Charles IV de Bourbon
Encyclopedia
Charles de Bourbon was a French prince du sang
and military commander at the court of Francis I of France
. He is notable as the paternal grandfather of King Henry IV of France
.
, the son of François, Count of Vendôme
and Marie de Luxembourg
. On 18 May 1513, he married Françoise d'Alençon
, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. They had thirteen children:
In 1514, Charles was named a peer of France and elevated from Count of Vendôme to Duke of Vendôme. His sons Antoine, duke of Vendrome and Louis, Prince de Condé, became powerful military leaders on opposite sides in the French Wars of Religion
, and his grandson became King Henry IV of France
. Charles died at Amiens
in 1537 at the age of 47.
Prince du Sang
A prince of the blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang was the highest held at court after the immediate family of the king during the ancien régime and the Bourbon Restoration...
and military commander at the court of Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. He is notable as the paternal grandfather of 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....
.
Biography
Charles was born at the Château de VendômeVendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...
, the son of François, Count of Vendôme
François, Count of Vendôme
François de Bourbon was a French nobleman. He was the Count of Vendôme.He was the son of Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme, and Isabelle de Beauveau. At his father's death when he was 7, he became Count of Vendôme...
and Marie de Luxembourg
Marie de Luxembourg
Marie 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...
. On 18 May 1513, he married Françoise d'Alençon
Françoise d'Alençon
Françoise d'Alençon was the eldest daughter of René of Alençon and Margaret of Lorraine, and the younger sister and despoiled heiress of Charles IV, Duke of Alençon....
, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. They had thirteen children:
- Louis de Bourbon (1514–1516), unmarried
- Marie de BourbonMary of BourbonMary of Bourbon or Marie de Bourbon was a daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme and Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. Mary was the subject of marriage negotiations of James V of Scotland. He visited her in France, but subsequently married the Princess Madeleine...
(1515–1538), unmarried, prospective bride of James V of ScotlandJames V of ScotlandJames V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
in 1536. - Marguerite de Bourbon (1516–1589), married 1538 Francis I of Cleves, Duke of Nevers (1516–1561)
- Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1518–1562)
- François de Bourbon, Count of EnghienFrançois de Bourbon, Count of EnghienFrançois de Bourbon, Count of Enghien was a French prince of the blood. He was the son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme....
(1519–1546), unmarried - Madeleine de Bourbon, Abbess of Sainte Croix de Poitiers (1521–1561), unmarried
- Louis de Bourbon (1522–1525), unmarried
- Charles de BourbonCharles, Cardinal de BourbonCharles de Bourbon was a French cardinal. The Catholic League considered him the rightful King of France after the death of Henry III of France in 1589.-Biography:...
, Archbishop of RouenArchbishop of RouenThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
(1523–1590), unmarried - Catherine de Bourbon, Abbess of SoissonsSoissonsSoissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
(1525–1594), unmarried - Renée de Bourbon, Abbess of ChellesChelles AbbeyChelles Abbey was founded by Saint Balthild, widow of King Clovis II of Neustria circa 658. It was dissolved during the French Revolution.Chelles had been the site of a Merovingian palace, the villa Calae. A church, dedicated to Saint George had been founded at Chelles by Queen Clothilde...
(1527–1583), unmarried - Jean de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Enghien (1528–1557), married 1557 his first cousin Marie, Duchess of Estouteville (1539–1601)
- Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (7 May 1530 – 13 March 1569), married Eléonore de Roye
- Léonore de Bourbon, Abbess of Fontevraud (1532–1611), unmarried;
In 1514, Charles was named a peer of France and elevated from Count of Vendôme to Duke of Vendôme. His sons Antoine, duke of Vendrome and Louis, Prince de Condé, became powerful military leaders on opposite sides in the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, and his grandson became 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....
. Charles died at Amiens
Amiens
Amiens 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...
in 1537 at the age of 47.