Catherine of France (1428 – 13 July 1446) was a French princess and a countess of Charolais, the first spouse to
Charles I, Duke of Burgundy
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477.
...
. Betrothed to
Charles, Count of Charolais per the terms of the Treaty of Arras, she was married in 1440. She fell ill and died in 1446.
Life
Born in 1428, Catherine was fourth child and second daughter of
Charles VII of France
Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461.
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...
and
Marie of Anjou
Marie of Anjou (14 October 1404 – 29 November 1463) was Queen of France as the spouse of King Charles VII from 1422 to 1461. She served as regent and presided over the council of state several times during the absence of the king.
Life
Marie w ...
. She was betrothed to
Charles, Count of Charolais, the Burgundian heir, in accordance with the Treaty of Arras between France and Burgundy from 1435. In 1438, Charles visited the French court with an embassy and formally proposed to Catherine. On 11 June 1439, the couple was officially betrothed at St. Omer, and on May 19, 1440, the wedding was conducted at Blois. Reportedly, Catherine and Charles had a friendly relationship, but due to her youth, Catherine did not live with Charles but was handed over to the care of her spouse's mother
Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy
Isabella of Portugal (21 February 1397 – 17 December 1471) was Duchess of Burgundy and the third wife of Duke Philip the Good. Their son was Charles the Bold, the last Valois Duke of Burgundy.
Born a Portuguese ''infanta'' of the House ...
, with whom she apparently got along very well, being treated like a substitute daughter.
Catherine was described as intelligent, kind and charming and was well liked in Burgundy, but the frequent traveling she was expected to do in parallel to adjusting to the formal court etiquette, which was required at the Burgundian court, described as one of the most elaborate in Europe and constantly moving about between the cities of the Low Countries in a cold climate, was reportedly exhausting for Catherine's delicate health. She fell ill with violent coughing in 1446 and died with what was likely
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. She and Charles had no children.
References
Sources
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1431 births
1446 deaths
French princesses
House of Valois
15th-century French people
15th-century French women
People of Byzantine descent
Daughters of kings
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