Brief lives of women who reigned or ruled in their own right or by marriage.
Proprietary Title: Lady of La Guerche and Pouence, 1549-1562.
ANNE D'AUVERGNE (1358-1417)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Forez
Partner/Progeny: Married in 1371, Louis II of Bourbon (1337-1410).
Proprietary Title:
Duchess of Brittany & Countess of Montfort, 1488-1514
Countess of Etampes, 1512-1514
Other Titles:
Queen of France, 1499-1514 as wife of Louis XII Queen of Naples, 1501-1503
Duchess of Milan, 1499-1500, 1501-1512
Notes: "Daughter of Marguerite de Foix and François II, duke of Brittany, Anne was born in Nantes on Jan. 25, 1477. Upon her father's death in Sept. 1488, at a time when French forces occupied much of her duchy, the young Anne was crowned duchess of Brittany in Rennes (Feb. 1489). The strong-willed girl refused to wed Alain d'Albret but agreed to a marriage by procuration with Maximilian I, king of the Romans, in Dec. 1489. Besieged in Rennes, she was forced, however, to accept marriage to the French king Charles VIII in Dec. 1491 as part of a peace treaty, thereby losing control of Brittany and invalidating her union with Maximilian. At fifteen, Anne was crowned queen of France at Saint-Denis and made her entry into Paris in Feb. 1492. . . . With the king's unexpected death in 1498, Anne regained sovereignty over Brittany. By all accounts her marriage to King Louis XII in Jan. 1499 resulted in a happier union, in part because Anne retained control of Brittany and its revenues and was treated with greater deference. Her influence in French political matters was nonetheless restricted, although she was occasionally active behind the scenes in opposing Louis' military campaigns in Italy, particularly against the pope, and in intermittent negotiations with the Spanish, to whom she was related through her mother. A second coronation at Saint-Denis and entry into Paris took place in 1504. . . As the only French queen to be twice crowned, Anne has long been praised for her intelligence, generosity and piety, although historians have criticized her supposed prudishness and, more significantly, her privileging of Brittany's interests over those of France. Recent assessments emphasize the cultural refinement she brought to the French court and suggest that, in the end, Anne's main objectives, namely Breton independence, the birth of a male heir, the marriage of Claude to Charles of Austria and peace, lay beyond her limited powers as queen." [Get citation]
Persona: " . . . The sketch furnished by Z. Contarini of Anne of Brittany was not very flattering, as far as her personal appearance was concerned, but he spoke highly of her mental qualities. 'The queen,' he said, 'is also small, thin, and very lame, dark, with a pretty face, and very cunning for her age.... She has a cultivated mind, loves the arts, poetry, and ancient literature; she knows Latin, and a little Greek. . . ." (Bingham, Vol. I, p. 32)
Proprietary Title: 15th Countess of Warwick, Newburgh and Aumale, Premier Countess of England, Baroness of Elmley and Hanslape, and Lady of Glamorgan and Morgannoc, 1445-1449.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter and sole heiress of Henry de Beauchamp (), 1st Duke of Warwick, and of Lady Cecily Neville.
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Anne de Beauchamp
Countess of Warwick
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Proprietary Title: 16th Countess of Warwick, 1449-1492
Succession: Anne inherited Warwick from her brother's only child and daughter, Anne de Beauchamp, who died at the age of 7.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and of his second wife, Isabel le Despenser.
