René of Alençon (1454 – 1 November 1492) was a French

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

. He succeeded his father

John II of Alençon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Duke of Alençon Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

Life

René was born in 1454 to the

House of Valois-Alençon A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

. He was the son of

and

Marie of Armagnac Marie of Armagnac (c. 1420–1473) was a French noblewoman, daughter of John IV of Armagnac and his second wife, Isabella of Navarre. Marriage and children On 30 April 1437, Marie became the second wife of John II of Alençon. Their marriage wa ...

. In 1478, he was restored as

and

Count of Perche The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between Normandy and Maine (province), Maine. It was held by an independent line of counts until 1226. One of these, Geoffroy V, would have been a leader of the Fourth Crusade had he not died before ...

, titles which had been confiscated from his family after his father's conviction in 1474.

Family

His first wife was Marguerite, daughter of William of Harcourt, Count of Tancarville. He married a second time on 14 May 1488 at

Toul Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Climate Toul h ...

, to

Margaret of Lorraine Margaret of Lorraine, Duchess of Alençon (1463 at the castle of Vaudémont, Lorraine – 2 November 1521 in Argentan, Normandy) was a French noblewoman and a nun of the order of Poor Clares (''Ordre des Clarisses''). She was beatified in 1921. ...

(1463 – 1 November 1521), daughter of Frederick, Count of Vaudémont and

Yolande of Anjou Yolande (2 November 1428, Nancy, France, Nancy – 23 March 1483, Nancy) was List of rulers of Lorraine, Duchess of Lorraine (1473) and Duchy of Bar, Bar (1480). She was the daughter of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, and René of Anjou (King of Na ...

. Margaret bore him three children: # Charles IV of Alençon (1489–1525) #

Françoise of Alençon Françoise () is a French feminine given name (equivalent to the Italian Francesca) and may refer to: * Anne Françoise Elizabeth Lange (1772–1816), French actress * Claudine Françoise Mignot (1624–1711), French adventuress * Françoise Adn ...

(c. 1490 – 14 September 1550,

La Fleche LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...

), Duchess of Beaumont, married 1505 in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...

, François, Duke of Longueville (d. 1512), married 1513

Charles, Duke of Vendôme Charles de Bourbon (2 June 1489 – 25 March 1537) was a French '' prince du sang'' and military commander at the court of Francis I of France. Biography Charles was born at the Château de Vendôme, eldest son of Francis de Bourbon, Count ...

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

(30 October 1492 – 18 October 1562,

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the v ...

), Lady of la Guerche, married 31 August 1508 in Blois William IX Paleologos, Marquess of Montferrat He also had several illegitimate children: # Charles (d. 1545), Lord of Cany # Marguerite, married 1485 Jacques de Boisguyon, married Henri de Bournel # Jacqueline, married Gilles des Ormes

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * 1454 births 1492 deaths House of Valois-Alençon 103 Counts of Perche 15th-century peers of France {{France-noble-stub