Isabella of Navarre, Countess of Armagnac

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Isabella of Navarre
Countess of Armagnac
Born1395
Kingdom of Navarre
Died31 August 1450
SpouseJohn IV of Armagnac
IssueMarie, Duchess of Alençon
John V of Armagnac
Eleanor, Princess d'Orange, Lady of Arlay and Arguel
Charles, Viscount of Fézensaguet
Isabella, Lady of the Four-Valleys
HouseÉvreux
FatherCharles III of Navarre
MotherEleanor of Castile

Isabella of Navarre (1395 – 31 August 1450) was the younger surviving daughter of Charles III of Navarre and his wife Eleanor of Castile.[1] She was a member of the House of Évreux.

Early life and family[edit]

Shortly before Isabella's birth, her mother was dealing with problems in Castile, involving her brother John I of Aragon. Eleanor was forced to return to Navarre for her daughter's birth.

Isabella was the sixth of eight children. Her two younger brothers died in childhood, leaving Isabella and her five older sisters. Her sisters included: Joanna (died before inheriting the throne), Blanche (successor of their father), and Beatrice.

Marriage[edit]

Isabella was firstly betrothed to Infante John of Aragon around 1414.[2] Her mother, Queen Eleanor bequeathed her money for the marriage.[3] John later became King of Aragon but broke off his contract with Isabella, in hopes of marrying Joanna II of Naples.[2]

Isabella eventually married on 10 May 1419 John IV of Armagnac.[4] This marriage was John's second marriage, after the death of his first wife Blanche of Brittany, who had left no sons.

Isabella and John had five children:

  • Marie of Armagnac (b. 1420–1473), married in 1437 John II of Alençon (b. 1409–1476), Duke of Alençon; maternal great-grandparents of King Henry IV of France.
  • John V of Armagnac (b. 1420–1473), Viscount of Lomagne, then Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac and Rodez. He married illegally to younger sister Isabella, had issue and married secondly to Joan of Foix, also with issue.
  • Eleanor (b. 1423–1456), married in 1446 Louis de Chalon (b. 1389; † 1463), Prince d'Orange, Lord of Arlay and Arguel, had issue
  • Charles I (b. 1425–1497), Viscount of Fézensaguet, then Count d' Armagnac, of Fézensac and Rodez
  • Isabella (b. 1430–1476), Lady of the Four-Valleys, married illegally to brother John and had issue.

Isabella and her husband both died in 1450; she died in August and he died three months later in November, she was around fifty-four at the time of death.

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Woodacre 2013, p. x.
  2. ^ a b Woodacre 2013, p. 91.
  3. ^ Yanguas, Tomo II, p. 191, quoting "caj. 104, n. 8".
  4. ^ Pernoud & Clin 1999, p. 174.

Sources[edit]

  • Pernoud, Régine; Clin, Marie-Véronique (1999). Joan of Arc: Her Story. Translated by Adams, Jeremy duQuesnay. St. Martin's Press.
  • Woodacre, Elena (2013). The Queens Regnant of Navarre: Succession, Politics, and Partnership, 1274-1512. Palgrave Macmillan.