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| Galleria degli Uffizi, Firenze |
House: Capet-Valois-Anjou
Spouse: René, king of Naples
Reign: 1431 – 1453
Predecessor: Charles II
Summary: It is an unfortunate fact that little is known about the actual
role Isabella had in her own reign. Born the eldest daughter of the
son-less Charles II of Lorraine and his wife Margaret, Isabella was
destined to change the course of history for the duchy. But her father
did not die until Isabella was thirty-one, and the duchess was already
married to the ambitious René, duke of Anjou and future king of Naples.
She married René in 1419 and with him produced four children
including René's heir. Soon after the birth of her last surviving child
and second daughter, Margaret, Isabella's father died and she became
the suo jure duchess of Lorraine. As expected, her husband was crowned
co-ruler and ruled suo uxoris throughout her life.
As duchess, Isabella did not entirely remain outside of politics. Her husband
As duchess, Isabella did not entirely remain outside of politics. Her husband
became king of Naples in 1435 and ruled the state for seven years before
finally failing to win the support of the local populace. During that period,
Isabella ruled her and René's French lands as regent and duchess. In 1434,
she personally led an army to rescue René from Philip III, duke of Burgundy,
when the quarrelsome duke imprisoned his rival for two years. Isabella
also travelled to Naples in 1435 to secure support for the Neapolitan
throne while her husband was imprisoned. Unfortunately for René, his
imprisonment and subsequent ransom bankrupted him and directly led
to his failure to secure Naples. For the last eleven years of Isabella's life,
she ruled with her husband in Lorraine and his hereditary territories in
France. The couple had no more children and René remarried after
Isabella's death in 1453. Her eldest son, Jean, succeeded in Lorraine
upon her death.
Date of Death: 28 February 1453
Successor: John II
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