Isabella, Countess of Vertus

Isabelle of Valois (b. Château de Bois de Vincennes, 1 October 1348 - d. Pavia, 11 September 1372), was a French princess and member of the House of Capet, as well as the wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan (although she died before her husband's accession).

Family

She was the youngest daughter of King John II of France by his first wife Bonne of Bohemia.^[1] Her siblings included: Charles V of France, Louis I of Naples, John, Duke of Berry, Philip II, Duke of Burgundy, Joanna, Queen of Navarre and Maria of Valois; Isabelle had two other sisters, but they didn't live to adulthood. Her maternal grandparents were John of Luxembourg and Elizabeth of Bohemia. Her paternal grandparents were Philip VI of France and Joan the Lame.

Life

Her maternal uncle, Count Amadeus VI of Savoy arranged her marriage with Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan. As her dowry, Isabelle received the county of Sommières, exchanged later for the county of Vertus. On 8 October 1360, Isabelle and Gian Galeazzo were married in Milan, and six months later, in April 1361, she was declared sovereign Countess of Vertus. The couple had six children:^[2]

• A daughter [Bianca?] (b. Pavia, 1366 - d. sometime bef.1380).
• Azzone (b. Pavia, 1368 - d. Pavia, 4 October 1381).
• A daughter [Bona?] (b. Pavia, 1369 - d. sometime bef. 1380).
• Valentina (b. Pavia, 1371 - d. Château de Blois, Loir-et-Cher, 14 December 1408), married on 17 August 1389 to Louis, Duke of Orléans. Through her, Isabelle would become the ancestor of two French kings, Louis XII of France and Francis I of France.
• Gian Galeazzo (b. Pavia, 1372 - d. bef. 1376).
• Carlo (b. Pavia, 11 September 1373 - d. Pavia, 1374).

Isabelle died from childbirth in 1372/3.^[1][3]

Ancestors

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Isabel de Valois". http://www.thepeerage.com/p11365.htm. Retrieved 28 September 2009. 
2. ^ kielo.org
3. ^ CAPET