Anne of France

Anne of France
Duchess of Bourbon; Viscountess of Thouars
Spouse	Peter II, Duke of Bourbon
Issue
Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon
House	House of Valois
Father	Louis XI of France
Mother	Charlotte of Savoy
Born	3 April 1461(1461-04-03) Chateau of Genappe, Brabant
Died	14 November 1522 (aged 61) Chateau of Chantelle, Bourbonnais, Allier, France
Burial	Priory of Souvigny

Anne of France (or Anne of Beaujeu) (3 April 1461 – 14 November 1522) was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Her paternal grandparents were King Charles VII of France and Marie of Anjou. Anne was the sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she acted as regent during his minority; and of Joan of France, briefly the Queen consort of Louis XII. As regent of France, Anne was one of the most powerful women of the late fifteenth century and was referred to as Madame la Grand.^[1]

Marriage

Anne was originally betrothed to Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine and was created Viscountess of Thouars in 1468 in anticipation of the marriage. However, Nicholas broke the engagement to pursue Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, and then died unexpectedly in 1473, prompting Louis to take back the fief. That same year, on 3 November, Anne married Peter of Bourbon instead, and took up rule of the Beaujolais at the same time, when her husband was ceded the title of 'Lord of Beaujeu' by his brother the Duke of Bourbon. Anne was just twelve years old at the time.

Regency

During the minority of Anne's brother, Charles VIII of France, Peter and Anne held the regency of France. This regency extended from 1483 until 1491, and together Peter and Anne maintained the royal authority and the unity of the kingdom against the Orléans party, which was in open revolt during the "Mad War" of the 1480s.

Anne's regency overcome many difficulties, including unrest amongst the magnates who had suffered under Louis XI's oppressions. Concessions, many of which sacrificed Louis's favourites, were made, and land was restored to many of the hostile nobles, including the future Louis XII of France, then Duke of Orléans.

Anne made the final treaty ending the Hundred Years' War, the Treaty of Etaples and, in 1491 (despite Austrian and English opposition), arranged the marriage of her brother Charles to Anne, Duchess of Brittany, in order to attach Brittany to the French crown. When Charles ended the regency in 1491, both Anne and Peter fell victim to the wrath of the new queen, whose duchy's independence had been compromised.

Anne and Peter produced only a single child, Suzanne, born 10 May 1491 (Anne had also become pregnant in 1476, but the baby is presumed to have miscarried or been stillborn).^[2] Suzanne succeeded Peter on his death in 1503.^[2] Anne, however, had always been the more dominant member in her marriage and remained the administrator of the Bourbon lands after his death, protecting them from royal encroachment. In addition to having had a strong, formidable personality, Anne was an extremely intelligent, shrewd and energetic woman. Her father had termed her "the least foolish woman in France".^[3] Anne was dark-haired with a high forehead, a widow's peak, and finely-arched eyebrows. She was further described as having had clear brown eyes, direct in their gaze; a sharp, haughty nose, thin lips, thin hands, and she "stood straight as a lance".^[4]

Triptych which depicts St. Anne presenting Anne and her daughter Suzanne

Anne was responsible for the housing and education for many of the aristocracy's children including Anne de Poitiers and Louise of Savoy^[5]. She is credited with instructing these young people with the new "refined" manners such as not using their fingers to wipe their noses but a "piece of fabric".^[6]

Suzanne married another Bourbon prince, Charles of Montpensier, who became Charles III, Duke of Bourbon. The couple, however, remained childless, and Suzanne predeceased her mother. When Anne herself died in 1522, her own line and that of her father became extinct. A descendant of Anne's aunt, Anne of Laval, was considered to be her heir.

In fiction

A highly fictitious account of her life and her supposed romance with Louis XII was written in 1947 by Muriel Roy Bolton called The Golden Porcupine. It is nothing more than a historical romance so cannot be regarded as a biography. Anne also appears in Michael Ennis' novel The Duchess of Milan.

Ancestry

Notes

1. ^ Robin, Maury Robin, and Anne R. Larsen, Carole Levin, Encyclopedia of women in the Renaissance, (ABC-CLIO, 2007), 42-43.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Queens Mate" by Pauline Matarasso
3. ^ Francis Hackett, Francis the First, p.25
4. ^ Hackett, Francis the First, pp.45-46
5. ^ Hackett, Francis the First,p.41
6. ^ Kent,The Serpent and the Moon, pp.28-30

References

• Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent, "The Serpent and the Moon", New York, 2004, Touchstone, ISBN 0-7432-5104-0
• Francis Hackett, "Francis The First", Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1937