Statue of King René, Aix-en-Provence. Aix (ɛks or Aix-en-Provence ( Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm to distinguish

King René's castle in Tarascon.

René I of Naples (January 16, 1409 – July 10, 1480), also known as René d'Anjou and the Good King René (French Le bon roi René), was Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence (1434–1480), Count of Piedmont, Duke of Bar (1430–1480), Duke of Lorraine (1431–1453), King of Naples (1438–1442; titular 1442–1480), titular King of Jerusalem (1438–1480) and Aragon (1466–1480) (including Sicily, Majorca, Corsica). Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people List of Counts of Anjou First creation 870&ndash1203 House of Ingelger Ingelger (870&ndash898 father The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. Bar was an historic duchy and county of the Holy Roman Empire later incorporated into France The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions The following is a list of monarchs of Sicily. Counts of Sicily Sicily was granted pending its Christian reconquest to Robert Guiscard as "duke" is a list of Kings of Jerusalem, from 1099 to 1291 as well as claimants to the title up to the present day This is a list of the rulers of Aragon, now a region of north-eastern Spain. The following is a list of monarchs of Sicily. Counts of Sicily Sicily was granted pending its Christian reconquest to Robert Guiscard as "duke" The Kingdom of Majorca was founded by James I of Aragon, also known as James The Conqueror. Corsica (Corse Corsican and Italian: Corsica) is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily He was father to Margaret of Anjou, Queen Consort to King Henry VI of England, a key figure in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret of Anjou ( Marguerite d'Anjou, 23 March 1430 &ndash 25 August 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king. Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485 were a series of dynastic Civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York

Life

René was born in the castle of Angers, and was the second son of Louis II of Anjou, King of Sicily (i. The Château d'Angers is a castle in the city of Angers, in the département of Maine-et-Loire, in France. Louis II of Anjou (1377&ndash April 29 1417) was the rival of Ladislas as King of Naples. e. King of Naples), and of Yolande of Aragon. The Kingdom of Naples was an informal name of the Polity officially known as the Kingdom of Sicily which existed on the mainland of the southern Italian Yolande of Aragon, ( 11 August 1384, Saragosa, Aragon &ndash 14 November[[ 442]] was a daughter of John I of Aragon He was the brother of Marie d'Anjou, who married the future Charles VII of France and became Queen of France. Marie of Anjou ( October 14 1404 &ndash1463 was the daughter of Louis II of Anjou, King of Naples titular King of Sicily and Yolande of Aragon Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461 called the Victorious (le Victorieux or the Well-Served (le Bien-Servi was King of France from 1422

Coat of arms of René in 1420. It is composed by the coat of arms of Anjou-Valois (top left and bottom right), of the Duchy of Bar (top right and bottom left), and of the Duchy of Lorraine (superimposed shield). Bar was an historic duchy and county of the Holy Roman Empire later incorporated into France Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France.

Louis II died in 1417, and his sons, together with their brother-in-law, afterwards Charles VII of France, were brought up under the guardianship of their mother. The elder, Louis III, succeeded to the crown of Sicily and to the duchy of Anjou, René being known as the Count of Guise. Louis III (1403 &ndash 12 November 1434) was titular King of Naples 1417&ndash1426 Count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont Guise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardie in northern France. By his marriage treaty (1419) with Isabel, elder daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, he became heir to the Duchy of Bar, which was claimed as the inheritance of his mother Yolande, and, in right of his wife, heir to the Duchy of Lorraine. Isabella (1400 &ndash February 28 1453) was Duchess of Lorraine from 1431 to her death Charles II (1364&ndash January 25 1431) called the Bold (le Hardi was the Duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and Constable of Bar was an historic duchy and county of the Holy Roman Empire later incorporated into France Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France. René, then only ten, was to be brought up in Lorraine under the guardianship of Charles II and Louis, cardinal of Bar, both of whom were attached to the Burgundian party, but he retained the right to bear the arms of Anjou. Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France. See also Civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians The Burgundian party was a political allegiance in France that formed during the reign of

