Anne, Duchess of Brittany
| Anne | |
|---|---|
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|
| Duchess of Brittany | |
| Reign | 9 September 1488 – 9 January 1514 |
| Enthronement | 10 February 1489 |
| Predecessor | Francis II |
| Successor | Claude |
| Queen of France | |
| Tenure | 6 December 1491 – 7 April 1498 |
| Coronation | 8 February 1492 |
| Tenure | 8 January 1499 – 9 January 1514 |
| Coronation | 18 November 1504 |
| Born | 25/26 January 1477 Nantes, Brittany |
| Died | 9 January 1514 (aged 36) Blois, France |
| Burial | Saint Denis Basilica |
| Spouse |
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VIII of France Louis XII of France |
| Issue among others... |
Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France Claude, Queen of France Renée, Duchess of Ferrara |
| House | Dreux-Montfort |
| Father | Francis II, Duke of Brittany |
| Mother | Margaret of Foix |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Anne of Brittany (French: Anne de Bretagne; Breton: Anna Breizh) (25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and queen consort of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She is the only woman to have been queen consort of France twice. During the Italian Wars, Anne also became queen consort of Naples, from 1501 to 1504, and duchess consort of Milan, in 1499–1500 and from 1500 to 1512.
Anne was raised in Nantes during a series of conflicts in which the king of France sought to assert his suzerainty over Brittany. Her father, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, was the last male of the House of Montfort. Upon his death in 1488, Anne became duchess regnant of Brittany, countess of Nantes, Montfort, and Richmond, and viscountess of Limoges. She was only 12 at that time, but she was already a coveted heiress because of Brittany's strategic position. The next year, she married Maximilian I of Austria by proxy, but Charles VIII of France saw this as a threat since his realm was located between Brittany and Austria. He started a military campaign which eventually forced the duchess to renounce her marriage.
Anne eventually married Charles VIII in 1491. None of their children survived early childhood, and when the king died in 1498, the throne went to his cousin, Louis XII. Following an agreement made to secure the annexation of Brittany, Anne had to marry the new king. Louis XII was deeply in love with his wife and Anne had many opportunities to reassert the independence of her duchy. They had two daughters together and, although neither could succeed to the French throne due to the Salic Law, the eldest was proclaimed the heiress of Brittany. Anne managed to have her eldest daughter engaged to the future Charles V of Austria, grandchild of Maximilian I, but after her death in 1514, her daughter married her cousin Francis I of France. This marriage later led to the formal union between France and Brittany.
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