Yolande of Valois (23 September 1434 – 23 August 1478), also called Yolande of France, was

Duchess of Savoy This is a list of consorts of the Savoyard monarchs. Countess of Savoy, 1003–1416 Duchess of Savoy, 1416–1713 ;As courtesy title Queen of Sardinia, 1720–1861 Between 1859 and 1861 the Kingdom of Sardinia incorporated the majo ...

by marriage to Duke

Amadeus IX of Savoy Amadeus IX (1 February 1435 – 30 March 1472), nicknamed the Happy, was the Duke of Savoy from 1465 to 1472. The Catholic Church venerates him with a liturgical feast on March 30. Life He was born at Thonon-les-Bains, the son of Louis, Duke ...

, and regent of Savoy during the minority of her son Philibert I of Savoy from 1472 until 1478.

Life

She was a daughter of King

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

, "The Victorious," and

Marie of Anjou Marie of Anjou (14 October 1404 – 29 November 1463) was Queen of France as the spouse of King Charles VII from 1422 to 1461. She served as regent and presided over the council of state several times during the absence of the king. Life Marie w ...

.She was named after her grandmother,

Yolande of Aragon Yolande of Aragon (11 August 1384 – 14 November 1442) was Duchess of Anjou and Countess of Provence by marriage, who acted as regent of Provence during the minority of her son. She was a daughter of John I of Aragon and his wife Violant o ...

. She married Duke

in 1452. Her spouse became duke of Savoy in 1465, making her duchess. Her husband's retiring disposition and

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

left her in control of the state, to struggle with the Savoyard barons.

Regency

After the death of her spouse in March 1472, she became regent for her son Philibert until her own death. Like her brother

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, she was an ally to

Charles, Duke of Burgundy Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, against her own brother

Louis XI of France Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...

. After the humiliation of Burgundy at the

Battle of Grandson The Battle of Grandson, which took place on 2 March 1476, was part of the Burgundian Wars, and resulted in a major defeat for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundian State, Burgundy, at the hands of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Swiss. Prelude In ...

in 1476, the duke accused her of being in league with Louis and imprisoned her. After her release, she made peace with her brother and remained on good terms with him until her death. She is said to have been one of the very few women whose intelligence he respected. Yolanda was the first person in Europe to own a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

during the Middle Ages. She is known to have kept one in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

in 1478.Aleksander Pluskowski, "What is exotic?", in ''The Edges of the Medieval World'' (CEU Press, 2009), p. 126.

Issue

With Amadeus she had ten children: # Louis of Savoy (1453) #

Anne of Savoy Anne of Savoy, Princess of Squillace, Altamura, and Taranto (1 June 1455 – February 1480) was the first wife of King Frederick IV. She died 16 years before he succeeded to the Neapolitan throne, so she was never queen consort. Anne was a member ...

(1455–1480), married

Frederick of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinan ...

(1452–1504), prince of

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...

# Charles of Savoy (1456–1471), Prince of Piedmont # Maria of Savoy (1460–1511) married

Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg Margrave Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg (1454 – 9 September 1503) was the son of the Margrave Rudolf IV of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Margaret of Vienne. Philip reigned in 1487–1503 as Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Count of Neuchâtel ...

(1454–1503) #

Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, and the mother of King Francis I. She was politically active and served as the regent of Fra ...

(1462–1503), married in 1479 to Hugh de Chalon # Philibert I of Savoy (1465–1482) # Bernard of Savoy (1467) #

Charles I of Savoy Charles I (28 March 1468 Carignano, Piedmont – 13 March 1490 Pinerolo), called the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490. Life Charles was son of Amadeus IX, D ...

(1468–1490) # James Louis of Savoy (1470–1485), Count of the Genevois,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

# John Claude Galeazzo of Savoy (1472)

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Yolande Of Valois 1434 births 1478 deaths People from Tours, France French princesses Duchesses of Savoy House of Valois 15th-century French women Burials at Vercelli Cathedral Regents of Savoy 15th-century French people 15th-century women rulers People of Byzantine descent Daughters of kings