John IV of Armagnac
Encyclopedia
John IV was a Count of Armagnac
, Fézensac
, and Rodez
from 1418 to 1450. He was the son of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac, Pardiac, and Rodez; and the brother of Bernard of Armagnac
, Count of Pardiac
, of La Marche and Duke of Nemours
. His mother was Bonne of Berry
, niece of Charles V of France
.
His father had taken the County of Comminges by force, but John IV could not prevent the second marriage of Marguerite to Mathieu de Foix in 1419. Subsequently they took the County of Comminges. In 1425, he recognized the King of Castile as overlord of Armagnac. The French king, occupied fighting the English, could not intervene, but did not overlook the affront. Later, John IV negotiated the marriage of his daughter Isabelle with Henri VI, but he backed off from this plan after threats from the king of France. In 1440, he took part in a revolt of the barons and the Dauphin of France, but the coalition was overcome by Charles VII
, who pardoned the insurrectionists. He asked the Count of Armagnac to give up its kingly formula, but this last was refused.
Charles VII then asked the Dauphin to punish the recalcitrant John IV. Besieged in L'Isle-Jourdain
, John IV was made prisoner and imprisoned in Carcassonne
in 1443. He was pardoned three years later, but his counties were directed by royal officers, and he did not have any more noble capacities until his death.
and Jeanne d' Évreux, on 16 June 1407 and had one child:
He married his second wife on 10 May 1419, shortly after the death of his first wife. His second wife was Isabella d' Évreux (b. 1395; † 1450), daughter of Charles III, king of Navarre and Eleanor of Castille
.
They had five children:
Count of Armagnac
The following is a list of rulers of the county of Armagnac:-House of Armagnac:*William Count of Fézensac and Armagnac ?– 960*Bernard the Suspicious, First count privative of Armagnac 960– ?*Gerald I Trancaléon ? –1020*Bernard I Tumapaler 1020–1061...
, Fézensac
County of Fézensac
The County of Fézensac was an eighth-century creation on the north-eastern fringes of the Duchy of Vasconia following Charlemagne's policy of feudalisation and Frankish colonisation...
, and Rodez
County of Rodez
The County of Rodez was a fief of the County of Toulouse formed out of part of the old County of Rouergue in what is today Aveyron, France. Its capital was Rodez. At its height, it was a centre of troubadour culture....
from 1418 to 1450. He was the son of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac, Pardiac, and Rodez; and the brother of Bernard of Armagnac
Bernard d'Armagnac, Count of Pardiac
Bernard d'Armagnac, Count of Pardiac was a younger son of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and Bonne of Berry.He fought at the Battle of Patay in 1429. That year he married Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche, daughter and ultimately heir of James II, Count of La Marche...
, Count of Pardiac
Count of Pardiac
The Count of Pardiac was a title in the French nobility.It was held by:* Bernard d'Armagnac, Count of Pardiac * Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours * Jean d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours...
, of La Marche and Duke of Nemours
Duke of Nemours
In the 12th and 13th centuries the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was in possession of the house of Villebeon, a member of which, Gautier, was marshal of France in the middle of the 13th century...
. His mother was Bonne of Berry
Bonne of Berry
Bonne of Berry was the daughter of John, Duke of Berry and Joanna of Armagnac. Through her father, she was a granddaughter of John II of France.-First marriage:...
, niece of Charles V of France
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
.
His father had taken the County of Comminges by force, but John IV could not prevent the second marriage of Marguerite to Mathieu de Foix in 1419. Subsequently they took the County of Comminges. In 1425, he recognized the King of Castile as overlord of Armagnac. The French king, occupied fighting the English, could not intervene, but did not overlook the affront. Later, John IV negotiated the marriage of his daughter Isabelle with Henri VI, but he backed off from this plan after threats from the king of France. In 1440, he took part in a revolt of the barons and the Dauphin of France, but the coalition was overcome by Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, who pardoned the insurrectionists. He asked the Count of Armagnac to give up its kingly formula, but this last was refused.
Charles VII then asked the Dauphin to punish the recalcitrant John IV. Besieged in L'Isle-Jourdain
Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain
L'Isle-Jourdain was a lordship and then county near Gers in Gascony during the High Middle Ages. It took its name, Jourdain, from its crusading baron who was baptised in the River Jordan on the First Crusade...
, John IV was made prisoner and imprisoned in Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
in 1443. He was pardoned three years later, but his counties were directed by royal officers, and he did not have any more noble capacities until his death.
Marriages and children
He married Blanche of Brittany (1395–1419), daughter of John V, Duke of BrittanyJohn V, Duke of Brittany
John V the Conqueror KG was Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort, from 1345 until his death.-Numbering:...
and Jeanne d' Évreux, on 16 June 1407 and had one child:
- Bonne (b. 1416; † before 1448)
He married his second wife on 10 May 1419, shortly after the death of his first wife. His second wife was Isabella d' Évreux (b. 1395; † 1450), daughter of Charles III, king of Navarre and Eleanor of Castille
Eleanor of Castile (d. 1416)
Eleanor of Castile was an infanta of Castile and the Queen consort of Navarre.She was the daughter of King Henry II of Castile and his wife, Juana Manuel of Castile, from a cadet branch of the Castilian royal house...
.
They had five children:
- Marie of Armagnac (b. 1420; † 1473), married in 1437 John II of AlençonJohn II of AlençonJohn II of Alençon was the son of John I of Alençon and Marie of Brittany. He succeeded his father as Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche as a minor in 1415, after the latter's death at the Battle of Agincourt.He saw action as a young man at the Battle of Verneuil on 17 August 1424, and was...
(b. 1409; † 1476), Duke of Alençon; maternal great-grandparents of King Henry IV of FranceHenry IV of FranceHenry 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....
. - Jean V of ArmagnacJean V of ArmagnacJohn V of Armagnac , the next-to-last Count of Armagnac of the older branch, was the controversial son of John IV of Armagnac and Isabella of Navarre, an emblem of 15th century aristocratic violence, treachery and indiscipline, a wildman from one of the most powerful virtually independent...
(b. 1420; † 1473), Viscount of Lomagne, then Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac and Rodez. - Eléonore (b. 1423; † 1456), married in 1446 Louis de Chalon (b. 1389; † 1463), Prince d'Orange, Lord of Arlay and Arguel.
- Charles I, Count of Armagnac (b. 1425; † 1497), Viscount of Fézensaguet, then Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac and Rodez.
- Isabelle (b. 1430; † 1476), Lady of the Four-Valleys.