Louis, Count of Vendôme

Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis and his first wife, Blanche
Spouse(s)	Blanche of Roucy Jeanne of Laval
Noble family	House of Bourbon
Father	John I, Count of La Marche
Mother	Catherine de Vendôme
Born	1376
Died	21 December 1446 Tours

Louis of Bourbon (Louis I, Count of Vendôme) (1376 – December 21, 1446, Tours), younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was Count of Vendôme from 1393 and Count of Castres from 1425 until his death.^[1][2]

He was a supporter of the duc d'Orléans, and obtained valuable posts at court, becoming Grand Chamberlain of France in 1408 and Grand Maître de France in 1413. As part of the Armagnac faction, he was at odds with the Burgundians, and was imprisoned by them twice, in 1407 and 1412. In 1414, he married Blanche (d. 1421), daughter of Hugh II, Count of Roucy; but he was captured the next year by the English at the Battle of Agincourt, and held by them for some time.

In 1424, he married Jeanne (d. 1468),^[3] daughter of Guy XIII, Count of Laval, at Rennes. Their children were:

• Catherine (b. 1425)
• Gabrielle (b. 1426)
• John II, Count of Vendôme (1428–1477)

He also had an illegitimate son, fathered with the Englishwoman Sybil Bostum during his captivity:

• John (c. 1420–1496), Bastard of Vendôme; Seigneur de Preaux^[4]

Faithful to the king, he subsequently joined Joan of Arc and many other French nobles at the defense of Orléans in 1429, commanded at the siege of Jargeau, and assisted in the coronation at Reims. He was later present at the Treaty of Arras (1435).

Ancestors

Ancestors of Louis, Count of Vendôme

16. Robert, Count of Clermont               8. Louis I, Duke of Bourbon                       17. Beatrix of Bourbon               4. James I, Count of La Marche                             18. John II, Count of Holland               9. Mary of Avesnes                       19. Philippa of Luxembourg               2. John I, Count of La Marche                                   20. Jacques de Châtillon               10. Hugues de Châtillon                       21. Cathérine de Carency               5. Jeanne of Châtillon                             22. Gobert d'Argies               11. Jeanne d'Argies                       23. Agnes de Bruyeres               1. Louis, Count of Vendôme                                         24. John V, Count of Vendôme               12. Bouchard VI, Count of Vendôme                       25. Éléonore de Montfort               6. John VI of Vendôme                             26. Arthur II, Duke of Brittany               13. Alix of Brittany                       27. Yolande de Dreux               3. Catherine of Vendôme                                   28. Jean I de Ponthieu, Comte d'Aumale               14. Jean II de Ponthieu, Comte d'Aumale                       29. Ide de Meullent               7. Jeanne of Ponthieu                             30. Philip of Artois               15. Catherine d'Artois                       31. Blanche of Brittany

Patrilineal descent

Patrilineal descent

Louis' patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Count Louis were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house. Louis is a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians. Louis' patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Kings of France and the Counts of Paris and Worms. This line can be traced back more than 1,200 years from Robert of Hesbaye to the present day, through Kings of France & Navarre, Spain and Two-Sicilies, Dukes of Parma and Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg, Princes of Orléans and Emperors of Brazil. It is one of the oldest in Europe. Robert II of Worms and Rheingau (Robert of Hesbaye), 770 - 807 Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 808 - 834 Robert IV the Strong, 820 - 866 Robert I of France, 866 - 923 Hugh the Great, 895 - 956 Hugh Capet, 941 - 996 Robert II of France, 972 - 1031 Henry I of France, 1008–1060 Philip I of France, 1053–1108 Louis VI of France, 1081–1137 Louis VII of France, 1120–1180 Philip II of France, 1165–1223 Louis VIII of France, 1187–1226 Louis IX of France, 1215–1270 Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256–1317 Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, 1279–1342 James I, Count of La Marche, 1319–1362 John I, Count of La Marche, 1344–1393 Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme, 1376–1446

Notes

1. Medieval France: an encyclopedia, Ed. William W. Kibler, (Routledge, 1995), 138.
2. Dussieux, Louis, Généalogie de la maison de Bourbon: de 1256 à 1871, 2nd Edition, (Lecoffre Fils et C, 1872), 23.
3. Bingham, Denis, The Marriages of the Bourbons, Vol.1, (Chapman and Hall Limited:London, 1890), 49.
4. Dussieux, 24.

References

• Medieval France: an encyclopedia, Ed. William W. Kibler, Routledge, 1995.
• Bingham, Denis, The Marriages of the Bourbons, Vol.1, Chapman and Hall Limited:London, 1890.
• Dussieux, Louis, Généalogie de la maison de Bourbon: de 1256 à 1871, 2nd Edition, Lecoffre Fils et C, 1872.