Francis I (in Breton Fransez I, in French François I) (11 May 1414 – 17 July 1450), was
Duke of Brittany
This is a list of rulers of Brittany. In different epochs the rulers of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary right. Hereditary ...
,
Count of Montfort and titular
Earl of Richmond
The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. The earldom of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond was initially held by various Breton people, Breton nobles; sometimes the holde ...
, from 29 August 1442 to his death. He was born in
Vannes
Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History
Celtic ...
, the son of
John V, Duke of Brittany
John V, sometimes numbered as VI, (24 December 1389 – 29 August 1442) bynamed John the Wise (; ), was Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort from 1399 to his death. His rule coincided with the height of the Hundred Years' War between Engla ...
and
Joan of France, the daughter of
King Charles VI of France.
Family
Francis I was originally engaged to Bonne of Savoy, the daughter of
Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, and his wife
Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy (; ; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy who ruled the Burgundian lands, comprising the Duchy of Burgundy, Duchy and Free County of Burgundy, County of Burgundy a ...
. She died just before their marriage in 1430, at the age of 15.
Francis I's first marriage was to Yolande of
Anjou, daughter of
Louis II, Duke of Anjou and
Yolande of Aragon; they were married in
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
in August 1431. Francis and Yolande had a son, Renaud, Count of Montfort. His son Renaud died young and his wife Yolande died in 1440.
Francis' second marriage was to
Isabel of Scotland, daughter of
James I, King of Scots and
Joan Beaufort. She had been intended to marry his father
John V, Duke of Brittany
John V, sometimes numbered as VI, (24 December 1389 – 29 August 1442) bynamed John the Wise (; ), was Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort from 1399 to his death. His rule coincided with the height of the Hundred Years' War between Engla ...
, with the marriage contract signed on 19 July 1441 and ratified on 29 September 1441, but he died before the wedding took place. Once in Brittany, Isabella married instead with the widowed eldest son of her groom. Francis and Isabel married at the Château d'
Auray
Auray (; , or simply ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Morbihan Departments of France, department, Regions of France, administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France.
Inhabitants of Auray are cal ...
on 30 October 1442. Francis gifted her the
Hours of Isabella Stuart after their wedding.
Francis and Isabel had two daughters:
*
Margaret of Brittany (1443–1469, Nantes), married
Francis II, Duke of Brittany.
*
Marie of Brittany (1444–1506), married John II,
Viscount of Rohan and
Count of Porhoët.
Succession
Francis I died on 17 July 1450 at the
Château de l'Hermine, being only 36 years of age. Because he had no surviving male heirs at the time of his death, he was succeeded as Duke of Brittany by his younger brother,
Peter II of Brittany.
During his time, the residences of the Dukes of Brittany consisted of: the Château de l'Hermine; the
Château de Nantes; the
Château de Clisson; and the
Château de Suscinio.
Ancestry
See also
*
Dukes of Brittany family tree
This is a list of rulers of Brittany. In different epochs the rulers of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary right. Hereditary ...
References
Sources
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1414 births
1450 deaths
15th-century dukes of Brittany
15th-century peers of France
Dukes of Brittany
Montfort of Brittany
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