Coat of arms Wife Isabella d' Evreux Successor John V Died November 5, 1450 | Predecessor Bernard VII Name John Count Father Bernard VII | |
Spouse Isabella of Navarre, Countess of Armagnac (m. 1419–1450), Blanche of Brittany (m. 1407) Children John V, Count of Armagnac, Marie of Armagnac Parents Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac, Bonne of Berry Cousins Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, Louis I, Count of Montpensier, Bonne of Artois, Charles of Artois, Count of Eu | ||
Grandchildren Rene, Duke of Alencon | ||
John IV (15 October 1396 – 5 November 1450) was a Count of Armagnac, Fézensac, and Rodez from 1418 to 1450. He was the son of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac, Pardiac, and Rodez; and Bonne of Berry.
His father had taken the County of Comminges by force, but John IV could not prevent the second marriage of Marguerite to Mathieu de Foix in 1419. Subsequently they took the County of Comminges. In 1425, he recognized the King of Castile as overlord of Armagnac. The French king, occupied fighting the English, could not intervene, but did not overlook the affront. Later, John IV negotiated the marriage of his daughter Isabelle with Henry VI of England, but he backed off from this plan after threats from the king of France. In 1440, he took part in a revolt of the barons and the Dauphin of France, but the coalition was overcome by Charles VII, who pardoned the insurrectionists. He asked the Count of Armagnac to give up its kingly formula, but this last was refused.
Charles VII then asked the Dauphin to punish the recalcitrant John IV. Besieged in L'Isle-Jourdain, John IV was made prisoner and imprisoned in Carcassonne in 1443. He was pardoned three years later, but his counties were directed by royal officers, and he did not have any more noble capacities until his death.
Marriages and children
He married Blanche of Brittany (1395–1419), daughter of John IV, Duke of Brittany and Jeanne d' Évreux, on 16 June 1407 and had one child:
He married his second wife on 10 May 1419, shortly after the death of his first wife. His second wife was Isabella d' Évreux (b. 1395; † 1450), daughter of Charles III, king of Navarre and Eleanor of Castille. They had five children: