Joan the Lame
| Joan the Lame | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of France | |
| Tenure | 1 April 1328 – 12 December 1349 |
| Coronation | 27 May 1328 |
| Born | 24 June 1293 |
| Died | 12 December 1349 (aged 56) |
| Burial | Basilica of St Denis, France |
| Spouse | Philip VI of France |
| Issue |
John II of France Philip, Duke of Orléans |
| House | Burgundy |
| Father | Robert II, Duke of Burgundy |
| Mother | Agnes of France |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Joan of Burgundy (French: Jeanne; 24 June 1293 – 12 December 1349), also known as Joan the Lame (French: Jeanne la Boiteuse), was Queen of France as the first wife of King Philip VI. Joan served as regent while her husband fought on military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War.
Joan was the daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, and Agnes of France. Her older sister, Margaret, was the first wife of Louis X of France. Joan married Philip of Valois, Louis's cousin, in July 1313. From 1315 to 1328, they were Count and Countess of Maine; from 1325, they were also Count and Countess of Valois and Anjou.
King Philip IV's sons: Louis X, Philip V, and Charles IV, left no surviving male heirs, leading to the accession of Joan's husband to the French throne. The Hundred Years' War ensued, with Edward III of England, a nephew of Louis X, claiming the French crown. Intelligent and strong-willed, Joan proved a capable regent while her husband fought on military campaigns during the war. However, her nature and power earned both herself and her husband a bad reputation, which was accentuated by her deformity (which was considered by some to be a mark of evil), and she became known as la male royne boiteuse ("the lame evil Queen"). One chronicler described her as a danger to her enemies in court: "the lame Queen Jeanne de Bourgogne...was like a King and caused the destruction of those who opposed her will."
She was also considered to be a scholarly woman and a bibliophile: she sent her son, John, manuscripts to read, and commanded the translation of several important contemporary works into vernacular French, including the Miroir historial of Vincent de Beauvais (c.1333) and the Jeu d'échecs moralisés of Jacques de Cessoles (c.1347), a task carried out by Jean de Vignay.
...
Wikipedia