Joanna of Bourbon (''Jeanne de Bourbon''; 3 February 1338 – 6 February 1378) was

Queen of France This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared. Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...

by marriage to King Charles V. She acted as his political adviser and was appointed potential

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

in case of a minor regency.

Life

Early life

Born in the Château de Vincennes, Joanna was a daughter of

Peter I, Duke of Bourbon Peter I of Bourbon (Pierre Ier, Duc de Bourbon in French; 1311 – 19 September 1356) was the second Duke of Bourbon, from 1342 to his death. Peter was son of Louis I of Bourbon, whom he also succeeded as Grand Chamberlain of France, and Ma ...

, and

Isabella of Valois Isabella of France (9 November 1389 – 13 September 1409) was Queen of England as the wife of Richard II, King of England between 1396 and 1399, and Duchess (consort) of Orléans as the wife of Charles, Duke of Orléans from 1406 until her ...

, a half-sister of Philip VI of France. From October 1340 through at least 1343, negotiations and treaties were made for Joanna to marry

Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy Amadeus VI (4 January 1334 – 1 March 1383), nicknamed the Green Count ( it, Il Conte Verde) was Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383. He was the eldest son of Aymon, Count of Savoy, and Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat. Though he started unde ...

. The goal was to bring Savoy more closely into French influence. Following this, she was betrothed to Humbert, Dauphin of Viennois, which also fell through.

Queen

On 8 April 1350, Joanna married her cousin, the future

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...

, at

Tain-l'Hermitage Tain-l'Hermitage (; oc, Tinh de l'Ermitatge or ), commonly known as Tain, is a commune in the French department of Drôme, southeastern France. Geography It is located on the left bank of the river Rhône, opposite Tournon-sur-Rhône, which is l ...

. Since they were second cousins, their marriage required a papal dispensation. Born thirteen days apart, they both were 12 years old. When Charles ascended the throne in 1364, Joanna became

queen of France This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared. Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...

. Queen Joanna and Charles V had somewhat of a strained relationship during his tenure as dauphin because of his infidelity with Biette de Cassinel, but their relationship improved when after he became King, and reportedly, he sometimes confided in her in political and cultural issues and relied on her advice.Tuchman, Barbara W, En Fjärran Spegel. Det stormiga 1300-talet. Atlantis, Stockholm, 1994. , sid 304 According to tradition, Joanna was rumored to have taken the poet for a lover, who was the biological father of her child John, who was born and died in 1366. Queen Joanna was described as mentally fragile, and after the birth of her son Louis in 1373, she suffered a complete mental breakdown. This deeply worried Charles V, who made a pilgrimage and offered many prayers for her recovery. When she did recover and regained her normal state of mind in 1373, Charles V appointed her legal guardian and regent of France should he die when his son and heir was still a minor.

Death and burial

Joanna died at the royal residence

Hôtel Saint-Pol The Hôtel Saint-Pol was a royal residence begun in 1360 by Charles V of France on the ruins of a building constructed by Louis IX. It was used by Charles V and Charles VI. Located on the Right Bank, to the northwest of the Quartier de l'Arsenal ...

in Paris, on 6 February 1378 three days after her 40th birthday, and two days after the birth of her youngest child,

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: '' Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthuria ...

J. A. Buchon, ''Collection des Chroniques nationales françaises écrites en langue vulgaire du treizième au seizième siècle, Chroniques de Froissart'', Tome VII, Verdière, Libraire, Paris, 1824, p. 61 recorded that Joanna took a bath against her physicians' advice. Soon after, she went into labour and died two days after giving birth. The king was devastated. Her heart was buried in the Cordeliers Convent and her entrails in the

Couvent des Célestins The Couvent des Célestins (In English: ''Convent of the Celestines''), was an ancient convent located near the Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, active between 1254 and 1790. It was the second most important burial site for royalty after th ...

. The ''Couvent des Célestins'' in Paris was the most important royal necropolis after the Basilica of St Denis. The rest of her remains were then placed at Saint-Denis.

Issue

Joanna and Charles had eight or nine children. Two of them reached adulthood: # Joanna (end September 1357 – 21 October 1360, Saint Antoine-des-Champs Abbey, Paris), interred at

Saint-Antoine-des-Champs Abbey Saint-Antoine-des-Champs Abbey was a convent in what is now the 12th arrondissement of Paris. The faubourg Saint-Antoine developed around it. It later became the hôpital Saint-Antoine. History Middle Ages Renaissance and Enlightenment Conver ...

. # Bonne (1358 – 7 November 1360, Palais Royal, Paris), interred beside her older sister. # Joanna ( Château de Vincennes, 6 June 1366 – 21 December 1366, Hôtel de Saint-Pol, Paris), interred at

Saint Denis Basilica The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

. # Charles VI (3 December 1368 – 22 October 1422), King of France. # Marie (Paris, 27 February 1370 – June 1377, Paris). #

Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

(13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407), Duke of Orléans. # Isabella (Paris, 24 July 1373 – 23 February 1378, Paris). # John (1374/76 – died young). #

(Paris, 4 February 1378 – November 1388, buried at Abbaye De Maubuisson, France), m. John of Berry,

Count of Montpensier The French lordship of Montpensier (named after the village of Montpensier, département of Puy-de-Dôme), located in historical Auvergne, became a countship in the 14th century. It changed hands from the House of Thiern, to the House of Be ...

(son of

John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388 ...

Ancestry

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Joanna Of Bourbon French queens consort House of Valois House of Bourbon (France) Dauphines of Viennois Dauphines of France Duchesses of Normandy 1338 births 1378 deaths People from Vincennes Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Deaths in childbirth 14th-century French women 14th-century French people