Clémence d'Anjou
Encyclopedia
Clementia of Hungary (1293–12 October 1328), Queen consort
of France
and Navarre
, was the second wife of King Louis X of France
.
, titular King of Hungary
, and Clementia of Habsburg, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf I. Both of Clémence's parents died during her early childhood, and Mary of Hungary, Clementia's grandmother, raised her. The family claimed Hungary through Mary of Hungary, and so although Clémence was born and grew up in Naples, she used the title Clémence of Hungary.
Clémence is best known for the remarkable, rare inventory that was made of her belongings. The ninety-nine-page document in French describes her works of art and material culture in great detail. We learn about her many crown jewels, her reliquaries, the textiles that decorated her domestic space and her chapel, the silver sculptures she owned, and even her clothing. The almost forty manuscripts she held allow us to see what the queen read. The inventory is also valuable because we learn where she acquired many of her objects and who received them after her death. We can see the movement of her works of art to members of all classes.
When Philip IV of France
died, his eldest son Louis I of Navarre
, became King of France. Louis' wife, Margaret, had been locked up in Château Gaillard since 1314 after being found guilty of adultery
by King Philip, on the testimony of, amongst others, his daughter Isabelle
. Since there had been no formal annulment
, Margaret technically became queen consort
on Philip's death, though she was kept locked up. In 1315, the queen died - allegedly strangled or otherwise murdered to allow her husband to remarry. Louis chose Clémence, and they married on 19 August 1315; she was crowned queen at Reims
on 24 August.
Louis died in June 1316, leaving Clémence several months pregnant. Her brother-in-law, Philip
, became regent
, denying the rights of Clémence's stepdaughter Joan
, who was too young and whose paternity was doubtful; and of Clémence herself, who was considered unsuitable to be regent. She gave birth to a son named John
in November 1316. King from the moment of his birth, he lived only four days, whereupon the throne was seized by his uncle, who became Philip V
. Clémence and Philip fought and he refused to pay her the income Louis had promised her. She wrote repeatedly to Pope John XXII and her family for help.
Clémence then left the French court for Aix-en-Provence, where she stayed until 1321, when she returned to Paris. She actively participated in royal life in Paris, and owned thirteen estates around Paris and in Normandy. In 1326, she commissioned a tomb effigy for her great-grandfather, Charles I, who was the brother of Louis IX. She owned the Peterborough Psalter and she probably sent the Reliquary Shrine of Elizabeth of Hungary, now at The Cloisters, to her sister-in-law in Buda. Through her patronage and gift giving she sought to enhance the reputation of her Angevin family and her husband, Louis X in Paris.
Upon her death 12 October 1328, at age thirty-five, her objects were auctioned, a rarely documented medieval sale. She was buried on 15 October in the Jacobin convent.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of 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...
and Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, was the second wife of King Louis X of France
Louis X of France
Louis X of France, , called the Quarreler, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn was the King of Navarre from 1305 and King of France from 1314 until his death...
.
Biography
Clémence of Hungary was the daughter of Charles Martel of AnjouCharles Martel of Anjou
Charles Martel of the Angevin dynasty, also known as Charles I Martel, was the eldest son of king Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary, the daughter of King Stephen V of Hungary....
, titular King of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, and Clementia of Habsburg, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Rudolf I. Both of Clémence's parents died during her early childhood, and Mary of Hungary, Clementia's grandmother, raised her. The family claimed Hungary through Mary of Hungary, and so although Clémence was born and grew up in Naples, she used the title Clémence of Hungary.
When Philip IV of France
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
died, his eldest son Louis I of Navarre
Louis X of France
Louis X of France, , called the Quarreler, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn was the King of Navarre from 1305 and King of France from 1314 until his death...
, became King of France. Louis' wife, Margaret, had been locked up in Château Gaillard since 1314 after being found guilty of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
by King Philip, on the testimony of, amongst others, his daughter Isabelle
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
. Since there had been no formal annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
, Margaret technically became queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
on Philip's death, though she was kept locked up. In 1315, the queen died - allegedly strangled or otherwise murdered to allow her husband to remarry. Louis chose Clémence, and they married on 19 August 1315; she was crowned queen at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
on 24 August.
Louis died in June 1316, leaving Clémence several months pregnant. Her brother-in-law, Philip
Philip V of France
Philip the Tall was King of France as Philip V and, as Philip II, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne. He reigned from 1316 to his death and was the penultimate monarch of the House of Capet. Considered a wise and politically astute ruler, Philip took the throne under questionable...
, became regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, denying the rights of Clémence's stepdaughter Joan
Joan II of Navarre
Joan II was Queen of Navarre from 1328 until her death. She was the only daughter of Margaret of Burgundy, first wife of King Louis X of France...
, who was too young and whose paternity was doubtful; and of Clémence herself, who was considered unsuitable to be regent. She gave birth to a son named John
John I of France
John I , called the Posthumous, was King of France and Navarre, and Count of Champagne, as the son and successor of Louis the Headstrong, for the five days he lived...
in November 1316. King from the moment of his birth, he lived only four days, whereupon the throne was seized by his uncle, who became Philip V
Philip V of France
Philip the Tall was King of France as Philip V and, as Philip II, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne. He reigned from 1316 to his death and was the penultimate monarch of the House of Capet. Considered a wise and politically astute ruler, Philip took the throne under questionable...
. Clémence and Philip fought and he refused to pay her the income Louis had promised her. She wrote repeatedly to Pope John XXII and her family for help.
Clémence then left the French court for Aix-en-Provence, where she stayed until 1321, when she returned to Paris. She actively participated in royal life in Paris, and owned thirteen estates around Paris and in Normandy. In 1326, she commissioned a tomb effigy for her great-grandfather, Charles I, who was the brother of Louis IX. She owned the Peterborough Psalter and she probably sent the Reliquary Shrine of Elizabeth of Hungary, now at The Cloisters, to her sister-in-law in Buda. Through her patronage and gift giving she sought to enhance the reputation of her Angevin family and her husband, Louis X in Paris.
Upon her death 12 October 1328, at age thirty-five, her objects were auctioned, a rarely documented medieval sale. She was buried on 15 October in the Jacobin convent.