Clémence d'Anjou

Clémence d'Anjou, also called Clementia of Hungary ( _fr. Clémence de Hongrie) (1293-October 12 1328), Queen consort of France and Navarre, was the second wife of King Louis X of France.

She was the daughter of Charles Martel of Anjou, titular King of Hungary, and Clementia of Habsburg, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf I. She was the niece of Charles of Valois by his first wife, Marguerite of Anjou and Sicily.

When Philip IV of France died, his eldest son Louis of Navarre became King of France. His wife, Marguerite, had been locked up in Château-Gaillard since 1314, having been found guilty of adultery by the King, on the testimony of, amongst others, her sister-in-law, Isabelle; since there had been no formal divorce, Marguerite technically became Queen consort with Philip's death, but was kept locked up. In 1315, however, the Queen died - allegedly strangled or otherwise murdered to allow her husband to remarry - and Louis was able to remarry. He chose Clemence, and they married on August 19, 1315; she was crowned Queen at Reims on August 24.

Louis died in June 1316, leaving Clemence several months pregnant. Her brother-in-law, Philippe, became regent, denying the rights of Clemence's step-daughter Jeanne, who was too young and whose paternity was doubtful, and of Clemence herself, who was considered unsuitable to be regent. She gave birth to a son named John in November 1316. King from the moment of his birth, he lived only four days, whereupon the throne was seized by his uncle, who became Philip V.

Clemence then left the court for Avignon. She then in 1318 went into retirement in the Dominican convent of Aix-en-Provence. She returned to Paris several years later, and died on October 12, 1328, at age thirty five. She was buried on October 15 in the Jacobin convent.

References

Weir, Alison, "Isabella"