Noble family House of Bourbon Died January 22, 1511 | Name Jeanne Bourbon, Mother Isabelle de Beauveau | |
Father John II, Count of Vendome Spouse John II, Duke of Bourbon (m. 1487) Parents John VIII, Count of Vendome Children Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne, Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne Similar People Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne, Catherine de' Medici, Alessandro de' Medici - Duke of F, Robert - Count of Clermont, Piero the Unfortunate | ||
Grandchildren Catherine de' Medici | ||
Jeanne de Bourbon (1465 – 22 January 1511) was a daughter of John II, Count of Vendôme and Isabelle de Beauvau. Through her daughter Madeleine, she was the maternal grandmother of French queen consort Catherine de' Medici.
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Family and lineage
She was a daughter of John II, Count of Vendôme and Isabelle de Beauvau. Her maternal grandparents were Louis de Beauvau, Seneschal of Anjou and Marguerite de Chambley.
Her paternal grandparents were Louis, Count of Vendôme and Jeanne of Laval. Louis had served as both Grand Chamberman of France and Grand Master of France. He was a prominent member of the Armagnac party.
Louis was the second son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine of Vendôme. John was a prominent soldier in the Hundred Years' War.
John was in turn the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon. James was a Constable of France but was killed in the Battle of Brignais.
James was the second surviving son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes. Louis served as a Grand Chamberman of France but gained a reputation for his supposed mental instability.
Louis was the eldest son of Robert, Count of Clermont and Beatrix of Bourbon. Beatrix was the heiress of the Bourbon family and the matriarch of the new Bourbon line of the Capetian dynasty.
Robert was the youngest son of Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence.
First marriage
She married first John II, Duke of Bourbon in 1487. The groom was about sixty-one years old and the bride only twenty-two. John had survived two previous wives and his only son. He was in a need of an heir; however, they had only one son:
John II died the same year as his second and last known son.
Almost queen
After becoming widowed, it is said that Charles VIII of France became so struck by Jeanne's charms that he wished to marry her. A location for the wedding (Moulins) was even selected. However, his mother Queen Charlotte (1443–1483) had another match in mind for her son: the wealthy heiress Anne of Brittany. Consequently, the King's engagement with Jeanne was broken off. Desormeaux commented that Jeanne would have been Queen of France if beauty and love could have worn the Crown.
Second marriage
Jeanne remained a widow for seven years. On 11 January 1495, Jeanne married her second husband John III, Count of Auvergne. They had two daughters:
- Anne, married John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany.
- Madeleine, married Lorenzo II, Duke of Urbino. She was the mother of Catherine de' Medici.
John III died on 28 March 1501.