| Blanche of Navarre | |
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| Blanche with her husband and daughter | |
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| Tenure | 29 January 1349 – 22 August 1350 |
| Spouse | Philip VI of France |
| Issue | |
| Joan of France | |
| House | House of Évreux |
| Father | Philip III of Navarre |
| Mother | Joan II of Navarre |
| Born | 1331 |
| Died | 1398 (aged 66–67) Neaufles-Saint-Martin Normandy, France |
| Burial | Basilica of St Denis Saint-Denis, France |
Blanche of Navarre (French: Blanche d'Évreux) (1331 – 5 October 1398) was Queen consort of France as the wife of King Philip VI of France.
She was the second child and daughter of Queen Joan II of Navarre and King Philip III of Navarre.[1] She belonged to the House of Évreux, a cadet branch of the House of Capet, and married into the House of Valois, another cadet branch of the House of Capet.
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At first, the Kings of Navarre wanted to achieve an alliance with Castile by having Blanche marry Peter, eldest son and heir of King Alfonso XI. However, Blanche was eventually betrothed to Prince John of France.
As the most beautiful princess of her time —she was nicknamed the "Beautiful Wisdom" (Belle Sagesse)—, Blanche captivated the recently widowed King Philip VI of France, father of her intended husband and almost forty years her senior. Their marriage on 29 January 1349 at Brie-Comte-Robert alienated his son and many nobles from the king.[2]
The union was short-lived: King Philip VI died one year later, on 22 August 1350, according to some chroniclers of exhaustion from constantly fulfilling his conjugal duties. Pregnant at that time, Blanche gave birth a daughter, Joan (also named Blanche), in May 1351.
After her husband's death, the Dowager Queen retired to Neaufles-Saint-Martin near Gisors in Normandy. Soon after, the now King Peter I of Castile asked her hand in marriage, but she refused the offer, saying: "The Queens of France never remarried" (Les reines de France ne se remarient point).
She appeared in the French court on rare occasions, especially during the solemn entry of Isabeau of Bavaria in Paris, which was organized by her. Blanche also played a political role as a mediator between her brother King Charles II of Navarre and France.
In 1371 her only daughter Joan was engaged with John, eldest son and heir of King Peter IV of Aragon; however, she died during the journey to Aragon for her marriage on 16 September 1371 in Béziers.[3]
Blanche died on 5 October 1398 at Neaufles-Saint-Martin. She is buried next to her daughter in the Basilica of St Denis, the necropolis of the Kings of France, north of Paris.
In conspiracy theories, such as the one promoted in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Blanche of Navarre has been alleged to be the seventh Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.
| French royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joan of Burgundy |
Queen consort of France 1349–1350 |
Succeeded by Joanna I of Auvergne |