Marie of Anjou

Marie of Anjou
Marie of Anjou
Queen consort of France
Tenure	18 December 1422- 14 July 1461
Born	14 October 1404; Angers
Died	29 November 1463 (aged 59); Abbaye de Chateliers-en-Poitou
Burial	Saint-Denis Basilica
Spouse	Charles VII of France
Issue	Louis XI of France; Radegonde of Valois; Yolande, Duchess of Savoy; Magdalena, Princess of Viana; Charles, Duke of Berry; Joan, Duchess of Bourbon; Catherine of Valois
House	Valois-Anjou
Father	Louis II of Anjou
Mother	Yolande of Aragon
Religion	Roman Catholic

Marie of Anjou (14 October 1404 – 29 November 1463) was Queen of France as the spouse of King Charles VII from 1422 to 1461. She served as regent and presided over the council of state several times during the absence of the king.[1]

Life

Marie was the eldest daughter of Louis II of Anjou, claimant to the throne of Naples, and Yolande of Aragon, claimant to the throne of Aragon.[2]

Marie was betrothed to her second cousin Charles, son and heir apparent of Charles VI of France, in 1413.[2] When a Burgundian force took Paris in 1418, Charles left her stranded, but she was taken by John the Fearless to Saumur to be reunited with him. However, Charles failed to arrive for the agreed rendezvous.[3]

The wedding took place on 18 December 1422 at Bourges.[4] The marriage made Marie Queen of France, but as far as it is known, she was never crowned.[1] Her spouse's victory in the Hundred Years War owed a great deal to the support he received from Marie's family, notably from her mother Yolande of Aragon.

Queen

Queen Marie presided over the council of state several times in the absence of the king, during which she had power of attorney as regent and signed acts in the position of "lieutenant of the king" (April 1434).[1] She made several pilgrimages, such as Puy with the king in 1424, and Mount St Michel by herself in 1447.

Marie and Charles had fourteen children, but her spouse's affection was primarily directed towards his mistress, Agnès Sorel, originally Marie's lady in waiting, who became official mistress to the king in 1444 and played a dominant role at court until her death in 1450, somewhat eclipsing the queen.[1]

Robert Blondel composed the allegorical Treatise of the "Twelve Perils of Hell" for Queen Marie in 1455.

Queen dowager

In 1461, Charles VII died and was succeeded by their son Louis XI, making Marie queen dowager. She was granted the Chateau of Amboise and the income from Brabant by her son.

During the winter of 1462-63, Marie of Anjou made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It has been speculated that she had a mission in Spain as secret ambassador for her son, due to the political situation at the time and the fact that she made the pilgrimage during winter time, when the roads were so bad that such trips were normally avoided if possible.

She died at the age of 59 on 29 November 1463 at the Cistercian Abbaye de Chateliers-en-Poitou (now in Nouvelle-Aquitaine region) on her return. She is buried in the basilica of Saint-Denis alongside her spouse.

Issue

Marie was the mother of fourteen children:

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Louis	3 July 1423	30 August 1483	King of France. Married firstly, Margaret of Scotland, no issue. Married secondly, Charlotte of Savoy, had issue.
John	19 September 1426		Lived for a few hours.
Radegonde	after 29 August 1428	19 March 1444	Betrothed to Sigismund, Archduke of Austria on 22 July 1430.
Catherine	after 29 August 1428	13 July 1446	Married Charles the Bold, no issue.
James	1432	2 March 1437	Died aged five.
Yolande	23 September 1434	23/29 August 1478	Married Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy, had issue.
Joan	4 May 1435	4 May 1482	Married John II, Duke of Bourbon, no issue.
Philip	4 February 1436	11 June 1436	Died in infancy.
Margaret	May 1437	24 July 1438	Died aged one.
Joanna	7 September 1438	26 December 1446	Twin of Marie, died aged eight.
Marie	7 September 1438	14 February 1439	Twin of Joanna, died in infancy.
Isabella	1441	Died young.
Magdalena	1 December 1443	21 January 1495	Married Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana, had issue.
Charles	12 December 1446	24 May 1472	Died without legitimate issue.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Marie of Anjou

8. John II, King of France

4. Louis I, Duke of Anjou

9. Bonne of Bohemia

2. Louis II, King of Naples

10. Charles, Duke of Brittany

5. Marie of Blois

11. Joan, Duchess of Brittany

1. Marie of Anjou

12. Peter IV, King of Aragon

6. John I, King of Aragon

13. Eleanor of Sicily

3. Yolande of Aragon

14. Robert I, Duke of Bar

7. Violant of Bar

15. Marie of France

References

Gaude-Ferragu 2016, p. ?.
Green 2014, p. 190.
Jonathan Sumption (4 September 2015). The Hundred Years War, Volume 4: Cursed Kings. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 593. ISBN 978-0-8122-4799-2.
Ashdown-Hill 2016, p. xxiv.

Sources

Ashdown-Hill, John (2016). The Private Life of Edward IV. Amberley Publishing.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Gaude-Ferragu, Murielle (2016). Queenship in Medieval France, 1300-1500. Palgrave Macmillan.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Green, David (2014). The Hundred Years War: A People's History. Yale University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

French royalty
Preceded by Isabeau of Bavaria	Queen consort of France 1422 – 22 July 1461	Succeeded by Charlotte of Savoy

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[FOOTNOTEGaude-Ferragu2016?-1] Gaude-Ferragu 2016, p. ?.

[FOOTNOTEGreen2014190-2] Green 2014, p. 190.

[Sumption2015-3] Jonathan Sumption (4 September 2015). The Hundred Years War, Volume 4: Cursed Kings. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 593. ISBN 978-0-8122-4799-2.

[FOOTNOTEAshdown-Hill2016xxiv-4] Ashdown-Hill 2016, p. xxiv.