Martha of Armagnac
Encyclopedia
Martha of Armagnac was the youngest child of John I of Armagnac
and his second wife Beatrice of Clermont. She was the first wife of John I of Aragon
but never became Queen consort of Aragon because she was outlived by her father-in-law Peter IV of Aragon
.
, who succeeded their father. Her sister was Joanna of Armagnac
who married John, Duke of Berry
and was mother of Marie, Duchess of Auvergne
, amongst others.
Her maternal grandparents were Jean de Clermont and his wife Jeanne de Dargies. Jean was son of Robert, Count of Clermont
and his wife Beatrice, Dame de Bourbon. Robert was son of Louis IX of France
and Margaret of Provence.
Martha's paternal grandparents were Bernard VI of Armagnac and his wife Cecile de Rodez.
Martha was not named in domini Johannis comitis Armaniaci which listed the names of her family, so she must have been born after its making on 18 February 1347.
in 1370 but he instead married Marie, Viscountess of Beaumont-au-Maine.
During these years, Peter IV of Aragon
had sought an alliance with Philip VI of France
to prevent a new war with Castile
. In 1370 he negotiated a marriage for his heir; John, Duke of Girona
with Jeanne of France, daughter of Philip VI but the project failed when the princess died on her journey to Barcelona
in 1371. Moreover, Henry II of Castile became an ally necessary to Charles V of France
(who had helped get the Castilian throne), as demonstrated with the triumph of his army against the English at the Battle of La Rochelle
(June 1372).
In this context Martha's father John, a major feudal lords of Occitan and, a vassal of the King of France, appeared in the eyes of King Peter and although they had been enemies during the War of the Two Peters
, he was a good insurance against the Castilian threat. The count of Armagnac wished to strengthen its position in Occitan and in France and get a good ally against its rival, the Counts of Foix
. Negotiations began in summer 1372 and of the marriage contract was signed on March 27, 1373 for the marriage of Martha to John, son of King Peter IV. The dowry amounted to the astronomical figure of 150,000 pounds. Martha was received with great solemnity at the border to sauces for Martin, John's younger brother.
On 24 June 1373 in Barcelona
, John and Martha married. Afterwards she became the first to be titled Duchess of Girona and Countess of Cervera
.
Martha had a calm and conciliatory character, traits that would guarantee good terms with her new family and country. she had moderating influence on John, who had a character quite the opposite of her and deeply appreciated. Martha even got along well with her father-in-law who dealt with her with great affection, and in general all members of the royal family. Her mother-in-law Eleanor of Sicily treated Martha as her own daughter. On Eleanor's death King Peter remarried to Sibila of Fortia
, a marriage that caused great scandal. However, Martha and Sibila maintained a cordial relationship, but John had a bad attitude to his stepmother.
Of their five children, only one daughter Joanna lived to adulthood but she had no children so Martha's lineage died out in 1407 on the death of her daughter.
on July 13, 1378, her death was probably related to the birth of her daughter Eleanor who died not long after birth. John and Martha were only married for five years, a child was born each year they were married. She was buried at the Convent of St. Francis. She died nine years before her husband succeeded as King of Aragon.
After Martha's death he remarried to Violant of Bar who bore him numerous children but like Martha only one of Violant's children, a daughter lived to adulthood, Yolande of Aragon
.
Martha's only surviving child Joanna tried to claim the Kingdom of Aragon
but failed.
John I of Armagnac
John I of Armagnac , son of Bernard VI and Cecilia Rodez, was Count of Armagnac from 1319 to 1373. In addition to Armagnac he controlled territory in Quercy, Rouergue and Gévaudan...
and his second wife Beatrice of Clermont. She was the first wife of 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...
but never became Queen consort of Aragon because she was outlived by her father-in-law Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
.
Early Life and Family
Martha was the youngest of three children. Her elder brother was John II of ArmagnacJohn II of Armagnac
John II, the Hunchback, , Count of Armagnac, of Fézensac, Rodez and Count of Charolais , Viscount Lomagne and Auvillars, he was the son of John I, Count of Armagnac, of Fezensac and Rodez, Viscount Lomagne and Auvillars and Beatrix de Clermont, great-granddaughter of Louis IX of France.During the...
, who succeeded their father. Her sister was Joanna of Armagnac
Joanna of Armagnac
Joan of Armagnac was a French noblewoman of the powerful Armagnac family, being the eldest daughter of Count John I of Armagnac and his wife Beatrice of Clermont...
who married John, Duke of Berry
John, Duke of Berry
John of Valois or John the Magnificent was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were King Charles V of France, Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy...
and was mother of Marie, Duchess of Auvergne
Marie, Duchess of Auvergne
Marie of Berry, suo jure Duchess of Auvergne, Countess of Montpensier was the daughter of John, Duke of Berry and Joanna of Armagnac.She was married three times...
, amongst others.
Her maternal grandparents were Jean de Clermont and his wife Jeanne de Dargies. Jean was son of Robert, Count of Clermont
Robert, Count of Clermont
Robert of France was made Count of Clermont in 1268. He was son of King Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence...
and his wife Beatrice, Dame de Bourbon. Robert was son of Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
and Margaret of Provence.
