Joan of Navarre, Queen of England

Joan of Navarre
Duchess consort of Brittany
Tenure	2 October 1386 – 1 November 1399
Queen consort of England
Consort	7 February 1403 - 20 March 1413
Coronation	26 February 1403
Spouse	John V, Duke of Brittany m. 1386; dec. 1399 Henry IV of England m. 1403; wid. 1413
among others Issue
Joan of Brittany John VI, Duke of Brittany Marie, Lady of La Guerche Margaret, Lady of Guillac Arthur III, Duke of Brittany Gilles of Brittany Richard, Count of Étampes Blanche, Countess of Armagnac
House	House of Évreux
Father	Charles II of Navarre
Mother	Joan of Valois
Born	c. 1370 Pamplona, Navarre
Died	10 June 1437(1437-06-10) (aged c. 66–67) Havering-atte-Bower, London
Burial	Canterbury Cathedral, Kent

Joan of Navarre (c. 1370 – 10 June 1437) was a Duchess consort of Brittany and a Queen consort of England. She was the regent of Brittany from 1399 until 1403 during the minority of her son. She was a daughter of King Charles II of Navarre and Joan of France. She was the Duchess consort of Brittany through marriage with John V of Brittany, and later the Queen consort of England through marriage with King Henry IV of England.

First marriage: Duchess of Brittany

On 2 October 1386, Joanna married her first husband, John V, Duke of Brittany. They had nine children:

• Joan of Brittany (Nantes, 12 August 1387 – 7 December 1388)
• a daughter (1388)
• John VI, Duke of Brittany (1389–1442)
• Marie of Brittany (Nantes, 18 February 1391 – 18 December 1446), Lady of La Guerche, married at the Château de l'Hermine on 26 June 1398 John I of Alençon
• Margaret of Brittany (1392 – 13 April 1428), Lady of Guillac, married on 26 June 1407, Alain IX, Viscount of Rohan and Count of Porhoët (d. 1462)
• Arthur III, Duke of Brittany (Château de Succinio, 24 August 1393 – 26 December 1458, Château Nantes)
• Gilles of Brittany (1394 – 19 July 1412, Cosne-sur-Loire), Lord of Chantocé and Ingrande
• Richard of Brittany (1395 – 2 June 1438, Château de Clisson), Count of Benon, Étampes, and Mantes, married in 1423 Margaret d'Orléans, Countess of Vertus, daughter of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
• Blanche of Brittany (1397 – aft. 1419), married at Nantes on 26 June 1407 John IV, Count of Armagnac

Second marriage: Queen of England

Joanna of Navarre's arms as queen consort

Her first husband died on 1 November 1399. She remained a widow for four years and acted as a regent for her son John VI during that time. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affection developed between Joanna and Henry Bolingbroke (the future King Henry IV) while he resided at the Breton court during his banishment from England. In 1403, Joan became the second wife of Henry IV. They had no children, but she is recorded as having had a good relationship with Henry's children from his first marriage, often taking the side of the future Henry V, "Prince Hal," in his quarrels with his father.

Nevertheless, during the reign of Henry V, she was accused of using witchcraft to try to poison him. She was convicted in 1419 and imprisoned for about four years in Pevensey Castle in Sussex, England. After that she lived quietly at Nottingham Castle, through Henry V's reign and into that of his son, Henry VI. She is buried in Canterbury Cathedral next to Henry IV.

External links

• Joan of Navarre Britannica Online
• Queen Joanna in Medieval History of Navarre

French nobility
Vacant Title last held by Joan Holland	Duchess consort of Brittany 2 October 1386 – 1 November 1399	Succeeded by Joan of Valois
English royalty
Vacant Title last held by Isabella of Valois	Queen consort of England Lady of Ireland 7 February 1403 – 20 March 1413	Vacant Title next held by Catherine of Valois