Joan of France, Duchess of Berry
Encyclopedia
Joan of France (23 April 1464 – 4 February 1505) was briefly Queen consort of France as wife of King Louis XII of France
, in between the death of her brother, Charles VIII
, and the annulment of her marriage.
She was canonised
a saint on 28 May 1950 and is known in the Roman Catholic Church as Sainte Jeanne de Valois.
(Eure-et-Loir
) on 23 April 1464, she was the second daughter of King Louis XI of France
and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy
; her surviving siblings were King Charles VIII of France and Anne of France
.
, later king Louis XII of France. However, when Louis acceded to the throne after the death of Joan's brother Charles VIII
in April 1498, he annulled the marriage in order to marry the former king's widow, Anne of Brittany
, in the hope of annexing the Duchy of Brittany to the French Crown. Described as "one of the seamiest lawsuits of the age", Louis did not, as might be expected, argue the marriage to be void due to consanguinity (the general excuse for the dissolution of a marriage at that time): though he could produce witnesses to claim that the two were closely related due to various linking marriages, there was no documentary proof, merely the opinions of courtiers. Likewise, Louis could not argue that he had been below the legal age of consent (fourteen) to marry: nobody was certain when he had been born, with Louis claiming to have been twelve at the time, and others ranging in estimates between eleven and thirteen. Since there was no proof, however, he was forced to make other excuses.
Accordingly, much to the horror of the Queen, Louis claimed that she was physically malformed, providing a rich variety of detail as to how she was malformed, and that he had therefore been unable to consummate the marriage. Joan, unsurprisingly, fought this uncertain charge fiercely, producing witnesses to Louis boasting of having "mounted my wife three or four times during the night." Louis also claimed that his sexual performance had been inhibited by witchcraft; Joan responded by asking how, in that case, he was able to know what it was like to try to make love to her. Had the Pope been a neutral party, Joan would likely have won, for Louis' case was exceedingly weak. Unfortunately for the Queen, Pope Alexander VI
was committed for political reasons to grant the annulment, and accordingly he ruled against the Queen. The annulment was granted on the grounds that Louis did not freely marry but was forced to marry on the insistence of Joan's father Louis XI. The annulment was pronounced on 15 December 1498. Outraged, Joan reluctantly stepped aside, saying that she would pray for her former husband. She was made Duchess of Berry
and retired to Bourges
(Cher
).
in 1502. She died on 4 February 1505 and was buried in the chapel of the Annonciades convent. Her grave was desecrated and her body burned by the Huguenots during the sack of Bourges on 27 May 1562. Soon after her death, miracles and healings attributed to her were said to have occurred, and, on 21 April 1742, Pope Benedict XIV
declared her "blessed". She was canonized on 28 May 1950 by Pope Pius XII
and is known to Roman Catholics as Sainte Jeanne de Valois.
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, in between the death of her brother, Charles VIII
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
, and the annulment of her marriage.
She was canonised
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
a saint on 28 May 1950 and is known in the Roman Catholic Church as Sainte Jeanne de Valois.
Family
Born at Nogent-le-RoiNogent-le-Roi
Nogent-le-Roi is a commune in the department of Eure-et-Loir in the Centre region in northern France.It is located some 20 kilometres north of Chartres and a shorter distance to the southeast of Dreux.-Population:-Royal deaths:...
(Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers.-History:Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789...
) on 23 April 1464, she was the second daughter of 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....
and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy
Charlotte of Savoy
Charlotte of Savoy was the second wife and only Queen consort of Louis XI of France. She had three surviving children, one of whom succeeded Louis as King Charles VIII of France, with her eldest daughter, Anne of France, acting as his regent.- Family :She was a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy,...
; her surviving siblings were King Charles VIII of France and Anne of France
Anne of France
Anne of France was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she acted as regent during his minority; and of Joan of France, who was briefly queen consort to Louis XII...
.
Marriage
On 8 September 1476, at the age of twelve, Joan was married for political reasons to her father's second cousin Louis, Duke of OrléansLouis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, later king Louis XII of France. However, when Louis acceded to the throne after the death of Joan's brother Charles VIII
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
in April 1498, he annulled the marriage in order to marry the former king's widow, Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany
Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
, in the hope of annexing the Duchy of Brittany to the French Crown. Described as "one of the seamiest lawsuits of the age", Louis did not, as might be expected, argue the marriage to be void due to consanguinity (the general excuse for the dissolution of a marriage at that time): though he could produce witnesses to claim that the two were closely related due to various linking marriages, there was no documentary proof, merely the opinions of courtiers. Likewise, Louis could not argue that he had been below the legal age of consent (fourteen) to marry: nobody was certain when he had been born, with Louis claiming to have been twelve at the time, and others ranging in estimates between eleven and thirteen. Since there was no proof, however, he was forced to make other excuses.
Accordingly, much to the horror of the Queen, Louis claimed that she was physically malformed, providing a rich variety of detail as to how she was malformed, and that he had therefore been unable to consummate the marriage. Joan, unsurprisingly, fought this uncertain charge fiercely, producing witnesses to Louis boasting of having "mounted my wife three or four times during the night." Louis also claimed that his sexual performance had been inhibited by witchcraft; Joan responded by asking how, in that case, he was able to know what it was like to try to make love to her. Had the Pope been a neutral party, Joan would likely have won, for Louis' case was exceedingly weak. Unfortunately for the Queen, Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
was committed for political reasons to grant the annulment, and accordingly he ruled against the Queen. The annulment was granted on the grounds that Louis did not freely marry but was forced to marry on the insistence of Joan's father Louis XI. The annulment was pronounced on 15 December 1498. Outraged, Joan reluctantly stepped aside, saying that she would pray for her former husband. She was made Duchess of Berry
Duchess of Berry
-First Creation:-Second Creation:-Eighth Creation:-Ninth Creation:-Tenth Creation:...
and retired to Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
(Cher
Cher (département)
Cher is an administrative department located in the centre of France. It is named after the Cher River.-History:Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. Most of it was created, along with the adjacent department of Indre from the former...
).
Religious Life and Sainthood
Supposedly deformed, and sickly through her life, Joan had developed a devotion to the Virgin Mary in her early childhood. At Bourges, she founded the Catholic Franciscan contemplative Order of the AnnonciadesSisters of the Annonciade
The Sisters of the Annunciation are a religious congregation of Franciscan contemplatives formed in honour of the Annunciation at Bourges by Joan of France in 1501.-Origin:...
in 1502. She died on 4 February 1505 and was buried in the chapel of the Annonciades convent. Her grave was desecrated and her body burned by the Huguenots during the sack of Bourges on 27 May 1562. Soon after her death, miracles and healings attributed to her were said to have occurred, and, on 21 April 1742, Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758.-Life:...
declared her "blessed". She was canonized on 28 May 1950 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
and is known to Roman Catholics as Sainte Jeanne de Valois.