Yolande d\' Aragon

Yolande d' Aragon (1383, Barcelona - 1443, close to Angers), also known like Jolantha de Aragon or Violating of Aragó , was the girl of Jean Ier d' Aragon and of Yolande de Bar (to see its ascent).

Claims with the throne of Aragon

She played a big role in the policy of the Empire angevin, France and Aragon, during first half of the 15th century. She was the surviving girl of king Jean Ier d' Aragon, who did not have wire, and claimed the throne of Aragon after the death of her older sister Jeanne (countess of Foix). However, the laws of succession of Aragon and Barcelona not being clear, they were included/understood in favor of the male heirs, thus the uncle de Yolande (younger brother of Jean Ier), Martin d' Aragon, inherited the throne of Aragon. Martin died without descent in 1410, and after two years of interregnum, the States d' Aragon élirent Ferdinand d' Antequera like new king d' Aragon. Ferdinand was the second wire of Éléonore (queen of Castille), sister of Jean and Martin.

The candidate angevin was the oldest son of Yolande, Louis III of Anjou, duke of Calabria, whose claim rested in the Pact of Caspe. Yolande and its sons were regarded as priority heirs and started to use the title of Kings d' Aragon. Because of this heritage, Yolande was called " queen of four royaumes" , these kingdoms being probably Sicily, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Aragon. (Another interpretation separates Naples from Sicily and thus excludes Cyprus). In any event, reality was that Yolande and its family had only for very short intervals of the territories in these kingdoms, Jerusalem never was besides in their possession. Their true kingdom was reduced to the strongholds of Anjou in France : they had without question the Provence and Anjou, of time to other Bar, the Maine, the Touraine and the Valois. His/her Rene son became by marriage lord of Lorraine.

France and the house of Anjou

During the second time of the War One hundred Year old, Yolande took party for France (for example for the party of the Armagnacs during the Civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundian) against the English and the Burgundian ones. The Charles dolphin, which counted much on the assistance of Yolande, managed to be made crown Charles VII of France. Like the proper mother of Charles, Isabeau, fought its claim with the crown, it was said that Yolande was that which protected the teenager from all kinds of machinations and attempts of poisoning and played the part of mother. She withdrew Charles of the Court and kept it in its castles of the Loire Valley, where Charles met Jeanne d' Arc. She Maria Charles with her Marie daughter of Anjou and became thus the mother-in-law of Charles.

Its marriage with Louis II of Anjou in December 1400 with Arles belonged to the effort to solve the claims disputed on the kingdom of Sicily and Naples between the houses of Anjou and Aragon.

Louis II of Anjou passed most of his life to be fought in Italy to support his claim on the kingdom of Naples. In France, it was duchess of Anjou and countess of Provence. She preferred to hold court with Angers and Saumur.

Yolande arranged in 1413 the marriage of his/her Marie daughter with Charles de Ponthieu, third wire of Charles VI and the Isabeau queen. That brought its personal involvement and crucial in the combat for the continuation of the dynasty of Valois in France.

The victory of the English with Azincourt (1415) made weigh threats on the duchy of Anjou. The king Charles VI was sick and his kingdom divided by the civil war between the Burgundian ones and Orléanistes (Armagnac). The situation worsened by the alliance of the dukes of Burgundy with the English and because the Isabeau queen provides to the dukes of Burgundy arguments to dispute the rights of the children of Charles VI on the crown of France. Fearing the abusive capacity of Burgundian, Louis II sent Yolande, his children and his future son-in-law in Provence.

The Dolphin

In 1416, the Louis dolphin, older brother of Charles de Ponthieu died. It was followed in 1417 per Jean, the second brother and thus meanwhile dolphin. The two elder ones had been under the protection of the duke of Burgundy. Yolande was the protective one of his/her Charles son-in-law who became the new dolphin. The April 29th 1417 Louis II of Anjou died of disease, leaving Yolande, then 33 years old, in load of the house of Anjou. It also held the fate of the royal house of Valois in its hands. The Charles dolphin was very vulnerable vis-a-vis the intentions of king d' Angleterre Henri V and his cousin Jean without Peur, the duke of Burgundy. The parents closest to Charles, the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon had been made prisoners with Azincourt by the English. Because of the alliance of his/her mother, of the duke of Burgundy and the English, Charles could count only on the support of the house of Anjou and that of Armagnac (which had joined the orleanist cause).

After the assassination of Jean without Fear with Montereau in 1419, his/her son Philippe the Good became duke of Burgundy. Philippe and Henri V of England imposed the Traité of Troyes (May 21st 1420) to the king Charles VI. The treaty designated Henri as regent of France and heir to the crown. In 1421, the Charles dolphin was thus disinherited. Henri V and Charles VI died both in 1422 (respectively the August 31st and the October 21st). Charles, then 19 years old, became legitimately Charles VII of France. This title was disputed by the Burgundian English and their allies which supported the claim of the young person wire of Henri V, Henri VI of England. That marked the last stage of the one hundred year old war.