Martha's paternal grandparents were Bernard VI of Armagnac and his wife Cecile de Rodez.
Martha was not named in domini Johannis comitis Armaniaci which listed the names of her family, so she must have been born after its making on 18 February 1347.
Marriage
Martha was a proposed wife for Peter II of AlençonPeter II of Alençon
Peter II of Alençon, called the Noble , was the son of Charles II of Alençon and Maria de la Cerda. He was Count of Alençon 1361–1404 and Count of Perche 1377–1404....
in 1370 but he instead married Marie, Viscountess of Beaumont-au-Maine.
During these years, Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
had sought an alliance with Philip VI of France
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
to prevent a new war with Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
. In 1370 he negotiated a marriage for his heir; John, Duke of Girona
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...
with Jeanne of France, daughter of Philip VI but the project failed when the princess died on her journey to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1371. Moreover, Henry II of Castile became an ally necessary to 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...
(who had helped get the Castilian throne), as demonstrated with the triumph of his army against the English at the Battle of La Rochelle
Battle of La Rochelle
The naval Battle of La Rochelle took place on 22 and 23 June 1372 between a Castilian and French fleet commanded by the Genoese born Ambrosio Boccanegra and an English convoy commanded by John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The Franco-Castilian fleet had been sent to attack the English at La...
(June 1372).
In this context Martha's father John, a major feudal lords of Occitan and, a vassal of the King of France, appeared in the eyes of King Peter and although they had been enemies during the War of the Two Peters
War of the Two Peters
The War of the Two Peters was a war fought from 1356 to 1375 between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Its name refers to the two rulers of these countries: Peter of Castile and Peter IV of Aragon, respectively...
, he was a good insurance against the Castilian threat. The count of Armagnac wished to strengthen its position in Occitan and in France and get a good ally against its rival, the Counts of Foix
Counts of Foix
The counts of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now southern France, during the Middle Ages. Later they extended their power to almost the entire Pyrenees mountain range, moving their court to Pau, in Béarn, until eventually the last count of Foix acceded to the French throne as...
. Negotiations began in summer 1372 and of the marriage contract was signed on March 27, 1373 for the marriage of Martha to John, son of King Peter IV. The dowry amounted to the astronomical figure of 150,000 pounds. Martha was received with great solemnity at the border to sauces for Martin, John's younger brother.
On 24 June 1373 in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, John and Martha married. Afterwards she became the first to be titled Duchess of Girona and Countess of Cervera
Count of Cervera
The title Count of Cervera is currently held by Felipe, Prince of Asturias, heir to Juan Carlos of Spain. Cervera is the capital of the comarca of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia...
.
Martha had a calm and conciliatory character, traits that would guarantee good terms with her new family and country. she had moderating influence on John, who had a character quite the opposite of her and deeply appreciated. Martha even got along well with her father-in-law who dealt with her with great affection, and in general all members of the royal family. Her mother-in-law Eleanor of Sicily treated Martha as her own daughter. On Eleanor's death King Peter remarried to Sibila of Fortia
Sibila of Fortia
Sibila of Fortià , Queen of Aragon, was daughter of Berenguer de Fortià and his wife, Francesca of Palau. Sibila belonged to the lineage of Fortià, the lower nobility, with possessions in the rural Empordà, in the county of Ampurias. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Peter IV of...
, a marriage that caused great scandal. However, Martha and Sibila maintained a cordial relationship, but John had a bad attitude to his stepmother.
Issue
John and Martha had five children:- Infante James of Aragon (b. Valencia 24 June 1374 - d. Valencia 1374)
- Infanta JoannaJoanna of Aragon, Countess of FoixInfanta Joanna of Aragon was the only surviving child of John I of Aragon and his first wife Martha of Armagnac. She was a member of the House of Aragon and was Countess consort of Foix by her marriage to Matthew of Foix....
(b. DarocaDarocaDaroca is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, situated to the south of the city of Zaragoza. It is the center of a judicial district....
October 1375 - d. Valencia September 1407), who married in 4 June 1392 at BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
to Mathieu, Count of Foix. Together they claimed the throne of Aragon after her father's death. Matthew of Foix invaded Aragonese territories, but was driven back by the new King Martin. Joanna died soon after, childless. - Infante John of Aragon (b. and d. Barcelona July 1376)
- Infante Alfonso of Aragon (b. and d. 1377)
- Infanta Eleanor of Aragon (b. and d. 1378)
Of their five children, only one daughter Joanna lived to adulthood but she had no children so Martha's lineage died out in 1407 on the death of her daughter.
Death and Legacy
Martha died at ZaragozaZaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
on July 13, 1378, her death was probably related to the birth of her daughter Eleanor who died not long after birth. John and Martha were only married for five years, a child was born each year they were married. She was buried at the Convent of St. Francis. She died nine years before her husband succeeded as King of Aragon.
After Martha's death he remarried to Violant of Bar who bore him numerous children but like Martha only one of Violant's children, a daughter lived to adulthood, 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...
.
Martha's only surviving child Joanna tried to claim the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
but failed.