Joanna of Bourbon

Joanna of Bourbon (3 February 1338 – 6 February 1378) was consort to Charles V of France.

Born in Vincennes, Joanna was a daughter of Peter I, Duke of Bourbon and Isabella of Valois, a half-sister of Philip VI of France as the daughter of Charles of Valois and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon.

Family

Joanna gave birth to nine children but only Charles and Louis survived.

Joanna's father, Peter was killed while at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, her mother, Isabella died in 1388, having outlived Joanna by ten years.

Biography

Her father, grandfather, and brother were all somewhat mentally unstable, and Joanna seems to have inherited this family ailment. She suffered a complete nervous breakdown after the birth of her seventh child. Her eldest surviving son, Charles VI, was famous for his insanity. From her marriage to Charles V of France (1350, Tain-en-Viennois) were born nine children:

1. Joanna (Jeanne) of France (September 1357 – 21 October 1360, at Abbaye St Antoine Des Champs, France)
2. John of France (1359–1364)
3. Bonne of France (1360 – 7 December 1360, Paris, France)
4. John (Jean), Dauphin of France (Vincennes, 7 June 1366 – 21 December 1366)
5. Charles VI of France (3 December 1368 – 22 October 1422)
6. Mary (Marie), Princess of France (Paris, 27 February 1370 – June 1377, Paris)
7. Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407)
8. Isabella (Isabelle), Princess of France (Paris, 24 July 1373 – 13 February 1377, Paris)
9. Catherine, Princess of France (Paris, 4 February 1378 – November 1388, buried at Abbaye De Maubuisson, France), m. John of Berry, Count of Montpensier (son of John, Duke of Berry)

Death and burial

Joanna died in Paris while giving birth to her youngest child, Catherine. According to Froissart, while Joanna was heavily pregnant with Catherine she wished to have a bath but the doctors advised against it because they thought it to be too dangerous. Joanna ignored them and had a bath anyway. Soon after she went into labour and died giving birth. The king was very upset with the death of Joanna and never really was the same after her death. Her heart was buried in the convent of the Cordeliers and her entrails in the Church of the Celestines in Paris. The rest of her remains were then placed in the Basilique Saint-Denis.

Ancestry