Duchess of Brittany, twice queen of France Anne de Bretagne, born in Nantes, was the daughter of Duke Francois II de Bretagne and Marguerite de Foix. Anne’s mother died when she was a small child; her father lived only until Anne was eleven years old. Upon the death of her father, the child became duchess of Brittany. At the age of thirteen, Anne was married by procuration to Maximilian I, archduke of Austria. The procuration was later declared defective and the marriage not binding. In 1491 Anne married the French king Charles VIII, son and successor of Louis XI, to stabilize relations between France and Brittany. The following year Anne was crowned queen of France. Charles and Anne’s firstborn, Charles-Orlando, lived only until the age of three. Their other three children were stillborn or died in infancy. Charles died in 1498 without leaving an heir to the throne. Upon her husband’s death, Anne reacquired the title of duchess of Brittany, a title she had been forbidden to use since her marriage.
The man who would be Anne’s second husband, Louis d’ Orleans, was declared king of France on 8 April 1498, becoming Louis XII. He married Anne in January 1499, a few weeks after his marriage to Jeanne de France was annulled. Late that year a daughter, Claude, was born to the king and queen. At the age of six, Claude was promised to Francois d’Angouleme, later Francois I, over the strong objections of her mother. In 1510 their second daughter was born, Renee de France, subsequently duchess of Ferrara.
Anne was a pious woman, eminently respectable. Her court came to be known as a school of good conduct for young noble girls. Although she possessed a tumultuous temper and a revengeful streak, Anne, known as the Good Duchess, was deeply generous to friends, allies, and the poor. She died of natural causes on 9 January 1514.
Kathleen M. Llewellyn
See also Power, Politics and Women; Renata di Francia.
Bibliography
Matarasso, Pauline. Queen’s Mate:Three Women of Power in France on the Eve of the Renaissance. Aldershot, UK; Burlington, VT; Singapore; Sydney: Ashgate, 2001.
Minois, Georges. Anne de Bretagne. Paris: Fayard, 1999.
Ryley, M. Beresford. Queens of the Renaissance. Williamstown, MA: Corner House Publishers, 1982.
World History