Notes: "Anne countess of Warwick occupies an illustrious position amongst the female nobility of England. She was the daughter, and ultimately the heiress of Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and transferred this earldom to her husband, Richard Neville earl of Montague and Salisbury, who became in her right the Earl of Warwick, so well known in the history of the wars of the roses as the Kingmaker. Her only children were two daughters; who both became the wives of princes of the blood royal of England. Isabel the elder married George duke of Clarence. . . The younger daughter . . . was Anne, the first wife of the Lancastrian Prince of Wales, Edward son of Henry VI, and then of Richard duke of Gloucester. She was ultimately raised to the perilous dignity of queen-consort of England during the short and troubled reign of Richard III." (Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies of Great Britain, Vol 1: 100)
Notes: "Then death laid its cold hand prematurely on the Beauchamps. Henry de Beauchamp, the 'seemlie sort of person,' died in 1446, at the age of twenty-two. His little daughter died in 1449, at the age of seven. The inheritance devolved upon Henry's aunt, Anne, the wife of Richard Neville, the future King-maker, who, in right of his wife, became 'Earl of Warwick, Newburgh, and Aumale, Premier Earl of England, Baron of Elmley and Hanslape, and Lord of Glamorgan and Morgannoc." (Warwick: 145)
Proprietary Title: Marquise of Renty
Parents/Pedigree: Only child of Guillaume of Croy, Marquis of Renty (1527-1565) and Anne of Renesse (d.1586)
Partners/Progeny: Married (1) Emmanuel of Lalaing, Lord of Montigny (d.1590), and (2) 1591, Philippe of Croy-Sempy (d.1612), Count of Solre.
Proprietary Title: Duchess of Arschot, 1612-1635, succeeding her brother Charles II, Duke of Arschot and Croy
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Philippe III of Croy, Duke of Aarschot and Prince of Porcean and Chimay, and Jeanne-Henriette of Hallwin Partner/Progeny: Married in 1587 Charles, Prince of Arenberg (d.1616).
ANNE DE DREUX (1476-1514)
Proprietary Title: Duchess of Brittany
ANNE DE FRANCE
Proprietary Title: Viscountess of Thouars
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Louis VI of France
Partner/Progeny: Married Pierre II of Bourbon (1438-1503).
ANNE DE FRANCE (1461-1522)
Anne de Beaujeau
Proprietary Title: Countess of Gien
Properties: "At the end of the fifteenth century, it belonged to Anne of France (1461-1522), sister of Charles VIII (1470-1498), who restored the Collegiate Church, which had fallen into disrepair." (Gien)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Tonnerre, Lady of Husson, of Ancy-le Franc, of Laignes, of Cruzy, of Chassinelle and of Ravieres, 1537-1540.
Parents/Pedigree: Charles de Husson, Count of Tonnerre, and of Antoinette de La Tremoille.
Partner/Progeny: Bernardin de Clermont (1440-1522), Viscount of Tallart, Lord of Saint Andre de Royans, of Montrevel, of Bastie, of Paladru, of Virieu and of Selles sur Cher.
Notes: " . . . Anne de Husson, who had just inherited the title of countess of Tonnerre, the holders of the title having died young. . . ."
Proprietary Titles: 15th Lady of Laval, Lady of Vitre, Countess of Rennes, Chatillon, Gavre, Acquigny, Aubigne, Courbeveille, Lady of Tinteniac, Bechrel and Romill3, 1414
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of of Guy XII of Laval (d.1412) and Jeanne of Laval-Tinteniac (inherited from her two brothers, Guy and Francois, who successively died accidentally).
Progeny/Posterity: Married in 1404 Jean of Montfort (1385-1414), Lord of Montfort and Kergolay and Count of Laval as Guy XIII, with 3 sons and 2 daughters.
Notes: "...The Montmorency line died out with Gui XII, whose daughter Anne married a prominent Breton, Jean, lord of Montfort, Gael, and Loheac. He took the name Gui XIII but soon died, leaving Anne to administer the family lands for their young son, Gui XIV (d.1486), during whose long reign Charles VII ereced Lagal into a county..."(Kibler, p. 531)
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Anne de Montafie
Countess of Clermont
@Wikipedia |
ANNE DE MONTAFIE (1577-1644)
Proprietary Titles: Comtesse de Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, Comtesse de Montafie, Dame de Luce and Bonnetable
Parents and Pedigree: She was the daughter and co-heiress of Louis de Montafie, Comte de Montafie, Sire de Piedmont, Principe di Carignano, and of Jeanne de Coesme, Dame de Luce and Bonnetable.
