1.08.2012

On this day . . . January 8th


1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany was the only woman to be fortunate enough to be married to not just one king of France but to two Kings. First she was married to Charles VIII and upon his death in 1498 when she was just 21 years old; she was legally obligated to marry the new king, Louis XII. This proved to be a small problem as the new king was already married to Joan, the old king’s sister! Anne thought that this could be her escape from the French court so she agreed to marry Louis if he obtained an annulment from Joan within a year – a task that she believed would be impossible, therefore freeing her from yet another marriage of duty and enabling her to return home to Brittany to rule there. Unfortunately for her, the marriage was dissolved by the Pope before the year was out.
January 8th 1499 Anne married Louis XII wearing white, setting a precedent for future brides. The marriage produced two daughters, Claude and Renée, the former would marry the heir to the French throne Francis of Angoulême and become Queen of France herself. Since there were no sons, and none seemed likely to appear, Louis had his wife set aside for her inability to produce an heir.  


Twice a Queen of France: 
Anne Brittany 
by Mildred Allen Butler

No comments:

Post a Comment