Charles I of Albret

Coat of arms of Charles I

Charles d'Albret (died 25 October 1415) was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V.

Biography

He was born into an old Gascon family, the son of Arnaud, Lord of Albret, and Margaret de Bourbon.^[1] He fought under Bertrand du Guesclin as a young man. He was made the constable of France by Charles VI in 1402, but dismissed when the Burgundian faction gained power at court. He was restored to his office in 1413 when the Armagnac faction regained power.

Although nominal commander of the French army in the Agincourt campaign together with Marshal Boucicaut, the two professional soldiers could not exercise effective control over the higher-ranking French nobles on the day of the battle. Constable d'Albret was killed at Agincourt during the celebrated battle on 25 October 1415, against the numerically-smaller English troops led by King Henry V.^[2][3]

Family

He married, as her third husband, Marie de Sully^[4], daughter of Louis de Sully and Isabel de Craon^[1], on 27 January 1400 and had issue:

• Jeanne d'Albret (1403–1433), married in 1422 John I, Count of Foix. She was his second wife; the only one of his three wives who bore him issue. Gaston IV of Foix was the eldest of their two sons.
• Charles II d'Albret (1407–1471), married Anne of Armagnac (born 1402), the daughter of Bernard VII of Armagnac, Count of Charolais and Bonne of Berry, by whom he had seven children. Queen Jeanne III of Navarre was a notable descendant.
• Guillaume d'Albret (d. 1429), Lord of Orval
• Jean d'Albret
• Catherine d'Albret, married Jean de Montagu (1363–1409), vidame of Laon and illegitimate son of Charles V of France.

In film

The character of Constable Charles d'Albret was portrayed by Canadian actor, Richard Easton in Henry V, the 1989 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Constable d'Albret's death at Agincourt is vividly depicted in the film which starred Irish actor Kenneth Branagh in the title role.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Gascony, Dukes and Nobility
2. ^ Cawley, Charles (2010). Medieval Lands, France, Gascony, Sires d'Albret.
3. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved 14-11-10
4. ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Gascony

See also

• Albret

Preceded by —

Count of Dreux 1413?–1415

Succeeded by Charles II