Anne de Laval (23 September 15051554), Princess of Taranto, was a French noblewoman and nominal

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...

to the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. She was born at

Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine Vitré (; br, Gwitreg; gallo ''Vitræ'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of 17,798 inhabitants (2015). It lies on the edge of Brit ...

, the daughter of

Guy XVI de Laval Guy XVI, Count of Laval, Mayenne (1 October 1476 – 20 May 1531) was a member of the House of Laval. He was christened Nicolas, but upon inheriting the title, he took the required name of Guy, as his predecessors had done. He was the son of J ...

, count of

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

, and of Charlotte of Aragon,

Princess of Taranto This is a list of the Princesses of Taranto, a principality in Southern Italy. Countess consort of Taranto Princess consort of Taranto House of Hauteville, 1088–1194 House of Hohenstaufen, 1194–1266 Capetian House of Anjou, ...

. She was the only child of Charlotte to marry and leave heirs, thereby continuing the line of descent of

Frederick of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinan ...

. On 23 January 1521 she married François de la Trémoïlle, ''

vicomte A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

'' de

Thouars Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars. It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known as ...

. The marriage not only brought the La Trémoïlles the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

ship of

and the

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

claim in 1521, but also the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

of '' princes étrangers'' at the French

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

. It is also said that she inherited the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

y of Laz, as well, although

Père Anselme Anselm de Guibours (born 1625) (Father Anselm of the Blessed Mary, O.A.D., french: Père Anselme de Sainte-Marie, or simply ''Père Anselme'') was a French Discalced Augustinian friar and noted genealogist. Biography He was born Pierre de Guibour ...

's genealogy of her family makes no mention of it. She died at Craon, aged 48 or 49. Her eldest son,

Louis III de La Trémoille Louis III de La Trémoille (1521 – 25 March 1577), 1st Duke of Thouars, was a sixteenth-century French nobleman of the La Tremoille family. He was the son of François II de La Trémoille and his wife, Anne de Laval. Louis accompanied the d ...

, became the first '' duc de Thouars'' in 1599, while her second son, Georges, and third son, Claude, founded the

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, title ...

es of the ''marquises de Royan'' and the ''ducs de

Noirmoutier Noirmoutier (also French language, French: Île de Noirmoutier, ; br, Nervouster, ) is a tidal island off the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée Departments of France, department (85). History Noirmoutier was the locatio ...

'', respectively.

Ancestry

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laval, Anne de 1505 births 1554 deaths People from Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

French princesses

Princesses of Taranto 16th-century French people 16th-century French women People of Byzantine descent