Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
Encyclopedia
Louise de Bourbon was the Duchess
of Montpensier, suo jure
from February 1538 to 1561. She was the great great great grandmother of La Grande Mademoiselle.
, and Clara Gonzaga
. Her paternal grandparents were Louis I, Count of Montpensier
and Gabriele de La Tour d'Auvergne. Her maternal grandprents were Federico I Gonzaga
, Marquess of Mantua and Margaret of Bavaria. Her five younger siblings included Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
. He was killed in battle in May 1527 when he led the Imperial troops sent by Emperor Charles V against Pope Clement VII in what became the Sack of Rome
.
By dint of her three brothers having died childless, Louise became the heiress to the county of Montpensier and the dauphinate of Auvergne. The estates, however, had been sequestered by the French King Francis I
(at the instigation of his mother, Louise of Savoy
) when her brother Charles, Duke of Bourbon and Constable of France
formed an alliance with Charles V.
After the Duke's death at the siege
of Rome, his fiefs were confiscated by the King. On 17 May 1530, she became the suo jure
Duchess of Châtellerault, Countess of Forez, Baroness de Beaujeu, which had formed part of her brother Charles' inheritance, however the titles were revoked by the King in January 1532. Eventually some of her late brother's inheritance was restored to her. In February 1538, Louise was invested as Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne, Baroness de La Tour and de la Bussière by King Francis.
She married secondly on 21 March 1504, her cousin Louis de Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, by whom she had three children:
Louise died on 5 July 1561. She was buried at Saint-Chapelle, Chateau de Champigny
in Touraine
. Her eldest son Louis succeeded her as Duke of Montpensier.
Through her daughter Suzanne, Louise was an ancestress of King Louis XV of France
. Through her granddaughter Charlotte of Bourbon
, Louise was an ancestress of the House of Hanover
, which reigned in Great Britain from 1714 to 1901, and from which descends the current British Royal Family
.
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
of Montpensier, suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
from February 1538 to 1561. She was the great great great grandmother of La Grande Mademoiselle.
Inheritance
She was the eldest daughter of Gilbert, Count of MontpensierGilbert, Count of Montpensier
Gilbert de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier son of Louis de Bourbon and Gabrielle La Tour, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin d'Auvergne...
, and Clara Gonzaga
Clara Gonzaga
Clara Gonzaga, Countess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne, Duchess of Sessa was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Gonzaga...
. Her paternal grandparents were Louis I, Count of Montpensier
Louis I, Count of Montpensier
Louis de Bourbon was the third son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie de Berry, Duchess d'Auvergne; Count of Montpensier, Clermont-en-Auvergne and Sancerre and Dauphin of Auvergne, brother of Charles I of Bourbon...
and Gabriele de La Tour d'Auvergne. Her maternal grandprents were Federico I Gonzaga
Federico I Gonzaga
Federico I Gonzaga was marquess of Mantua from 1478 to 1484, as well as a condottiero.-Biography:Federico was born in Mantua in 1441, son of Ludovico II and Barbara of Brandenburg...
, Marquess of Mantua and Margaret of Bavaria. Her five younger siblings included Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon was a French military leader, the Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. He commanded the Imperial troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in what became known as the Sack of Rome in 1527, where he was killed.-Biography:Charles was born at Montpensier...
. He was killed in battle in May 1527 when he led the Imperial troops sent by Emperor Charles V against Pope Clement VII in what became the Sack of Rome
Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States...
.
By dint of her three brothers having died childless, Louise became the heiress to the county of Montpensier and the dauphinate of Auvergne. The estates, however, had been sequestered by the French King Francis I
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...
(at the instigation of his mother, Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy was a French noble, Duchess regnant of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, the mother of King Francis I of France...
) when her brother Charles, Duke of Bourbon and Constable of France
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King...
formed an alliance with Charles V.
After the Duke's death at the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of Rome, his fiefs were confiscated by the King. On 17 May 1530, she became the suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Duchess of Châtellerault, Countess of Forez, Baroness de Beaujeu, which had formed part of her brother Charles' inheritance, however the titles were revoked by the King in January 1532. Eventually some of her late brother's inheritance was restored to her. In February 1538, Louise was invested as Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne, Baroness de La Tour and de la Bussière by King Francis.
Marriages and children
In 1499, Louise married her first husband, Andre III de Chauvigny, prince of Deols and vicomte de Brosse. The marriage was childless.She married secondly on 21 March 1504, her cousin Louis de Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, by whom she had three children:
- Suzanne de Bourbon (1508–1570), married Claude de Rieux, Count of Harcoute and Aumale, by whom she had issue.
- Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, (10 June 1513- 23 September 1582) married firstly in 1538, Jacqueline de LongwyJacqueline de LongwyJacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine , Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne was a French noblewoman, and a half-niece of King Francis I of France. She was the first wife of Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, and the mother of his six children...
, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (died 28 August 1561), by whom he had a son and five daughters, including Charlotte de Bourbon. His second wife was Catherine of Lorraine. - Charles de Bourbon, Prince of La Roche sur Yon (1515-1565), married Philippe de Montespédon, Dame de Beaupreau (died 1575), by whom he had a son, Henri, and a daughter, Jeanne.
Louise died on 5 July 1561. She was buried at Saint-Chapelle, Chateau de Champigny
Champigny
Champigny may refer to several communes in France:*Champigny, Marne*Champigny, Yonne*Champigny-en-Beauce, in the Loir-et-Cher département*Champigny-la-Futelaye, in the Eure département*Champigny-le-Sec, in the Vienne département...
in Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
. Her eldest son Louis succeeded her as Duke of Montpensier.
Through her daughter Suzanne, Louise was an ancestress of King Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. Through her granddaughter Charlotte of Bourbon
Charlotte of Bourbon
Charlotte of Bourbon , was the fourth daughter of Louis, Duke of Montpensier and Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine...
, Louise was an ancestress of the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, which reigned in Great Britain from 1714 to 1901, and from which descends the current British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.