Joan of Burgundy (french: Jeanne; c. 1293 – 12 December 1349), also known as Joan the Lame (french: Jeanne la Boiteuse), 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 ...

as the first wife of King Philip VI. Joan ruled as

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 ...

while her husband fought on military campaigns during 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, ...

during the years 1340, 1345–1346 and 1347.

Early life

Joan was the daughter of Duke

Robert II of Burgundy Robert II of Burgundy (1248 – 21 March 1306) was Duke of Burgundy between 1272 and 1306 as well as titular King of Thessalonica. Robert was the third son of duke Hugh IV and Yolande of Dreux. He married Agnes, youngest daughter of Louis IX o ...

and Agnes of France. Her older sister,

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

, was the first wife of King

Louis X of France Louis X (4 October 1289 – 5 June 1316), known as the Quarrelsome (french: le Hutin), was King of France from 1314 and King of Navarre as Louis I from 1305 until his death. He emancipated serfs who could buy their freedom and readmitted Jews in ...

. Joan married

Philip of Valois Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 132 ...

, Louis's cousin, in July 1313. From 1314 to 1328, they were Count and Countess of Maine; from 1325, they were also Count and Countess of Valois and

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

Queenship

The sons of King Philip IV - Louis X,

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...

, and Charles IV - left no surviving sons of their own, which led to the accession of Joan's husband to the French throne in 1328 as the eldest son of

Charles 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 ...

, Philip IV's younger brother. The

ensued in 1337, with

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

, a nephew of Louis X, claiming the French crown. In a document issued by Philip VI at

Clermont-en-Beauvaisis Clermont () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. Clermont-de-l'Oise station has rail connections to Amiens, Creil and Paris. History Clermont was also known as Clermont-en-Beauvaisis or Clermont-de-l'Oise. The town is built ...

in August 1338, queen Joan was invested with power of attorney to manage the affairs of state whenever circumstances made it necessary. She was explicitly allowed to manage the finances of the state, to make verdicts and issue pardons and all powers included in the king's duties except managing warfare. This power of attorney was to be used whenever the king was absent, but it technically gave the queen the potential status of a co-ruler, and one reason suggested to Philip's great trust of Joan was his great distrust of his courtiers. Intelligent and strong-willed, Joan proved a capable regent while her husband fought on military campaigns during the war. Joan reportedly favored people from her own home territory of Burgundy, a policy followed by her husband and her son, thus attracting animosity from the nobility at court from the northwest. Her political activity attracted controversy to both her and her husband, which was accentuated by her deformity (considered by some to be a mark of evil), and she became known as ''la male royne boiteuse'' ("the lame evil Queen"). One chronicler described her as a danger to her enemies in court: :"the lame Queen Jeanne de Bourgogne...was like a King and caused the destruction of those who opposed her will." Joan was considered to be a scholar and a

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

. She sent her son, John,

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

s to read, and commanded the translation of several important contemporary works into vernacular French, including the ''Miroir historial'' of

Vincent de Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

(c.1333) and the ''Jeu d'échecs moralisés'' of Jacques de Cessoles (c.1347), a task carried out by

Jean de Vignay Jean de Vignay (c. 1282/1285 – c. 1350) was a French monk and translator. He translated from Latin into Old French for the French court, and his works survive in many illuminated manuscripts. They include two military ...

Death

Joan died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

on 12 December 1349. She was buried in the

Basilica of Saint Denis 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 ...

; her tomb, built by her grandson

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

, was destroyed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Family, children and descent

Joan and Philip had nine children together: *

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

(26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364). * Marie (1326 – 22 September 1333), who married John of Brabant, the son and heir of

John III, Duke of Brabant John III ( nl, Jan; 1300 – 5 December 1355) was Duke of Brabant, Duke of Lothier, Lothier (1312–1355) and List of rulers of Limburg, Limburg (1312–1347 then 1349–1355). He was the son of John II, Duke of Brabant, and Margaret of England, ...

, but died shortly afterwards. * Louis (born and died 17 January 1329). * Louis (8 June 1330 – 23 June 1330). * A son ohn?(born and died 2 October 1333). * A son (28 May 1335), stillborn. *

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

(1 July 1336 – 1 September 1375),

Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...

. * Joan (born and died November 1337). * A son (born and died summer 1343). In 1361, Joan's grandnephew, Philip I of Burgundy, last

duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

of the first Capetian

House of Burgundy The House of Burgundy () was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of King Robert II of France. The House ruled the Duchy of Burgundy from 1032–1361 and achieved the recognized title ...

, died without issue. The rightful heir to Burgundy was unclear. King

Charles II of Navarre Charles II (10 October 1332 – 1 January 1387), called Charles the Bad, was King of Navarre 1349–1387 and Count of Évreux 1343–1387. Besides the Pyrenean Kingdom of Navarre, Charles had extensive lands in Normandy, inherited from his father ...

, grandson of Joan's elder sister Margaret, was the heir according to

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

, but John II of France (Joan's son) claimed to be the heir according to

proximity of blood Proximity of blood, or proximity by degree of kinship, is one of the ways to determine hereditary succession based on genealogy. In effect, the application of this rule is a refusal to recognize the right of representation, a component of primogen ...

. In the end, John won.; .

In fiction

Joan is a character in ''

Les Rois maudits ''The Accursed Kings'' (french: Les Rois maudits ) is a series of historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice ...

'' (''The Accursed Kings''), a series of French

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

s by

Maurice Druon Maurice Druon (23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999. Life and career Born in Paris, France, Druon was the s ...

. She was portrayed by Ghislaine Porret in the 1972 French miniseries adaptation of the series.

References

Sources

* * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Joan The Lame 1293 births 1349 deaths Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Royalty and nobility with disabilities 14th-century women rulers Regents of France French queens consort Countesses of Anjou Countesses of Maine House of Burgundy 14th-century deaths from plague (disease) 13th-century French women 13th-century French people 14th-century French women 14th-century French people