella of Aragon
. Her maternal grandparents were Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol
and Marie of Brittany.
Marie was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany
and Beatrice of England
. Beatrice was a daughter of Henry III of England
and Eleanor of Provence
. She was the sister of Isabella of Valois, who married Peter I, Duke of Bourbon
and was the mother Joanna of Bourbon
, queen of France. Her other sister was Marie of Valois who married Charles, Duke of Calabria
, Marie was the mother of Joan I of Naples
.
In 1328, Blanche married Charles of Bohemia
. Her husband was the eldest son of John I of Bohemia
and Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). They had three children:
On 11 July 1346, Charles was elected King of Germany in opposition to Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
. His election was supported by Pope Clement VI
who was in conflict with Louis. Charles was widely regarded as a papal puppet ("rex clericorum" as William of Ockham
called him).
While the conflict in Germany continued, her father-in-law John of Bohemia was also allied with Philip VI of France
. He was killed in the Battle of Crécy
(26 August 1346). Charles escaped the battlefield relatively unharmed and succeeded to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Blanche became his Queen consort.
On 11 October 1347, Louis IV died suddenly and Charles gained wider recognition as King of Germany. Blanche died however before Charles was crowned the undisputed ruler of Germany on 25 July 1349.
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His mother was a daughter of James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Capet and founded the House of Valois...
and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon
Mahaut of Chatillon
Mahaut of Châtillon was the daughter of Guy III of Châtillon and Marie of Brittany. Her maternal grandmother was Beatrice of England, Beatrice was a daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.- Marriage :...
.
Family
Her paternal grandparents were Philip III of FrancePhilip III of France
Philip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
and Isabella of Aragon
Isabella of Aragon
Isabella of Aragon , infanta of Aragon, was, by marriage, Queen consort of France in the Middle Ages from 1270 to 1271.-Life:...
. Her maternal grandparents were Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol
Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol
Guy III of Châtillon, Count of Saint Pol , French nobleman, was the son of Guy II of Châtillon and Matilda of Brabant....
and Marie of Brittany.
Marie was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany
John II, Duke of Brittany
John II was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, from 1286 to his death. He was son of Duke John I and Blanche of Navarre...
and Beatrice of England
Beatrice of England
Beatrice of England , also known as Beatrice de Dreux, was a Princess of England as the daughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence...
. Beatrice was a daughter of Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
. She was the sister of Isabella of Valois, who married Peter I, Duke of Bourbon
Peter I, Duke of Bourbon
Peter I of Bourbon was the second Duke of Bourbon, from 1342 to his death.Peter was son of Louis I of Bourbon, whom he also succeeded as Grand Chamberlain of France, and Mary of Avesnes....
and was the mother Joanna of Bourbon
Joanna of Bourbon
Joanna of Bourbon was consort to Charles V of France.Born in Vincennes, Joanna was a daughter of Peter I, Duke of Bourbon and Isabella of Valois, a half-sister of Philip VI of France as the daughter of Charles of Valois and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon.-Family:Joanna gave birth to nine...
, queen of France. Her other sister was Marie of Valois who married Charles, Duke of Calabria
Charles, Duke of Calabria
Charles, Duke of Calabria was the son of King Robert of Naples and Yolanda of Aragon.-Biography:Born in Naples, he became Duke of Calabria in 1309 on his father's accession, and was created Vicar-General of the Kingdom of Sicily...
, Marie was the mother of Joan I of Naples
Joan I of Naples
Joan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
.
Marriage
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. Her husband was the eldest son of John I of Bohemia
John I of Bohemia
John the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and his wife Margaret of Brabant...
and Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). They had three children:
- a son (b. 1334) died young
- Margaret of Bohemia (1335–1349). Married Louis I of Hungary.
- Katharine of BohemiaKatharine of BohemiaCatherine of Bohemia was an Electress of Brandenburg, the second daughter of Emperor Charles IV and Blanche of Valois.-Childhood and family:...
(19 August 1342 – 26 April 1395). She married first Rudolf IV, Duke of AustriaRudolf IV, Duke of AustriaRudolf IV der Stifter was a scion of the House of Habsburg and Duke of Austria and Duke of Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as Count of Tyrol from 1363 and first Duke of Carniola from 1364 until his death...
and secondly Otto V, Duke of BavariaOtto V, Duke of BavariaOtto V, Duke of Bavaria , was a duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg as Otto VII. Otto was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV by his second wife Margaret II of Avesnes, countess of Hainaut and Holland.-Biography:...
.
On 11 July 1346, Charles was elected King of Germany in opposition to Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
. His election was supported by Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI , bornPierre Roger, the fourth of the Avignon Popes, was pope from May 1342 until his death in December of 1352...
who was in conflict with Louis. Charles was widely regarded as a papal puppet ("rex clericorum" as William of Ockham
William of Ockham
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of...
called him).
While the conflict in Germany continued, her father-in-law John of Bohemia was also allied with Philip VI of France
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
. He was killed in the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
(26 August 1346). Charles escaped the battlefield relatively unharmed and succeeded to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Blanche became his Queen consort.
On 11 October 1347, Louis IV died suddenly and Charles gained wider recognition as King of Germany. Blanche died however before Charles was crowned the undisputed ruler of Germany on 25 July 1349.