James I, Count of La Marche
| James I, Count of La Marche | |
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A 19th century portrait of James I, Count of La Marche, holding the sword of the Constable
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| Born | 1319 |
| Died | 6 April 1362 Lyon |
| Spouse | Jeanne of Châtillon |
| Father | Louis I, Duke of Bourbon |
| Mother | Mary of Avesnes |
James I of Bourbon (1319 – April 6, 1362; also translated as Jacob (I) of Bourbon) was the son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes. He was Count of Ponthieu from 1351 to 1360, and Count of La Marche from 1356 to his death.
He took part in several campaigns of the Hundred Years War.
In June 1347 he commanded an army on the Flemish border together with the Marshal Robert de Waurin. They marched to Béthune, the chief city of north-eastern Artois, which was still in French hands, though the countryside had been overrun by the Flemish. There they gathered together most of the French border forces including the Béthune garrison, Charles de Montmorency (1325-1381) from the sector around Lille and Charles de la Cerda with most of the men from Aire and Saint-Omer. On 13 June they attacked the Flemish camp at night. However the Flemings managed to regroup and launch a counter-attack before slipping across the border.
In 1349, he was created Captain-General of Languedoc. Following the fall of Calais in 1347 a truce had been concluded, but in 1349 open warfare broke out again, the most conspicuous event of that year being Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster's raid deep into Languedoc to the walls of Toulouse. In early 1350 James was given command of an army mustering at Moissac on the borders of Agenais. This he did 22 February. There, he almost immediately entered into negotiations with Lancaster with two papal legates acting as mediators. The result was a truce, at first limited to Languedoc and the other provinces where James was Lieutenant, but in April it was extended to the rest of France.
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