John I, Count of La Marche

John of Bourbon
Count of La Marche
John I and Catherine
Born	1344
Died	11 June 1393 (aged 48-49)
Noble family	House of Bourbon
Spouse(s)	Catherine of Vendôme
Issue	James II, Count of La Marche Isabelle Louis, Count of Vendôme John, Lord of Carency Anne, Countess of Montpensier Marie, Lady of Brehencourt Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus
Father	James I, Count of La Marche
Mother	Jeanne of Châtillon

John of Bourbon (John I/VII, Count of La Marche and of Vendôme), (1344 – 11 June 1393, Vendôme) was the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon.

Life

He was captured as a young man at the Battle of Poitiers, but ransomed.

After the death of his father and elder brother following the Battle of Brignais, John succeeded them as Count of La Marche.

He took an active part in the Hundred Years' War, and became Governor of Limousin after helping reconquer it from the English. Later he joined Bertrand du Guesclin in his campaign of 1366 in Castile. In 1374, his brother-in-law Bouchard VII, Count of Vendôme died, and John became Count of Vendôme and Castres in right of his wife.

He joined the campaign of Charles VI 1382 in Flanders (which culminated in the Battle of Roosebeke) and fought in 1392 in Brittany.

He rebuilt the castles of Vendôme and Lavardin.

Marriage and children

On 28 September 1364, he married Catherine of Vendôme, countess of Vendôme (d. 1412) and daughter of John VI, Count of Vendôme.

He had seven children by Catherine:

• James II, Count of La Marche and Castres (1370–1438)
• Isabelle (b. 1373), a nun at Poissy
• Louis, Count of Vendôme (1376–1446)
• John, Lord of Carency (1378–1457), married c. 1416 Catherine, daughter of Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, without issue, married in 1420 at Le Mans, his mistress Jeanne de Vendômois, with whom he had issue
• Anne (c. 1380 – September 1408, Paris), married in 1401 John of Berry, Count of Montpensier (d. 1401), married in Paris in 1402 Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria
• Marie (1386 – aft. September 11, 1463), Lady of Brehencourt, married Jean de Baynes, Lord of Croix
• Charlotte (1388 – 15 January 1422), married in 1411 at Nicosia King Janus of Cyprus

Ancestors

Family of John I, Count of La Marche

16. Louis IX of France 8. Robert, Count of Clermont 17. Marguerite of Provence 4. Louis I, Duke of Bourbon 18. John of Burgundy 9. Beatrix of Bourbon 19. Agnes of Dampierre 2. James I, Count of La Marche 20. John I of Avesnes 10. John II, Count of Holland 21. Adelaide of Holland 5. Mary of Avesnes 22. Henry V, Count of Luxembourg 11. Philippa of Luxembourg 23. Marguerite of Bar 1. John I, Count of La Marche 24. Guy III, Count of Saint-Pol 12. Jacques de Châtillon 25. Matilda of Brabant 6. Hugues de Châtillon 13. Cathérine de Carency 3. Jeanne of Châtillon 14. Gobert d'Argies 7. Jeanne d'Argies 15. Agnes de Bruyeres

Patrilineal descent

Patrilineal descent

John's 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 John were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house. John is a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians. John's 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 de Bourbon, Count of La Marche, 1344–1393

References

• R. C. Famiglietti, Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France (1300-1500), Picardy Press, 1992.