Rene Ier of Naples

Rene Ier of Naples , or Rene of Anjou , or Rene of Sicily (born in 1409 - died the July 10th 1480 with Aix-en-Provence), was lord then count de Guise (1417-1425), duke of Bar (1430-1480) in fact since 1420, duke consort of Lorraine (1431-1453) king de Naples (1435-1442), duke of Anjou (1434-1480), count de Provence and of Forcalquier (1434-1480), and titular king of Jerusalem (1435-1480) and Aragon (1466-1480).

He is the son of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande d' Aragon.

With died from his father (1417), it receives the ground of Guise which is set up in county by his/her brother-in-law the future Charles VII. Anjou are in favor of the dolphin and the duke of Bedford, regent in the name of the king of England Henri VI, confiscates their possessions in the north of the Loire and allots Guise to Jean of Luxembourg, which takes Guise in 1425.

The second wire of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande d' Aragon becomes duke consort of Lorraine in 1431 because of its marriage with Isabelle Ire of Lorraine, girl of Charles II of Lorraine. The marriage goes back to 1420, to this occasion the duke Louis de Bar had yielded its duchy to him.

The Duchy of Lorraine, inherited his/her father-in-law, was disputed to him by Antoine de Vaudémont, supported by the Burgundian party, which beat it in 1431 (Bataille of Bulgnéville). Rene the Good was made prisoner by Philippe III, duke of Burgundy, was said Philippe the Good which released it only in exchange of its sons Jean and Louis. Supported by the emperor Sigismond of Luxembourg in its claims with the Duchy of Lorraine, he was again imprisoned by Philippe the Good, then released against a ransom.

He inherited the Royaume of Naples in 1435 from the will of Jeanne II queen of Naples and fought, of 1438 with 1442, without success, against Alphonse V of Aragon to take advantage of his rights. He returned to France in 1442, keeping kingdom of Naples only the title of king de Jérusalem and Sicily .

In 1453, to died of Isabelle Anger of Lorraine his wife, Rene transmitted the duchy of Lorraine to her son Jean II, duke of Calabria, and remaria with Jeanne of Laval the following year.

At the time of the War One hundred Year old, it supported Charles VII against the English. (Charles VII had married its Marie sister). Faithful among the faithful ones, it assists with the sacring of Rheims in 1429. Close friend of the king and right-hand man, it contributes to the stop of the Franco-English fights by playing an active role in the negotiations of Tours. It Marie her daughter Marguerite of Anjou to Henri VI of England in 1445.

It devotes its time to the administration and the development of the Anjou, the Lorraine and the Provence. It makes thrive thus the towns of Angers, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Tarascon It enriches its castle by the Bridge-of-C like its manor of Chanzé both located in Anjou.

With Aix-en-Provence and Angers, it maintained a court literary and erudite and did not scorn itself to compose several works ( Traité form and estimate like one makes the tournaments , 1451-1452; the Book of the heart of love enthusiast , 1457). He was in particular the guard in Avignon of the painter Nicolas Froment. It ordered towards 1460 - 1470 the work the Mystery of the Acts of the Apostles to Simon Gréban, canon of the Mans and with its brother Arnoul Gréban, playwright French.

Rene Ier died in Aix-en-Provence on July 10th 1480. Provençaux wanted to keep the skin of good King Rene in their grounds of Provence, but Angevins did not hear it thus. The latter organized, of night, the escape of late by dissimulating it in a barrel. Once put on a boat, this one moved away discreetly on the the Rhone. The body of King Rene arrived in Anjou and was buried with honor and devotion in the cathedral of Angers.

Anjou consequently ceased being a prerogative and entered the royal field definitively. The duchy of Bar passes to his/her daughter Yolande (already duchess of Lorraine since 1473), the counties of Provence and counties of Forcalquier passes to its nephew Charles (already count of Maine since 1473) while the duchy of Anjou is seized by Louis XI. The posterity kept of Rene the Good the image of the good king Rene .

Children

It had of child only of his first Isabelle wife of Lorraine:

* Isabelle, dead young

* Jean II of Lorraine (1425 † 1470), duke of Lorraine

* Louis, marquis de Pont-à-Mousson (1427 † 1445)

* Nicolas (1428 † 1430)

* Yolande (1428 † 1483), married to Ferry II of Lorraine, count de Vaudémont

* Marguerite (1429 † 1482), married to Henri VI, king d' Angleterre

* Charles (1431 † 1432)

* Louise (1436 † 1438)

* Anne (1437 † 1450)

Armorial bearings

The armorial bearings of Rene of Anjou evolved/moved during time according to its fortunes and misfortunes, as well as its claims.

Appendices

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