John III ''the Good'' (in

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

''Yann III'', in French ''Jean III''; 8 March 128630 April 1341) was

Duke of Brittany This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...

, from 1312 to his death and 5th

Earl of Richmond The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was initially held by various Breton nobles; sometimes the holder was the Breton duke himself, including one member of the cad ...

from 1334 to his death. He was the son of

Arthur II, Duke of Brittany Arthur II (25 July 1261 – 27 August 1312), of the House of Dreux, was Duke of Brittany from 1305 to his death. He was the first son of John II and Beatrice, daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. After he inherited the ducal ...

, and his first wife Marie, Viscountess of Limoges, his first wife. John was strongly opposed to his father's second marriage to Yolande and attempted to contest its legality. In 1297, John married Isabella of Valois, eldest child of

Charles, Count of Valois Charles of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, whose rule over France would start in 1328 ...

and his first wife

Margaret of Naples Margaret of Anjou (1272 – 31 December 1299) was Countess of Anjou and Maine in her own right and Countess of Valois, Alençon and Perche by marriage. Margaret's father was King Charles II of Naples, whilst her husband was Charles, Count of Val ...

. At the time of their marriage John was eleven years old and his bride five. She died childless in 1309. In 1310, John married his second wife,

Isabella of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 by ...

. She died childless in 1328. In 1329, John married his third wife Joan of Savoy. He predeceased his third wife by three years and died childless. He was unwilling to cede the

Duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany ( br, Dugelezh Breizh, ; french: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to his half-brother

John of Montfort John of Montfort ( xbm, Yann Moñforzh, french: Jean de Montfort) (1295 – 26 September 1345,Etienne de Jouy. Œuvres complètes d'Etienne Jouy'. J. Didot Ainé. p. 373. Château d'Hennebont), sometimes known as John IV of Brittany, and 6th E ...

, son of his hated step-mother Yolande. He wished to leave the duchy to the french King Philip VI, but his nobles objected. The marriage of his niece

Joanna of Dreux Joan of Penthièvre ( French: Jeanne de Penthièvre; c. 1319 – 10 September 1384) reigned as Duchess of Brittany together with her husband, Charles of Blois, between 1341 and 1364. Her ducal claims were contested by the House of Montfort, ...

Charles of Blois Charles of Blois-Châtillon (131929 September 1364), nicknamed "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 until his death, via his marriage to Joan, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Penthièvre, holding the title against the cl ...

gave Charles a plausible claim to the duchy, but the matter was unresolved at John's death. After his death, John of Montfort claimed his rights as duke of Brittany, but King Philip VI supported the Blois faction, and the

Breton War of Succession The War of the Breton Succession (, ) was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April ...

(1341–1364) was triggered. The Breton Civil War was fought between the

House of Blois The House of Blois () is a lineage derived from the Frankish nobility, whose principal members were often named Theobald (''Thibaud'', ''Thibault'', ''Thibaut'' in French). History Heirs of the viscounts of Blois, the House of Blois accumulated ...

and the

House of Montfort House of Montfort was a medieval French noble house that eventually found its way to the Kingdom of England and originated the famous Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester; although his father Simon de Monfort the Elder, leader of the French ...

. It became part of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, as England supported the Montfort faction, which won, against the House of Blois, which was supported by France.

Arms

file:Arms of Pierre Mauclerc.svg, Coat of arms as duke until 1316 File:Arms of Jean III de Bretagne.svg, In 1316, he simplified his coat of arms to plain ermine. This is still the arms of Brittany.

References

Sources

External links

Inquisition Post Mortem
#355, dated 1341. {{DEFAULTSORT:John Iii, Duke Of Brittany Brittany, John III, Duke of Brittany, John III, Duke of 13th-century Breton people 14th-century dukes of Brittany 14th-century peers of France 14th-century English nobility Dukes of Brittany Earls of Richmond (1268 creation) House of Dreux

Arms

See also

References

Sources

External links