Françoise d'Alençon

Françoise d'Alençon (1490 – 14 September 1550) was the eldest daughter of René of Alençon and Margaret of Lorraine, and the younger sister and despoiled heiress of Charles IV, Duke of Alençon.

Françoise d'Alençon
Born	1490
Died	14 September 1550(1550-09-14) (aged 59–60) La Flèche
Noble family	House of Valois
Spouse(s)	Francis II, Duke of Longueville Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme
Issue	see list
Father	René of Alençon
Mother	Margaret of Lorraine

The sister and heiress of Charles IV of Alençon, she was despoiled of her heritage by her sister-in-law Marguerite of Angoulême, sister of King Francis I of France.

Her son Antoine, however, went on to marry Jeanne III of Navarre, born of the second marriage of Marguerite with Henry II of Navarre. The grandson of Françoise and Marguerite, Henry de Bourbon, would become King of France and Navarre.

Family

In 1505, Françoise married Francis II, Duke of Longueville. They had 2 children:

• Renée d'Orléans-Longueville, Countess of Dunois (1508–1515), died in infancy
• Jacques d'Orléans-Longueville (1511–1512), died in infancy

On 18 May 1513, Françoise married, secondly, Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme. They had 13 children:

• Louis de Bourbon (1514–1516), died in infancy
• Marie de Bourbon (1515–1538), unmarried, prospective bride of King James V of Scotland in 1536
• Marguerite de Bourbon (1516–1559), married 1538 Francis I of Cleves, Duke de Nevers (1516–1561)
• Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1518–1562), married 1548 Jeanne III, Queen of Navarre.
• François de Bourbon, Count of Enghien (1519–1546), unmarried
• Madeleine de Bourbon, Abbess of Sainte Croix de Poitiers (1521–1561)
• Louis de Bourbon (1522–1525), died in infancy
• Charles de Bourbon, Archbishop of Rouen (1523–1590)
• Catherine de Bourbon, Abbess of Soissons (1525–1594)
• Renée de Bourbon, Abbess of Chelles (1527–1583)
• Jean de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Enghien (1528–1557), married 1557 his first cousin Marie, Duchess of Estouteville (1539–1601)
• Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (7 May 1530 – 13 March 1569), married 1551 Eléonore de Roye and 1565 Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville
• Léonore de Bourbon, Abbess of Fontevraud (1532–1611)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Françoise d'Alençon

16. Peter II, Count of Alençon 8. John I, Duke of Alençon 17. Marie Chamaillard 4. John II, Duke of Alençon 18. John IV, Duke of Brittany 9. Marie of Brittany 19. Joan of Navarre 2. René, Duke of Alençon 20. Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac 10. John IV, Count of Armagnac 21. Bonne of Berry 5. Marie of Armagnac 22. Charles III of Navarre 11. Isabella of Navarre 23. Eleanor of Castile 1. Françoise d'Alençon 24. Frederick I, Count of Vaudémont 12. Antoine, Count of Vaudémont 25. Margaret of Joinville 6. Frederick II, Count of Vaudémont 26. John VII, Count of Harcourt 13. Marie, Countess of Harcourt 27. Marie d'Alençon 3. Margaret of Lorraine 28. Louis II of Anjou 14. René of Anjou 29. Yolande of Aragon 7. Yolande d'Anjou 30. Charles II, Duke of Lorraine 15. Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine 31. Margaret of the Palatinate

Sources

• Commire, Anne (2000). Women in World History. Vol. 10. Gale.
• Potter, David (1995). Keen, Maurice (ed.). A History of France, 1460–1560: The Emergence of a Nation State. Macmillan.