Blanche de Navarre, reine de France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_d%27%C3%89vreux

and in French: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_de_Navarre_%281333-1398%29

Blanche of Navarre (French: Blanche de Navarre, Blanche d'Évreux; 1331 – 5 October 1398) was a Queen consort 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.

Life

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 cautivated the recently widower King Philip VI of France, father of her intended husband and almost forty years her senior. On 29 January 1349 she married with him at Brie-Comte-Robert.

The union was short-lived: King Philip VI died one year later, on 22 August 1350, according to some chroniclers of exhaustion from constantly fulfill 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, who was organizated 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-Blanche was engaged with Prince John of Aragon, eldest son and heir of King Peter IV; however, she died during the journey to Aragon for her marriage on 16 September 1371 in Béziers.[2]

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.

[edit] Trivia

   * Blanche was interested in alchemy and had laboratories in some of her castles.[citation needed] She sponsored Nicolas Flamel.[citation needed]

[edit] In popular culture

   * 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.