Patrimony and Properties
Persona and Personality
Powers Exercised
Patronages
ANNE DE PONS
Proprietary Title: Viscountess of Ribérac
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Anne of Savoy
Byzantine Empress |
ANNE DE SAVOIE (1306-1359)
Power Exercised: Regent of the Byzantine Empire, 1341-1347 for her son John V Palaiologos. "...In 1351 Anna too settled in Thessalonika and reigned over it as her own portion of the empire until her death in c. 1365, even minting her own coinage...." (Garland, p. 226)
ANNE DE VIENNOIS (1255-1298)
a.k.a. Anne de Bourgogne
Proprietary Titles: Dauphine of Viennois and Countess of Albon, 1282-1298, succeeding her brother Jean I de Viennois.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Guigues VII de Viennois (c1225-1269), and of Beatrice de Savoie (1237-1310).
Partner/Progeny: Married in 1273, Humbert de la Tour du Pin (1240-1307), Dauphin de Viennois (as Humbert I), with whom she had 4 sons and 5 daughters.
Notes: "[She] was the daughter of Guigues, the seventh or eighth dauphin of Viennois, of the second race. The date of her birth is not known, that of her marriage to Humbert, baron of La Tour din Pin, is 1273. In the year 1281, on the death of her brother Jean, she succeeded to the Dauphinate of Vienne, and the county of Albon, in conjunction with her husband. This princess had several children, the eldest of whom, Jean, succeeded to the possessions, which were claimed by the duke of Burgundy, the date of her death is not recorded; she was buried in the Carthusian monastery of Salette, in the barony of La Tour, on the south bank of the Rhine, which monastery was founded by herself and her husband in the year 1299." (Adams, p. 52)
Notes: "Anne, Duchess of the Viennois, after the death of her brother, John I, defended her rights with great courage and success against the claims of Robert, duke of Burgundy. She died in 1296." (Hale, p. 75)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Buren
Notes: "Anne was the Countess of Buren and one of the greatest heiresses in the Netherlands. She married William of Orange (1533-1584) when they were both 18 years old. William, at the height of his power, was the first stadholder of Holland, Count of Nassau, Prince of Orange. He owned his principality in Orange, a quarter of Brabant, portions of Luxemburg, Flanders, and the Franche Comté, baronies in Italy and 300 smaller estates. He died a virtual pauper having spent his entire fortune in the fight to free his country from Spanish control. When the Duke of Alba was appointed to the Low Countries, William left the Netherlands for Germany with his family, but left behind his eldest son who was attending University of Leuven (in the Netherlands). As a result, he was not killed with other Dutch leaders such as the Counts of Egmont and Hornes, but was free to continue his struggle against Spain. Anne died in 1558 when she was only 25 years old."
Proprietary Titles: 14th Baroness Clifford, 1605
Notes: "She came from a prominent family that possessed hundreds of acres of land in the north of England, anchored by immense castles, that had been passed down for more than three centuries by the time she was born. These properties included Skipton Castle in North Yorkshire, which had been built around 1100 by Robert de Romillé, a figure of historical importance as part of the French Norman contingent that invaded England in 1066 under the leadership of William the Conqueror (c. 1027–1087). The Cliffords were given that castle and ownership of its adjacent lands in 1310 by decree of King Edward II (1284–1327). By that point they already held Brough Castle in Cumbria, which in its original construction dated back to the 1090s and is thought to be one of the first stone castles in England. There was also another castle in Cumbria, this one called Brougham, which had been built on the site of an old Roman fortification." (notablebiographies.com) Persona: "...[S]he was the last Clifford to own Skipton Castle. She fought equally tenaciously for her rights and for the King's cause in the Civil War, when Skipton Castle withstood a three years siege. Lady Anne was also remarkable for the extensive post Civil War restoration work on her Castles. In 1659 she planted the yew tree in the central courtyard to mark the Castle's repair from its Civil War damage." (Skipton Castle)
ANNE HAMILTON (1630-1716)
the Good Duchess Anne
Proprietary Titles: 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, 3rd Countess of Arran and Cambridge, 2nd Countess of Lanark, 2nd Lady Machansyre and Polmont, 3rd Lady Aven and Innerdale, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, 3rd Marchioness of Clydesdale, 1651.
