Louis I, Duke of Bourbon

Louis I, Duke of Bourbon

Louis I
Spouse	Mary of Avesnes
Issue
Peter I, Duke of Bourbon Joanna, Countess of Forez Margaret of Bourbon Marie, Latin Empress of Constantinople Philip of Bourbon James of Bourbon James I, Count of La Marche Beatrice, Queen of Bohemia & Countess of Luxembourg
Father	Robert, Count of Clermont
Mother	Beatrix of Burgundy
Born	1279
Died	1342 (aged 62–63)

Louis I de Bourbon, le Boiteux, the Lame (Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, 1279 – January 29, 1342) was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche, and the first Duke of Bourbon.

Life

Louis was the son of Robert, Count of Clermont and grandson of King Louis IX of France. Louis' mother was Beatrix of Burgundy, heiress of Bourbon and a granddaughter of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy.

He fought on the losing side in both the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302) and the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle (1304), but managed to escape unharmed. In 1310, he was made Grand Chambrier of France. In 1327, Charles IV of France persuaded him to exchange the County of Clermont for that of La Marche, and elevated Bourbon to a duchy-peerage. However, Clermont was restored to him by Philip VI of France in 1331. He belonged to Philip VI's small circle of trusted advisors.

Duke Louis is reported to have been somewhat mentally unstable, in particular suffering from nervous breakdowns. The trait is believed to have been hereditary, with his granddaughter Joanna of Bourbon, her son, King Charles VI of France, and Charles' grandson, King Henry VI of England, all displaying similar symptoms.

Family and children

In 1310, Louis married Mary of Avesnes, daughter of John II of Avesnes, Count of Hainaut and Holland by Philippa of Luxembourg. They had eight children:

1. Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (1311–1356), married Isabella of Valois, had issue. Peter was killed at the Battle of Poitiers
2. Joanna (1312–1402), married in 1324 Guigues VII, Count of Forez
3. Margaret (1313–1362), married on July 6, 1320 Jean II de Sully, married in 1346 Hutin de Vermeilles
4. Marie of Bourbon, Latin Empress (1315–1387, Naples), married first in Nicosia in January 1330 Guy of Lusignan (d. 1343), titular Prince of Galilee, married second on September 9, 1347 Robert of Taranto, the titular Latin Emperor. Only her first marriage produced surviving children.
5. Philip (1316 – aft. 1327)
6. James (1318)
7. James I, Count of La Marche (1319 – 1362), killed at the Battle of Brignais, from whom the later royal Bourbons descend.
8. Beatrice of Bourbon (1320 – December 23, 1383, Danvillers), married first at Vincennes in 1334 John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia as his second wife, married secondly c. 1347 Eudes II of Grancey (d. 1389)

References

• de la Thaumassière (sieur du Puy-Ferrand), Gaspard Thaumas, Histoire de Berry, Vol.3, Imprimerie et Lithographie de A. Jollet, 1868.
• The Encyclopedia Americana: a library of universal knowledge, Vol.4, J.D.Lyon Company:Albany, New York, 1919.

Preceded by Robert	Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis 1317–1327	Succeeded by to royal domain
Preceded by elevated from seigneury	Duke of Bourbon 1327–1342	Succeeded by Peter I
Preceded by —	Count of La Marche 1327–1342
Preceded by —	Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis 1331–1342