Margaret of Burgundy (french: Marguerite; 1290 – 30 April 1315) 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 ...
and
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
as the first wife of King
Louis X Louis X may refer to:
* Louis X of France, "the Quarreller" (1289–1316).
* Louis X, Duke of Bavaria (1495–1545)
* Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse (1753–1830).
* Louis Farrakhan (formerly Louis X), head of the Nation of Islam
{{hndis ...
, although locked in prison during her whole French queenship.
Life
Margaret was born in 1290. She was the second daughter of
Robert II, Duke 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 ...
(1248–1306) and
Agnes of France (1260–1327), the youngest daughter of
Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
and
Margaret of Provence. As such, she was a member of
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 ...
, a branch of the
Capetian dynasty
The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Cape ...
.
In 1305, Margaret married her first cousin once removed, Louis, who had inherited the crown of Navarre from his deceased mother,
Queen Joan I. They had one daughter,
Joan Joan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters
*:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine
* Joan (surname)
Weather events
*Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...
(born 1312, died 1349).
Early in 1314, Margaret was caught in an alleged act of
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
in the
Tour de Nesle Affair. Her sister-in-law
Isabella of France
Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...
was a witness against her, and Margaret was imprisoned at
Château Gaillard
Château Gaillard () is a medieval castle ruin overlooking the River Seine above the commune of Les Andelys, in the French department of Eure, in Normandy. It is located some north-west of Paris and from Rouen. Construction began in 1196 unde ...
along with her sister-in-law
Blanche of Burgundy.
On November of the same year, Louis I of Navarre ascended the French throne as
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 ...
, thus Margaret 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 ...
, although she remained confined, as Louis would not revoke her punishment for adultery, nor have her crowned as a queen consort.
Without an incumbent pope, Louis had no means of annulling his marriage. After poor treatment in prison, Queen Margaret caught a cold and died in 1315, although another source states that she was strangled to death.
Legacy
Margaret's daughter, Joan, later became
queen regnant
A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reignin ...
of Navarre as
Joan II (1311–1349). Her paternity was under doubt because of her mother's alleged adultery. On his deathbed Louis formally recognized Joan as his daughter.
In 1361, Margaret's succession rights became important in the premature death of
Philip I, Duke of Burgundy
Philip of Rouvres (1346 – 21 November 1361) was the Count of Burgundy (as Philip II) and Count of Artois (as Philip III) from 1347, Duke of Burgundy (as Philip I) from 1349, and Count of Auvergne and Boulogne (as Philip III) from 1360. He was ...
(her grandnephew), since the closest Burgundian heirs were descendants of Margaret and of her sister,
Joan the Lame. Margaret's grandson and heir
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 fathe ...
claimed the duchy on the basis of primogeniture, but Joan the Lame's son
John II of France
John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which kill ...
on the basis of proximity, being one generation closer to the Burgundian dukes. As king, John ruled in his own favor and became Duke of Burgundy, later bestowing the Duchy upon his son,
Philip the Bold
Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and '' jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Philip II was ...
.
In fiction
Margaret is portrayed in ''Le Roi de Fer'' and ''La Reine Étranglée'', two 1955 novels in
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 ...
's ''
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'') series of
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. She was played by in the 1972 French
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
adaptation of the series, and by
Hélène Fillières
Hélène Fillières (born 1 May 1972) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. She is the sister of filmmaker Sophie Fillières
Sophie Fillières (born 20 November 1964) is a French film director and screenwriter who has written fo ...
in the 2005 adaptation.
Margaret appears as a pivotal character in the second season of the historical drama series ''
Knightfall
"Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".On the comic book covers, only the third part ...
''. She is portrayed by Clementine Nicholson.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Burgundy, France, Queen Of
1290 births
1315 deaths
French queens consort
Navarrese royal consorts
Countesses of Champagne
House of Burgundy
House of Capet
Murdered royalty
13th-century French people
13th-century French women
14th-century French people
14th-century French women
People convicted of adultery