Jean (John) de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon (1426 – 1 April 1488), sometimes referred to as John the Good and The Scourge of the English, was a son of Charles I of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy. He was Duke of Bourbon and

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

from 1456 to his death.

Life

John earned his nicknames "John the Good" and "The Scourge of the English" for his efforts in helping drive out the English from France. He was made

constable of France The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...

in 1483 by his brother

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and sister-in-law

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, to neutralize him as a threat to their regency. In an effort to win discontented nobles back to his side, Louis XI of France made great efforts to give out magnificent gifts to certain individuals; John was a recipient of these overtures. According to contemporary chronicles, the King received John in Paris with "honours, caresses, pardon, and gifts; everything was lavished upon him". John is notable for making three brilliant alliances but leaving no legitimate issue.

First Marriage

In 1447, his father, the Duke of Bourbon, had John married to a daughter of

Charles VII, King of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

, Joan of Valois. They were duly married at the Château de Moulins. They had no surviving issue.

Second marriage

In 1484 at St. Cloud to Catherine of Armagnac, daughter of Jacques of Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, who died in 1487 while giving birth to: * John of Bourbon (Moulins, 1487 - 1487), styled Count of Clermont

Third marriage

In 1487 he married Jeanne of Bourbon-Vendôme, daughter of John of Bourbon, Count of Vendôme (from a

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, tit ...

of the House of Bourbon), by whom he had one son: * Louis of Bourbon (1488 - 1488), styled Count of Clermont

Illegitimate issue

By Louise of Albret, daughter of Jean I d'Albret (- 8 September 1494): * Charles, Bastard of Bourbon (- 1502), Viscount of Lavedan ''jure uxoris'', married before 1462 Louise du Lion (- aft. 25 February 1505), Viscountess of

Lavedan The Lavedan (; in Gascon eth/lo Lavedan, /et/lu laβedã/), or occasionally vallées des Gaves, denotes a mountainous natural region of France, located at the heart of the Pyrénées, and forms a group of valleys upstream of Lourdes. The Lavedan ...

, and had issue, four sons By Marguerite de Brunant: * Mathieu, the Great Bastard of Bourbon (-

Château de Chambrou-en-Forez A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

, 19 August 1505), Lord of Botheon and Lord and Baron of

Roche-en-Régnier Roche-en-Régnier (; oc, Ròcha de Renier) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. It is best known for a medieval castle and "Table d'orientation" which points out the other visible towns and hills of the Loire Vall ...

, unmarried and without issue By unknown women: * Hector, Bastard of Bourbon (- 1502, bur.

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

), 15th Archbishop of Toulouse (1491 - 1502), 17th Bishop of Lavaur (1497 - 1500) * Peter, Bastard of Bourbon, died young, unmarried and without issue * Marie, Bastard of Bourbon (- 22 July 1482), married at the Château de Beseneins-en-Dombes in 1470 Jacques de Sainte Colombe, Lord of Thil * Marguerite, Bastard of Bourbon (1445 - 1482), legitimized in 1464, married in Moulins in 1462 Jean de Ferrières (- 1497)

Death and aftermath

John died in 1488 at the

Château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Now ...

de Moulins and was succeeded by his younger brother Charles. However, this succession was strongly contested due to the political strength of Peter and Anne. Within a span of days, Charles was forced to renounce his claims to the Bourbon lands to Peter in exchange for a financial settlement.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:John 02 Of Bourbon, Duke House of Bourbon (France) Dukes of Bourbon Dukes of Auvergne Constables of France Counts of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis Counts of Forez Counts of Isle-Jourdain 1426 births 1488 deaths Burials at Souvigny Priory 15th-century peers of France