Anne of France

Infobox French Royalty|princess
name=Anne of France
title=Duchess of Bourbon; Viscountess of Thouars


caption=
titles=The Dowager Duchess of Bourbon
The Duchess of Bourbon
:The Regent of France
The Lady of Beaujolais
The Viscountess of Thouars
full name=
spouse=Peter II, Duke of Bourbon
issue=Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon
royal house=House of Valois
royal anthem =
father=Louis XI
mother=Charlotte of Savoy
date of birth=birth date|1461|4|3|df=y
place of birth=
date of death=death date and age|1522|11|14|1461|4|3|df=y
place of death=
place of burial=|

Anne of France (or Anne of Beaujeu) (Genappe, 3 April 1461 – 14 November 1522, Chantelle), was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Her paternal grandparents were King Charles VII of France and Marie of Anjou. Her maternal grandparents were Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus. She was one of the most powerful women of the late fifteenth century.

Marriage

Anne was originally betrothed to Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine and was created Viscountess of Thouars in 1468 in anticipation of the marriage. However, Nicholas broke the engagement to pursue Mary of Burgundy and then died unexpectedly in 1473, prompting Louis to take back the fief. That same year, on 3 November, Anne married Peter of Bourbon instead, and took up rule of the Beaujolais at the same time, when her husband was ceded the title of 'Lord of Beaujeu' by his brother the Duke of Bourbon. Anne was just twelve years old at the time.

Regency

During the minority of Anne's brother, Charles VIII of France, Peter and Anne held the regency of France. This regency extended from 1483 until 1491, and together Peter and Anne maintained the royal authority and the unity of the kingdom against the Orléans party, which was in open revolt during the "Mad War" of the 1480s.

Anne's regency overcome many difficulties, including unrest amongst the magnates who had suffered under Louis XI's oppressions. Concessions, many of which sacrificed Louis's favourites, were made, and land was restored to many of the hostile nobles, including the future Louis XII of France, then Duke of Orléans.

Anne made the final treaty ending the Hundred Years' War, the Treaty of Etaples and, in 1491 (despite Austrian and English opposition), arranged the marriage of her brother Charles to Anne, Duchess of Brittany, in order to attach Brittany to the French crown. When Charles ended the regency in 1491, both Anne and Peter fell victim to the wrath of the new queen, whose duchy's independence had been compromised.

Anne and Peter produced only a single child, Suzanne, born 10 May 1491 (Anne had also become pregnant in 1476, but the baby is presumed to have miscarried or been stillborn). ["Queens Mate" by Pauline Matarasso] Suzanne succeeded Peter on his death in 1503. ["Queens Mate" by Pauline Matarasso] Anne, however, had always been the more dominant member in her marriage and remained the administrator of the Bourbon lands after his death, protecting them from royal encroachment. Anne was responsible for the housing and education for many of the aristocracy's children including Anne de Poitiers. She is credited with instructing these young people with the new "refined" manners such as not using their fingers to wipe their noses but a "piece of fabric". (Kent, 2004, pg 28-30)

Suzanne married another Bourbon prince, Charles of Montpensier, who became Charles III, Duke of Bourbon. The couple, however, remained childless, and Suzanne unfortunately predeceased her mother. When Anne herself died in 1522, her own line and that of her father became extinct. A descendant of Anne's aunt, Anne of Laval, was considered to be her heir.

In fiction

A highly fictitious account of her life and her supposed romance with Louis XII was written in 1947 by Muriel Roy Bolton called "The Golden Porcupine". It is nothing more than a historical romance so cannot be regarded as a biography. Anne also appears in Michael Ennis' novel "The Duchess of Milan".

References

*Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent, "The Serpent and the Moon", New York, 2004, Touchstone, ISBN 0-7432-5104-0