Yolande played a big role in this fight, surrounding the young king of advisers and servants of the house of Anjou. It operated so that the Duc of Brittany breaks his alliance with England and made name Arthur de Richemont, family member ducal Breton, constable of France in 1425. The strong and early support for Jeanne d' Arc, whereas others still had doubts, suggests that the duchess played a part in the appearance of the young girl. Yolande followed without any doubt a realistic policy. With the assistance of the constable of Richemont, Yolande was behind the reference of several close relations advisers of Charles VII of which:

Trémoille in particular was attacked and returned in 1433.
Pierre de Giac was assassinated in February 1427

Yolande was not against the use of mistresses or men of influence. It had a network of women in the courses of Lorraine, Burgundy, Brittany and even in that of her son-in-law.

The contemporary chronicler Jean Juvénal of Ursins described Yolande like “more the beautiful woman of the kingdom”. Charles de Bourdigné, chronicler of the house of Anjou, known as of it " She was regarded as wisest and the most beautiful princess of the chrétienté". Later, the king Louis XI affirmed that his/her grandmother had " a heart of man in a body of femme". An author of the 20th century, Jehanne d' Orliac, wrote one of the rare specific works on Yolande. It foot-note which the duchess was not appreciated with her right value for her genius and her influence during the reign of Charles VII: it is mentioned only while passing, whereas it was the pivot of all the 42 years significant events of French history, whereas Jeanne d' Arc was under fires of the slope only during eleven months.

Yolande ends up being withdrawn in Angers then with the Château of Tuce-of-Saumur, where she died the December 14th 1443

Chronology

1379 : Yolande is born in Saragossa, Aragon

1400: in December, Yolande marries Louis II of Anjou to Arles

1410: died of the king Martin Ier d' Aragon

1412: the son of Yolande, Louis, is recognized king d' Aragon, but his/her relative Ferdinand I {{er}} of Trastamare became king

1413: Louis II of Anjou joined the faction orleanist against Burgundian the

1417: Yolande becomes widowed on April 29th. It rejete the request of the Isabeau queen to return Charles (become dolphin after the death of his/her brothers) to the court. It is reported that she answered Us did not nourish and not cherished that there so that you make it die like his/her brothers, become insane like his father or become English like you. I keep it close to me. Come to take it if you dare it .

1419 : the June 29th, Yolande obtained an audience of Charles VI and pushed it to sign the decree making of his/her son the lieutenant-general of the kingdom. Isabeau could not claim thus any more with being a regent. Yolande is withdrawn in Provence.

1423 : Yolande returns from Provence. It starts the first treaty with Brittany.

1424 - 1427: Yolande chairs the State-generals. It signs a treaty with the duke of Brittany and engages the brother of the duke, Arthur de Richemont to support the cause of Valois

1427: the English regent, the duke of Bedford, wanted to take the duchy of Anjou. Yolande counteracted by series of meeting and of agreement of marriage between several noble families, which sapped the English and Burgundian initiatives and supported crowns it. Dissensions between Trémoïlle, an adviser of Charles VII and the Richemont constable brought to the banishment of Richemont.

1429 : Yolande was in load of one of the investigations into Jeanne d' Arc whom the duchess supported. Yolande arranged the financing of the army of Jeanne who went to the help of Orleans.

1431 : Yolande resides at Saumur where Charles VII held his assembly. More the young girl of Yolande marries the hereditary prince of Brittany. His/her son inherits the duchy of Lorraine but is made prisoner with the Bataille of Bulgnéville the June 30th 1431.

1433 : Richemont which was of return to the court since 1432 fact of falling Trémoïlle. Young person sons of Yolande, Charles, count of Maine, assumes the position of advising as a chief of king Charles.

1434 : the son of Yolande, Louis III of Anjou, dies and Rene becomes duke of Anjou and heir in Sicily. The queen Jeanne of Sicily had made to Louis III Co-regent and heir.

1437 : Rene is released in exchange of an important ransom. He leaves for Italy in 1438 and engages a war against Alphonse d' Aragon for the kingdom of Naples. It is forced to give up Naples during the summer 1442.

1443 : Yolande dies.

Family

She was promised with the heir D Anjou, Louis (which had reached the throne of Naples under the name of Ludovic II of Naples one year earlier, following the conquest of Naples) in 1390, and Maria with him the December 2nd 1400 in Montpellier. Their children:

Louis III (1403 † 1434) - duke of Anjou, king de Naples
Marie (1404 † 1463) - wife of the king de France Charles VII
? (1406 †? ) - wife of a count de Genève
Rene (1408 † 1480) - duke of Anjou, duke of Bar, duke of Lorraine (by alliance), titular king of Sicily and Naples
Yolande (1412 † 1440), wife of François Ier, duke of Brittany
Charles (1414 † 1472), count of Maine (was never duke of Anjou, but his/her son was it)

Fiction

The character of Yolande appears in 1999 in the film Jeanne d' Arc of Luc Besson under the features of Faye Dunaway.

Sources

Jehanne d' Orliac Yolande of Anjou, the queen of the four kingdoms (Paris, Plon, 1933). (Work of fiction)
Philippe Erlanger Charles VII and his mystery (Paris, Gallimard 1945, Perrin 1973,1981)
Philippe Erlanger 9 women who made France , Historia (September 1971, pp.40-53)

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