Notes: "The third Earl, Thomas, was in fact old enough at the time of his father's death to take an active interest in the administration of his inheritance. He came of age in 1389 and married Anne, the daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, shortly afterwards. They had no children, so that on his early death in 1392 the earldom passed to Thomas's second brother, William. Gloucester took charge of the boy, who died only three years later aged seventeen; he was, however, allowed to keep the wardship and marriage of Thomas's third brother, Edmund, the fifth Earl of Stafford; and he immediately strengthened their relationship by marrying him to his widowed sister-in-law Anne... In addition to his own estates, the EArl acquired further property through his wife, but he did not live long enough to enjoy his increased income, being killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Now twice widowed, with the customary third of her two husbands' estates, the Countess Anne controlled over half the Stafford inheritance and was also a great landowner in her own right... From her father she had acquired a claim to the earldom of Buckingham and a title to property worth about (pounds) 1,000 a year; soon after the death of her mother, Eleanor de Bohun, in 1399, she was recognised as sole heiress to half the de Bohun estates...." (Rawcliffe, p. 12)
ANNE LASCARIS, Countess of Tenda"...This lady...was Anne Lascaris, countess of Tende. At the period of her marriage with the count de Villars, Anne Lascaris was one of the most wealthy heiresses in France. The favour and patronage of madame raised the count de Villars to the highest offices in the state; and on his first arrival in France, as a foundation for the support of the dignities which she destined for her brother, Louisa commence by marrying him to the king's youthful ward. Marguerite appears to have been attached to the countess de Villars; and on hearing of her decease, she wrote in great distress of mind to Briconnet. From the commendations lavished upon her by the duchess in her letter, and by the bishop of Meaux in his reply, the countess must have been a lady of great piety and worth. Little is known of her, nevertheless, beyong the fact of her marriage with the bastard of Savoy, and the names of her children. Her three daughters married into the most illustrious families of France; the youngest, Madeleine, becoming the consort of Anne de Montmorency, after the return of the king Francis from his captivity in Spain...." (Freer, 1854, p. 227)
ANNE POT
"...Guillaume de Montmorency married in 1484, Anne Pot, heiress of More, la Prune-au-Pot, and Savoisy. This lady brought him two sons, Anne de Montmorency, and Francois Seigneur de Rochepot. The Baron de Montmorency was gentleman of the chamber to the duchess of Angouleme, and high-bailiff of Orleans. He died in 1531." (Freer, 1854, p. 81)
ANNE MARIE LOUISE D'ORLEANS (1627-1693)
La Grande Mademoiselle
Proprietary Titles: Dauphine of Auvergne, Sovereign Princess of Dombes, Princess of Luc, Princess of La Roche-sur-Yon, Princess of Joinville, Duchess of Beaupréau, Duchesse of Montpensier, Duchess of Saint-Fargeau, Duchess of Châtellerault, Marquise of Mézières, Countess of Eu, Countess of Mortain, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine, Viscountess of Auge, Viscountess of Brosse, Baroness of Beaujolais, Lady of Champigny-sur-Veude, Lay of Beaujeu, Lady of Argenton, Lady of Saint-Sever, Lady of Cluys, Lady of Agurande, Lady of Châtelet, Lady of Ecolle, Lady of Combrailles and Lady of Choisy-sur-Seine
