Duke of Vendôme
Charles de Bourbon (2 June 1489 – 25 March 1537) was a French prince du sang and military commander at the court of Francis I of France .
Biography A portrait of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendome. Charles was born at the Château de Vendôme , eldest son of Francis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme and Marie of Luxembourg .
Charles succeeded his father as Count of Vendôme in 1495. Charles's first military service was in Italy, under King Louis XII of France . In 1514, he was created Duke of Vendôme when the county of Vendôme was elevated into a duchy. He fought at the Battle of Marignano (1515) and participated in the Flemish campaign. Because of his loyalty to the King, he was appointed head of the council when King Francis I was captured at the Battle of Pavia .
Marriage and issue On 18 May 1513, Charles married Françoise d'Alençon , eldest daughter of René, Duke of Alençon and Margaret of Lorraine . They had:
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 in 1538, Francis I, Duke of Nevers (1516–1561) Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1518–1562), King of Navarre through his marriage (jure uxoris ) in 1548 to Queen Jeanne III .François de Bourbon, Count of Enghien (1519–1546), unmarried.Madeleine de Bourbon (1521–1561), Abbess of Sainte-Croix de Poitiers. Louis de Bourbon (1522–1525), died in infancy. Charles de Bourbon (1523–1590), Archbishop of Rouen Catherine de Bourbon (1525–1594), Abbess of Soissons . Renée de Bourbon (1527–1583), Abbess of Chelles . Jean de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Enghien (1528–1557), married in 1557, his first cousin, Marie, Duchess of Estouteville (1539–1601)Louis I de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (1530–1569), married in 1551 with Eléonore de Roye , daughter of Charles de Roye, Count of Royce then in 1565 with Francoise d'Orléans-Longueville .Léonore de Bourbon (1532–1611), Abbess of Fontevraud .
Ancestors
References
Sources Boltanski, Ariane (2006). Les Ducs de Nevers et L'etat Royal: Genese d'un compromis (ca.1550 - ca 1600) (in French). Librairie Droz S.A. Busby, Keith; Freeman, M.J.; Houppermans, Sjef; Pelckmans, Paul, eds. (1993). Les Manuscrits de Chrétien de Troyes . Vol. 2. Rodopi. Holt, Mack P. (1999). The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 . Cambridge University Press. Knecht, R.J. (1982). Francis I . Cambridge University Press. Pitts, Vincent J. (2009). Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age . Johns Hopkins University Press. Potter, David (1993). War and Government in the French Provinces, Picardy 1470-1560 . Cambridge University Press. Potter, David (1995). A History of France, 1460-1560 . St. Martin's Press. Shennan, J. H. (2007). The Bourbons: The History of a Dynasty . Bloomsbury Academic.