John II, called Jean de L'Aigle (died 1454), was

Count of Penthièvre 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: ...

from 1433 until his death. He was also

Count of Périgord Count of Périgord ( Fr.: ''comte de Périgord'') is a noble title in the peerage of France. Originally known as "The sovereign house of the Counts of Périgord, princes by the grace of God" The first recorded sovereign Count was Emenon, who was a ...

from 1437.

Biography

John was the second son of

John I, Count of Penthièvre John I (5 February 1345 – 16 January 1404), was Count of Penthièvre and Viscount of Limoges from 1364 to 1404, and the War of the Breton Succession, Penthièvre claimant to the Duchy of Brittany. Biography John was born in Jurgon-les-Lacs ...

, and his wife, Margaret de Clisson, and was granted the lordship of

L'Aigle L'Aigle is a commune in the Orne department in Normandy in northwestern France. Before 1961, the commune was known as ''Laigle''. According to Orderic Vitalis, the nest of an eagle (''aigle'' in French) was discovered during the construction of ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

upon his father’s death in 1404. When his brothers kidnapped

John V, Duke of Brittany John V, sometimes numbered as VI, (24 December 1389 – 29 August 1442) bynamed John the Wise ( br, Yann ar Fur; french: Jean le Sage), was Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort from 1399 to his death. His rule coincided with the height of t ...

, in 1420, John de L'Aigle negotiated for the duke's release on the condition that his youngest brother,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, be released from captivity. The duke agreed, but then refused to cooperate, claiming his agreement was made in a state of duress. William remained in captivity until 1448. Following the death of his brother

Olivier Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to: * Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Olivier (surname), a list of people * Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery *Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...

in 1433, John succeeded to his family's hereditary titles in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, including the family's claim to the Breton ducal throne. In 1437, he also purchased the county of Périgord from

Charles, Duke of Orléans Charles of Orléans (24 November 1394 – 5 January 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He was also Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont-sur-Oise and of Blois, Lord of Coucy, and t ...

. He only entered into possession of his Breton lands in 1448 after reconciling with

Francis I, Duke of Brittany Francis I (in Breton Fransez I, in French François I) (11 May 1414 – 17 July 1450), was Duke of Brittany, Count of Montfort and titular Earl of Richmond, from 29 August 1442 to his death. He was born in Vannes, the son of John V, Duke of Bri ...

. During the final campaigns of the Hundred Years’ War, he served as lieutenant general for

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 ...

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...

between 1450 and 1451 and he distinguished himself at the

Battle of Castillon The Battle of Castillon between the forces of England and France took place on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne (later Castillon-la-Bataille). Historians regard this decisive French victory as marking the end o ...

in 1453. John married Margaret de Chauvigny, lady of

Saint-Chartier Saint-Chartier () is a commune in the Indre department in central France. The writer Raymonde Vincent (1908–1985), winner of the Prix Femina in 1937 died in Saint-Chartier. Population See also *Communes of the Indre department The followin ...

, but died without issue in 1454. In his will, he designated his niece and heir general,

Nicole Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Euro ...

, to succeed him in Penthièvre, while his brother

William, Viscount of Limoges William (died 1455) was Seigneur de Avesnes and Viscount of Limoges from 1404 until his death. He was also briefly Count of Périgord following the death of his brother John II, Count of Penthièvre, in 1454. Biography William was the son of ...

, succeeded him in Périgord.

Notes

References

* * * * {{s-end House of Châtillon Counts of Penthièvre Counts of Périgord 1454 deaths People of the Hundred Years' War