Patrimony/Properties: "Mademoiselle's most important inherited properties were found in the ancient Bourbon domains, with vast estates in the Bourbonnais, Auvergne, the Beaujolais, and Dombes, and secondary concentrations along the 'historic' Loire (Champigny, Mezieres-en-Brenne, Chatellerault) and in Lower Normandy (Mortain, Domfront, Auge). Additional holdings were found in La Puisaye/Burgundy (Saint-Fergau), the Vendee (La Roche-sur-Yon), and Champagne...." (Pitts: 2000, p. 264)
Proprietary Title: Lady of Saint-Fargeau
"Dammartin, Antoinette de Chabannes, Comtesse de – (1498 – 1527), French heiress
Antoinette de Chabannes was the daughter of Jean IV de Chabannes, Comte de Dammartin, and his wife Suzanne de Bourbon-Rousillon. She became the wife (1515) of Rene d’Anjou, Baron de Mezieres (1483 – 1521), seneschal of Maine in Normandy. With the death of her elder sister Anne, the wife of Jacques de Coligny, Antoinette inherited the county of Dammartin in the Ile-de-France, which later passed to her eldest daughter Francoise d’Anjou-Mezieres, the wife of Philippe, seigneur de Boilainvilliers and de Verneuil, and their children, who eventually sold the county to the Montmorency family. Antoinette also held the fiefs of Saint-Fargeau and de Piusaye, and left four children, including Nicolas d’Anjou, Marquis de Mezieres and Comte de Saint-Fargeau (1518 – after 1568), who was appointed governor of Aquitaine by Charles IX (1560 – 1574). Her youngest daughter Antoinette d’Anjou-Mezieres (1521 – 1542) became the first wife of Jean I de Bourbon, third Vicomte de Lavedan (c1478 – 1549), by whom she left issue."
AREMBURGE DE SULLY (d.c1265)
Proprietary Title: Lady of Erry
Notes: "...In the course of Arnau's long episcopate (1167-95) the situation progressively worsened, particularly when in 1185, the new viscount of Castellbo, Ramon's son Arnau, married with Arnaua de Caboet, heiress of the rich valleys of Cabo, Sant Joan and Andorra. With the blessing of Bishop Arnau, Arnaua had previously been married to Bertran de Tarasco and had produced a son, also Bertran, before her husband died. The new marriage, supported by Ermengol VIII, passed over the rights of young Bertran and gave Arnau not only rights in Caboet but ultimately the lordship of Andorra...." (Smith, p. 94)
Power Exercised: Countess-Regent of Cerdanya and Besalu
Progeny/Posterity: "...wife of Miró II of Cerdanya, mother of Sunifred II of Cerdanya-Besalú, Guifré II of Besalú, Oliba I of Cerdanya-Besalú and Miró III of Besalú, bishop of Girona, and grandmother of Oliba, abbot of Ripoll and bishop of Vic. On her husband's death (927) she governed the counties as guardian of her sons, still minors. By 941 mother and sons were already ruling together, and the following year Sunifred ruled alone. Her acts took the form of many donations made to several religious centres: Cuixà (941, 953, 962), Ripoll, Elna (962) and Camprodon (944)." (Enciclopedia Catalana)
AVELINE DE FORTIBUS (1259-1274)
Notes: "1269 - Prince Edmund of England, known as 'Crouchback,' earl of Leicester and Lancaster, second son of King Henry III and Queen Eleanor of Provence, is married to Lady Aveline de Fortibus in the newly re-built Westminster Abbey. Lady Aveline is the daughter of the earl of Aumale and the grand-daughter of the earl of Devon. Shortly before her marriage, she inherits the title of countess of Aumale in her own right." (Theodore's Royalty & Monarchy Site) Notes: "...In 1278 the king (Edward I) acquired the estates of Aveline de Forz, a major heiress who died childless...." (Prestwich, p. 139)
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