Charles, Duke of Vendôme

Charles
Duke of Vendôme
18th-century portrait of the Duke of Vendôme
Spouse	Françoise d'Alençon
Issue
Antoine, King of Navarre Francis, Count of Enghien Charles, Archbishop of Rouen John, Count of Soissons Louis, Prince of Condé
Full name
Charles de Bourbon
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Francis, Count of Vendôme
Mother	Marie de Luxembourg
Born	2 June 1489 Château de Vendôme, France
Died	25 March 1537(1537-03-25) (aged 47) Amiens, France

Charles de Bourbon (2 June 1489– 25 March 1537) was a French prince du sang and military commander at the court of Francis I of France. He is notable as the paternal grandfather of King Henry IV of France.

Biography

Charles was born at the Château de Vendôme, the son of François, Count of Vendôme and Marie de Luxembourg. On 18 May 1513, he married Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. They had thirteen children:

• Louis de Bourbon (1514–1516), unmarried
• Marie de Bourbon (1515–1538), unmarried, prospective bride of James V of Scotland in 1536.
• Marguerite de Bourbon (1516–1589), married 1538 Francis I of Cleves, Duke of Nevers (1516–1561)
• Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1518–1562)
• François de Bourbon, Count of Enghien (1519–1546), unmarried
• Madeleine de Bourbon, Abbess of Sainte-Croix de Poitiers (1521–1561), unmarried
• Louis de Bourbon (1522–1525), unmarried
• Charles de Bourbon, Archbishop of Rouen (1523–1590), unmarried
• Catherine de Bourbon, Abbess of Soissons (1525–1594), unmarried
• Renée de Bourbon, Abbess of Chelles (1527–1583), unmarried
• Jean de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Enghien (1528–1557), married 1557 his first cousin Marie, Duchess of Estouteville (1539–1601)
• Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (7 May 1530 – 13 March 1569), married Eléonore de Roye
• Léonore de Bourbon, Abbess of Fontevraud (1532–1611), unmarried;

In 1514, Charles was named a peer of France and elevated from Count of Vendôme to Duke of Vendôme. His sons Antoine, Duke of Vendôme and Louis, Prince de Condé, became powerful military leaders on opposite sides in the French Wars of Religion, and his grandson became King Henry IV of France. Charles died at Amiens in 1537 at the age of 47.

References

• Bulletin de la commission historique et archéologique de la Mayenne, Jan. 1878, Imprimerie De Leon Moreau, 1885.
• The Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol.27, Ed. Hugh Chisholm, 1911.
• Achaintre, Nicolas Louis, Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de Bourbon,Vol.1, Rue de L'École de Médecine, 1825.

Ancestors

Patrilineal descent

Patrilineal descent

Charles' 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 Duke Charles were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house. Charles is a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians. Charles' 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, Count of Vendôme, 1376–1446 Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme, 1428–1478 François, Count of Vendôme, 1470–1495 Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, 1489–1537

Succession

Preceded by Francis I	Count of Vendôme 1495–1514	Succeeded by title was elevated to peerage-duchy
Preceded by title was elevated from countship	Duke of Vendôme 1514–1537	Succeeded by Antoine de Bourbon