Isabella of Brittany

Isabella of Brittany (in French Isabelle de Bretagne) (1411 – c. 1444) was a daughter of John V, Duke of Brittany, and his wife, Joan of Valois. Isabella was a member of the House of Dreux.

Family

Isabella's maternal grandparents were Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were John IV, Duke of Brittany and Joan of Navarre.

Isabella was related to three Queens of England. Two of her maternal aunts, Isabella of Valois and Catherine of Valois were queens of England and after the death of her paternal grandfather, John IV, her grandmother, Joan, became queen of England by her marriage to Henry IV of England. Isabella of Valois was married to Henry's predecessor, Richard II of England. Catherine of Valois was married to Henry IV's son, Henry V of England.

Marriage

On 1 October 1430, at Redon, Isabella married Guy XIV de Laval. Guy fought in many different battles in the Hundred Years' War and fought alongside Joan of Arc. Guy had been betrothed to Isabella's younger sister, Margaret, who died before the marriage could take place, so Guy married Isabella instead.^[1]

Isabella and Guy had three children:

• Guy XV de Laval, successor to Guy
• Pierre de Laval, archbishop of Rheims
• Jeanne de Laval, married to René of Anjou, queen consort of Naples and stepmother to Margaret of Anjou, queen consort to Henry VI of England.

Isabella died around 1444, and she is buried in Nantes. Her husband remarried after her death, to Françoise de Dinan. Her husband was buried at the collegial church of Saint-Thugal at Laval.

House of Brittany

This family tree shows Isabella's paternal side of her family, her mother and brothers. It shows that after the death of her brothers, her uncle, Arthur became Duke of Brittany.

Joanna of Navarre
x John IV, Duke of Brittany
│
│
├──> Arthur III, Duke of Brittany 
│
├──> John V, Duke of Brittany 
│    x Joan of France
│    │
│    └──> Isabelle de Bretagne
│    │     x Guy XIV de Laval
│    │
│    └──> Francis I, Duke of Brittany
│    │
│    └──> Peter II, Duke of Brittany
│    │
│    └──> Gilles of Brittany
│         x Françoise de Dinan
│ 
x Henry IV of England

Ancestry

Ancestors of Isabella of Brittany

16. Arthur II, Duke of Brittany               8. John of Montfort                       17. Yolande of Dreux               4. John IV, Duke of Brittany                             18. Louis I, Count of Nevers               9. Joanna of Flanders                       19. Joan, Countess of Rethel               2. John V, Duke of Brittany                                   20. Philip III of Navarre               10. Charles II of Navarre                       21. Joan II of Navarre               5. Joan of Navarre                             22. John II of France (=#24)               11. Joan of France                       23. Bonne of Bohemia (=#25)               1. Isabella of Brittany                                         24. John II of France (=#22)               12. Charles V of France                       25. Bonne of Bohemia (=#23)               6. Charles VI of France                             26. Peter I, Duke of Bourbon               13. Joanna of Bourbon                       27. Isabella of Valois               3. Joan of France                                   28. Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria               14. Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria                       29. Elisabeth of Sicily               7. Isabeau of Bavaria                             30. Bernabò Visconti, Duke of Milan               15. Taddea Visconti                       31. Beatrice Regina della Scala

References

1. Charles Cawley. Medieval Lands, Brittany