Marie of Anjou
Encyclopedia
Marie of Anjou was the Queen consort of King Charles VII of France
from 1422 to 1461. Her mother, Yolande of Aragon
, played a leading role in the last phase of the Hundred Years' War
.
, titular Queen of Aragon. Her paternal grandparents were Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Marie de Blois, Lady of Guise. Her maternal grandparents were John I of Aragon
and Yolande de Bar
. Marie had five surviving siblings, including Louis III of Anjou and René I of Anjou. One of her nieces was Margaret of Anjou
, Queen consort of King Henry VI of England
who was the de jure
King of France from 1422 to 1429.
She married her second cousin King Charles VII
in April 1422 at Bourges
(they were both great-grandchildren of John II of France
and his first wife Bonne of Bohemia
), and became Queen consort of Charles, although Charles himself was not crowned King until 17 July 1429 at Reims
, following the successful endeavors of Joan of Arc
in expelling the English from most of France. Her husband's victory in the Hundred Years War owed a great deal to the support he received from Marie's family, notably from her mother Yolande of Aragon
. Although Marie and Charles had twelve children, her husband's affection was primarily directed towards his mistress, Agnès Sorel
.
In the drawing seen to the left, her Court chaplain, Robert Blondel, presents her with the allegorical Treatise of the "Twelve Perils of Hell," which he composed for her (1455). Facsimile of a miniature from this work. Bibl. de l'Arsenal, Paris.
Marie of Anjou died on 29 November 1463 at the Abbaye de Chateliers-en-Poitou (Poitou-Charentes
region). She was 59 years old.
:
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...
from 1422 to 1461. Her mother, Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon, , was a throne claimant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of Naples, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence during the minority of her son...
, played a leading role in the last phase of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
.
Family
Marie was the eldest daughter of Louis II of Anjou, titular King of Naples, titular King of Sicily, and Yolande of AragonYolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon, , was a throne claimant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of Naples, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence during the minority of her son...
, titular Queen of Aragon. Her paternal grandparents were Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Marie de Blois, Lady of Guise. Her maternal grandparents were John I of Aragon
John I of Aragon
John I , called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance , but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of...
and Yolande de Bar
Yolande de Bar
Yolande de Bar was Duchess of Lorraine and Bar . She was the daughter of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, and René of Anjou . Because of her various titles she is also known as Yolande de Lorraine and Yolande d'Anjou...
. Marie had five surviving siblings, including Louis III of Anjou and René I of Anjou. One of her nieces was Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
, Queen consort of King Henry VI of England
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
who was the de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
King of France from 1422 to 1429.
Marriage
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...
in April 1422 at 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:...
(they were both great-grandchildren of John II of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
and his first wife Bonne of Bohemia
Bonne of Bohemia
Bonne of Luxemburg, Duchess of Normandy, Countess of Anjou and of Maine , was born Jutta , the daughter of John the Blind of Luxemburg, king of Bohemia and his first wife Elisabeth of Bohemia. She was the first wife of King John II of France; however, as her death occurred a year prior to his...
), and became Queen consort of Charles, although Charles himself was not crowned King until 17 July 1429 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....
, following the successful endeavors of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
in expelling the English from most of France. Her husband's victory in the Hundred Years War owed a great deal to the support he received from Marie's family, notably from her mother Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon, , was a throne claimant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of Naples, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence during the minority of her son...
. Although Marie and Charles had twelve children, her husband's affection was primarily directed towards his mistress, Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel , known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté, was a favourite mistress of King Charles VII of France, for whom she bore three daughters....
.
In the drawing seen to the left, her Court chaplain, Robert Blondel, presents her with the allegorical Treatise of the "Twelve Perils of Hell," which he composed for her (1455). Facsimile of a miniature from this work. Bibl. de l'Arsenal, Paris.
Marie of Anjou died on 29 November 1463 at the Abbaye de Chateliers-en-Poitou (Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
region). She was 59 years old.
Children
Marie was the mother of fourteen children with her husband CharlesCharles 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...
:
- Louis XI, King of FranceLouis XI of FranceLouis 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....
(1423–1483), married Charlotte of SavoyCharlotte of SavoyCharlotte 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,...
, by whom he had issue including King Charles VIII of FranceCharles VIII of FranceCharles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
, Anne of FranceAnne of FranceAnne 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...
, and Joan of France, Duchess of BerryJoan of France, Duchess of BerryJoan of France 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....
. - John of France (Jean de France) (1424–1425)
- Radegonde of France (Radegonde de France) (1428–1444), betrothed to Sigismund, Archduke of AustriaSigismund, Archduke of AustriaSigismund of Austria, Duke, then Archduke of Further Austria was a Habsburg archduke of Austria and ruler of Tirol from 1446 to 1490....
- Catherine of Valois (Catherine de France) (1428–1446), married Charles the Bold in 1440
- James of France (Jacques de France) (1432–1437)
- Yolande of ValoisYolande of ValoisYolande of Valois was a Duchess consort of Savoy. She was was a daughter of King Charles VII of France, "The Victorious," and Marie of Anjou. She married Duke Amadeus IX of Savoy in 1452. She was named after her grandmother, Yolande of Aragon. She is sometimes known as Yolande of France...
(Yolande de France) (1434–1478), married the future Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy in 1452. Upon his death in 1472, she became regentRegentA 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...
of SavoySavoySavoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. She was the mother of ten children. - Joan of Valois (Jeanne de France) (1435–82), married the future John II, Duke of BourbonJohn II, Duke of BourbonJohn de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon , sometimes referred to as John the Good and The Scourge of the English, was a son of Charles I of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy...
in 1452. No issue. - Philip of France (Philippe de France) (4 February 1436 – 11 June 1436)
- Margaret of France (Marguerite de France) (1437–1438)
- Marie of France (Marie de France) (7 September 1438 – 14 February 1439)
- Joan (Jeanne de France) (7 September 1438 – 26 December 1446)
- Marie of France (Marie de France) (1441 – died in childhood)
- Magdalena of ValoisMagdalena of ValoisMagdalena of Valois, also called Madeleine de France , was a daughter of Charles VII of France and Marie of Anjou, and acted as regent for her children, Francis I and Catherine I, who were successively monarchs of Navarre.Magdalena was betrothed to Ladislaus the Posthumous however he died suddenly...
(Madeleine de France) (1443–1495), married Gaston of Foix, Prince of VianaGaston of Foix, Prince of VianaGaston, Prince of Viana, also called Gaston de Foix , was the son of Gaston IV of Foix and Eleanor of Navarre, and was the heir of both. As a Prince of Navarre, he was called Prince of Viana....
, in 1462, by whom she had issue. - Charles, Duke of BerryCharles de Valois, Duc de BerryCharles de Valois, Duke of Berry was a son of Charles VII, King of France. He spent most of his life in conflict with his elder brother, King Louis XI of France.-Life:...
(Charles de France) (1446–1472), died without legitimate issue.