Birth of Anne of Brittany, Queen of France~twice
What is more incredible that being crowned Queen?
Being crowned Queen twice!
Anne of Brittany is on that very rare list, having been crowned Queen twice – along with another famous French woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Anne of Brittany is today still remembered as one of the leading figures in French history.
Anne wasn’t just a pretty face with a love for fancy headwear, she was a shrewd diplomat who knew how to wheel and deal.
At a time when women had little power on their own, Anne was known for her fortitude in trying to carve out the destiny of Brittany.
Anne would go to great lengths to protect the Bretons, she swapped her comfy duchess coronet for the glitteringly thorny French crown, becoming the Queen of France…… twice.
Anne of Brittany was born on 25th January 1477, in the city of Nantes.
She was the eldest daughter of Duke François II of Bretagne and his second wife Margaret of Foix.
Anne would later have a sister named Isabelle, unfortunately, Anne’s mother died when she and her sister were young, leaving them to be raised by their father.
As her father’s heiress, Anne and her lands were coveted, making her an attractive prospect on the marriage market.
Anne was promptly betrothed to Edward, Prince of Wales – heir to the English throne.
Edward was one of the two princes in the tower, who disappeared under the care of their uncle, King Richard III.
Anne was then betrothed to Maximilian, King of the Romans and Archduke of Austria.
Other suitors were~
Alain I of Albret, a French count and great-grandson of Duke John V of Brittany.
Louis, Duke of Orléans, cousin of French King Charles VIII.
John IV of Chalon-Arlay, a French count and great-grandson of Duke John V of Brittany.
Louis, Duke of Orléans, cousin of French King Charles VIII.
John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Prince of Orange.
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.
On his deathbed, Anne’s father made his 11-year-old daughter promise never to consent to the subjugation of the Duchy of Brittany, to the Kingdom of France.
On 10th February 1489, Anne was crowned Duchess of Brittany at the age of 13-years-old.
To try to preserve the duchy, her advisors arranged Anne’s marriage to Maximilian I of Austria.
However, Anne didn’t get to fulfil her marriage to Maximillian, because King Charles VIII of France insisted that she marry him instead.
Anne married Charles VIII of France on 6th December 1491.
Anne was now Queen of France at the age of 14.
The marriage also brought the region of Brittany fully under French control, against the English.
Charles VIII agreed to end his support for the Yorkist Pretender Perkin Warbeck, in return for being recognised as ruler of the Duchy of Brittany.
King Charles VIII would not last long however, dying at the age of 27 after accidentally striking his head on a door at the Château d’Amboise.
Sadly their son Charles Orlando had already died at the age of 3, and when the king died in 1498, the throne went to his cousin, King Louis XII.
The new King Louis XII, was already married to Joan, Anne’s sister-in-law.
However, Louis XII proclaimed Joan was sickly and had a hunched back, and asked for an annulment.
Anne agreed to marry Louis XII if he obtained an annulment from Joan.
Louis XII managed to get the annulment and Anne married King Louis in 1499, making her twice the Queen of France.
Anne’s marriage contract stated that she personally retained rights to the duchy of Brittany.
The contract stated that it should be the couple’s second child, son or daughter who would be Anne’s heir, thus keeping the duchy separate from the throne of France.
Sadly, the clause would not be respected in the future.
Anne was now 22-years old and her new husband was 15 years older than her.
Historical reports suggest that Anne’s new husband Louis XII was deeply in love with his wife, although it is not clear whether Anne felt the same.
Anne and Louis XII had 2 daughters together, Claude and Renée.
However, neither could succeed to the French throne due to the Salic Law which said women could not inherit.
Nevertheless, the eldest Claude was proclaimed the Duchess of Brittany, and was a much sought after heiress herself.
Exhausted by many pregnancies and miscarriages, Anne of Brittany died of a kidney-stone attack in the Château de Blois at 6 a.m. on 9th 1514.
She was 36 years old.
She was buried in the necropolis of Saint Denis.
Her funeral was exceptionally long, lasting 40 days, and it inspired all future French royal funerals until the 18th century.
Anne’s husband Louis XII, would briefly marry Mary Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII of England.
Although he too would die within a year, at the age of 52.
Miniature depiction in the ‘Great Hours Of Anne Of Brittany
by Jean Bourdichon c. 1503-1508
