Charles de la Cerda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles de la Cerda (1327 – January 8, 1354, L'Aigle), Franco-Castilian nobleman and soldier, was the son of Alfonso de la Cerda (d. 1327) and Isabelle d'Antoing.

A boyhood companion and favorite of John, Duke of Normandy, he commanded the Castilian galleys at the Battle of L'Espagnols-sur-Mer, where he was defeated by Edward III of England after a long and desperate struggle. Soon after John's accession as John II of France, he was appointed Constable of France and created Count of Angoulême. Vacant since the death of Joan II of Navarre in 1349, the title to Angoulême was claimed by her son, Charles II of Navarre, who bitterly resented De la Cerda's preferment. In 1351, he married Marguerite, daughter of Charles of Blois. In 1354, ruffians hired by the King of Navarre set upon and slew de la Cerda in an inn.