Charlotte of Albret
| Charlotte of Albret | |
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suo jure Dame de Châlus Duchess of Valentinois Regent of Valentinois |
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Tomb and effigy of Charlotte of Albret
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| Spouse(s) | Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | Albret |
| Father | Alain I of Albret, Lord of Albret |
| Mother | Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges |
| Born | 1480 France |
| Died | 11 March 1514 (aged 33–34) The Chateau of La Motte-Feuilly, France |
Charlotte of Albret, suo jure Dame de Châlus, Duchess of Valentinois (1480 – 11 March 1514), also known as Charlotte d'Albret, was a wealthy French noblewoman of the Albret family. She was the sister of King John III of Navarre, and the wife of the notorious Cesare Borgia whom she married in 1499. She was the mother of his only legitimate child, Louise Borgia to whom she acted as regent following the death of Cesare.
Charlotte was born in 1480, the daughter of Alain I of Albret, Lord of Albret, and Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges. Her paternal grandparents were Jean I d'Albret and Charlotte de Rohan, and her maternal grandparents were Guillaume de Blois, Viscount of Limoges and Isabelle de La Tour d'Auvergne, daughter of Bertrand V de La Tour, Count of Auvergne and Boulogne, and Jacquette du Peschin. Her paternal great-great-grandfather was Charles d'Albret, Constable of France, who was killed while commanding the French troops at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. She had six siblings including John d'Albret who became King of Navarre upon his marriage to Catherine of Navarre.
On 10 May 1499, at the age of 19 at Blois, she married Cesare Borgia, the notorious illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI Borgia and Vannozza dei Cattanei. He had recently been created Duke of Valentinois by King Louis XII of France. The marriage was political, arranged with the purpose of strengthening Cesare's alliance with France. Shortly after the wedding, Cesare accompanied King Louis in his invasion of Italy.
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