Joan of Ponthieu, Countess of Vendôme
Encyclopedia
Jeanne de Ponthieu, dame d'Épernon, Countess of Vendôme and of Castres
(Jeanne de Ponthieu, dame d'Épernon, comtesse de Vendôme et de Castres, before 1336 – 30 May 1376) was a French noblewoman, the youngest daughter of Jean II de Ponthieu, Count of Aumale . She was the wife of Jean VI de Vendôme, Count of Vendôme and of Castres
. She acted as regent
for her infant granddaughter Jeanne, suo jure
Countess of Vendôme from 1371 until the child's premature death in 1372.
Countess of Aumale on 16 January 1340 upon the death of their father. Blanche was the wife of Jean V de Harcourt, Count of Harcourt, by whom she had issue.
Jeanne, who was also known as the Dame d'Épernon, was a direct descendant of King Ferdinand III of Castile by his second wife Joan, Countess of Ponthieu. King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile
were also among her many royal ancestors. Her paternal grandparents were Jean I de Ponthieu, Count of Aumale and Ide de Meullent. Her maternal grandparents were Philip of Artois
and Blanche of Brittany
, also known as Blanche de Bretagne, herself the granddaughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence
. The seigneury of Épernon was part of her father's inheritance which came into his family about 1256 upon the marriage of his grandmother Laure de Montfort, Dame d'Épernon to the Infante Ferdinand of Castile, Count of Aumale.
In 1362, the castle and town of Vendôme
were plundered by the Anglo-Gascon
troops of Captain Robert Marcault, and Jeanne was taken prisoner. She was later ransomed. In 1367, she ordered that the walls of the castle were to be strengthened, and personally superintended the fortifications.
Upon the death of her husband in February 1364 at Montpellier
, Jeanne's son Bouchard became Count of Vendôme and of Castres. When he died in 1371, the titles passed to his infant daughter, Jeanne. Jeanne de Ponthieu acted as regent
for her granddaughter from 1371 until the latter's death in 1372. The titles were inherited by Catherine, the only surviving child of Jeanne de Ponthieu. Catherine held the titles jointly with her husband until 1393, then with her second eldest son Louis, Count of Vendôme
.
Jeanne died on 30 May 1376. Through her daughter Catherine, Jeanne was an ancestress of Anne of France
, Queen consort Catherine de Medici, King Henry IV of France
, Mary, Queen of Scots, and the current British Royal Family
.
Castres
Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....
(Jeanne de Ponthieu, dame d'Épernon, comtesse de Vendôme et de Castres, before 1336 – 30 May 1376) was a French noblewoman, the youngest daughter of Jean II de Ponthieu, Count of Aumale . She was the wife of Jean VI de Vendôme, Count of Vendôme and of Castres
John VI of Vendôme
John VI de Vendôme , Count of Vendôme and Castres was of the House of Montoire and was son of Bouchard VI and Alix de Bretagne ....
. She acted as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her infant granddaughter Jeanne, suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Vendôme from 1371 until the child's premature death in 1372.
Family
Jeanne was born in France sometime before 1336, the youngest daughter of Jean II de Ponthieu, Count of Aumale, and Catherine d'Artois (1296- November 1368). She had an elder sister Blanche de Ponthieu (before 1326- 12 April/May 1387) who became suo jureSuo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Aumale on 16 January 1340 upon the death of their father. Blanche was the wife of Jean V de Harcourt, Count of Harcourt, by whom she had issue.
Jeanne, who was also known as the Dame d'Épernon, was a direct descendant of King Ferdinand III of Castile by his second wife Joan, Countess of Ponthieu. King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
were also among her many royal ancestors. Her paternal grandparents were Jean I de Ponthieu, Count of Aumale and Ide de Meullent. Her maternal grandparents were Philip of Artois
Philip of Artois
Philip of Artois was the son of Robert II of Artois, Count of Artois and Amicie de Courtenay. He was the Lord of Conches, Nonancourt, and Domfront....
and Blanche of Brittany
Blanche of Brittany
Blanche of Brittany was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany and his wife Beatrice of England. She is also known as Blanche de Dreux...
, also known as Blanche de Bretagne, herself the granddaughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
. The seigneury of Épernon was part of her father's inheritance which came into his family about 1256 upon the marriage of his grandmother Laure de Montfort, Dame d'Épernon to the Infante Ferdinand of Castile, Count of Aumale.
Marriage and issue
On an unknown date sometime before 1351, Jeanne married Jean VI de Vendôme, Count of Vendôme and of Castres, Seigneur de Lézingnan-en-Narbonnois, and de Brétencourt of the House of Montoire. He was the son of Bouchard VI de Vendôme, Count of Vendôme and Alix de Bretagne. He succeeded to his titles in 1354; from that time onward, Jeanne was styled as Countess of Vendôme and of Castres. Jean and Jeanne together had two children:- Bouchard VII de Vendôme, Count of Vendôme and of Castres (c.1351- 16 November 1371), married in 1368 as her second husband, Isabelle de BourbonJames I, Count of La MarcheJames of Bourbon-La Marche 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.-Hundred Years War:...
, by whom he had one daughter, Jeanne, Countess of Vendôme and of Castres who died in 1372. - Catherine de Vendôme (1354- 1 April 1412), suo jure Countess of Vendôme and of Castres. On 28 September 1364 in Paris, she married John I, Count of La MarcheJohn I, Count of La MarcheJohn of Bourbon-La Marche , was the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon.-Life:...
, by whom she had seven children, including Charlotte de Bourbon-La MarcheCharlotte de Bourbon-La MarcheCharlotte de Bourbon was the Queen consort of Cyprus and titular Queen consort of Armenia and Jerusalem through her marriage to King Janus of Cyprus. She was his second wife and the mother of his six legitimate children, which included King John II and Anne de Lusignan...
, Queen consort of CyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
In 1362, the castle and town of Vendôme
Vendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...
were plundered by the Anglo-Gascon
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
troops of Captain Robert Marcault, and Jeanne was taken prisoner. She was later ransomed. In 1367, she ordered that the walls of the castle were to be strengthened, and personally superintended the fortifications.
Upon the death of her husband in February 1364 at Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, Jeanne's son Bouchard became Count of Vendôme and of Castres. When he died in 1371, the titles passed to his infant daughter, Jeanne. Jeanne de Ponthieu acted as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her granddaughter from 1371 until the latter's death in 1372. The titles were inherited by Catherine, the only surviving child of Jeanne de Ponthieu. Catherine held the titles jointly with her husband until 1393, then with her second eldest son Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis of Bourbon-La Marche , younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was Count of Vendôme from 1393 and Count of Castres from 1425 until his death....
.
Jeanne died on 30 May 1376. Through her daughter Catherine, Jeanne was an ancestress of Anne of France
Anne of France
Anne of France was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she acted as regent during his minority; and of Joan of France, who was briefly queen consort to Louis XII...
, Queen consort Catherine de Medici, King Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, Mary, Queen of Scots, and the current British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.