Louis I | |
---|---|
Duke of Orléans | |
Reign | 1392–1407 |
Successor | Charles |
Born | 13 March 1372 |
Died | 23 November 1407 Paris, France |
(aged 35)
Burial | Basilica of St Denis, France |
Spouse | Valentina Visconti, Duchess of Orléans |
Issue |
Charles, Duke of Orléans John, Count of Angoulême Philip, Count of Vertus Margaret, Countess of Vertus |
House | Valois-Orléans |
Father | Charles V of France |
Mother | Joanna of Bourbon |
Louis I of Orléans (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois (1386?–1406), Duke of Touraine (1386–1392), Count of Blois (1397–1407), Angoulême (1404–1407), Périgord (1400–1407) and Soissons (1404–07).
Louis was the second born son of King Charles V of France and Joanna of Bourbon and younger brother of Charles VI.
In 1374, Louis was betrothed to Catherine, heiress presumptive to the throne of Hungary.
Louis and Catherine were expected to reign either over Hungary or over Poland, as Catherine's father, Louis I of Hungary, had no sons. Catherine's father also planned to leave them his claim to the Crown of Naples and the County of Provence, which were then held by his ailing and childless cousin Joanna I. However, Catherine's death in 1378 ended the marriage negotiations. In 1384, Elizabeth of Bosnia started negotiating with Louis' father about the possibility of Louis marrying her daughter Mary, notwithstanding Mary's engagement to Sigismund of Luxembourg. If Elizabeth had made this proposal in 1378, after Catherine's death, the fact that the French king and the Hungarian king did not recognise the same pope would have presented a problem. However, Elizabeth was desperate in 1384 and was not willing to let the schism stand in the way of the negotiations. Antipope Clement VII issued a dispensation which annulled Mary's betrothal to Sigismund and a proxy marriage between Louis and Mary was celebrated in April 1385. Nonetheless, the marriage was not recognised by the Hungarian noblemen who adhered to Pope Urban VI. Four months after the proxy marriage, Sigismund invaded Hungary and married Mary, which ultimately destroyed Louis' chances to reign as King of Hungary.