He was far from sympathizing with the Burgundians, and, joining the French army at Reims in 1429, was present at the coronation of Charles VII. Reims (alternative English spelling Rheims; riːmz in English and /ʁɛ̃s/ in French) is a city of the Champagne-Ardenne région of northern When Louis of Bar died in 1430 René came into sole possession of his duchy, and in the next year, on his father-in-law's death, he succeeded to the duchy of Lorraine. But the inheritance was claimed by the heir-male, Antoine de Vaudemont, who with Burgundian help defeated René at Bulgneville in July 1431. Antoine of Vaudémont (c 1400- 22 March[[ 458]] was Count of Vaudémont and Sieur de Joinville from 1418 to 1458 Bulgnéville is a Village and commune in the Vosges département of northeastern France. The Duchess Isabel effected a truce with Antoine de Vaudemont, but the duke remained a prisoner of the Burgundians until April 1432, when he recovered his liberty on parole on yielding up as hostages his two sons, Jean and Louis of Anjou. John II of Anjou ( Nancy, 1425 &ndash December 16, 1470, Barcelona) was Duke of Lorraine from 1453 to his death

His title as duke of Lorraine was confirmed by his suzerain, the Emperor Sigismund, at Basel in 1434. Suzerainty (ˈsjuːzərənti RP or /ˈsjuːzəreɪnti/ RP) (/ˈsuːzərənti/ GA) is a situation in which a Region or people is a For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund ( February 14, 1368 – December 9, "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. This proceeding roused the anger of the Burgundian duke, Philip the Good, who required him early in the next year to return to his prison, from which he was released two years later on payment of a heavy ransom. Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon also Philip III Duke of Burgundy ( July 31, 1396 &ndash June 15, 1467) was Duke of Burgundy He had succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Naples through the deaths of his brother Louis III and of Joan II, queen of Naples, the last heir of the earlier dynasty. The Kingdom of Naples was an informal name of the Polity officially known as the Kingdom of Sicily which existed on the mainland of the southern Italian Joan II (23 June 23 1373 &ndash 2 February 1435 was Queen of Naples from 1414 to her death Louis had been adopted by her in 1431, and she now left her inheritance to René.

The marriage of Marie de Bourbon, niece of Philip of Burgundy, with John, duke of Calabria, René's eldest son, cemented peace between the two princes. John II of Anjou ( Nancy, 1425 &ndash December 16, 1470, Barcelona) was Duke of Lorraine from 1453 to his death After appointing a regency in Bar and Lorraine, he visited his provinces of Anjou and Provence, and in 1438 set sail for Naples, which had been held for him by the Duchess Isabel. A regent, from the Latin regens "who reigns" is a person selected to act as Head of state (ruling or not because the ruler is a minor

René's captivity, and the poverty of the Angevin resources due to his ransom, enabled Alfonso V of Aragon, who had been first adopted and then repudiated by Joan II, to make some headway in the kingdom of Naples, especially as he was already in possession of the island of Sicily. Alfonso the Magnanimous (also Alphonso; Catalan: Alfons) (1396 &ndash 27 June 1458) was the King of Aragon (as In 1441 Alfonso laid siege to Naples, which he sacked after a six-month siege. René returned to France in the same year, and though he retained the title of king of Naples his effective rule was never recovered. Later efforts to recover his rights in Italy failed. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest His mother Yolande, who had governed Anjou in his absence, died in 1442. René took part in the negotiations with the English at Tours in 1444, and peace was consolidated by the marriage of his younger daughter, Margaret, with Henry VI of England at Nancy. Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Margaret of Anjou ( Marguerite d'Anjou, 23 March 1430 &ndash 25 August 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom Nancy (nɑ̃si archaic Nanzig Nanzeg is a city and commune in the Lorraine région of northeastern France

René now made over the government of Lorraine to John, Duke of Calabria, who was, however, only formally installed as Duke of Lorraine on the death of Queen Isabel in 1453. René had the confidence of Charles VII, and is said to have initiated the reduction of the men-at-arms set on foot by the king, with whose military operations against the English he was closely associated. He entered Rouen with him in November 1449, and was also with him at Formigny and Caen. Rouen (ʁwɑ̃ in French) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital The Battle of Formigny ( April 15, 1450) was a battle of the Hundred Years' War fought between England and France. Caen (kɑ̃ is a commune in northwestern France. It is the Prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the

After his second marriage with Jeanne de Laval, daughter of Guy XIV, Count of Laval, and Isabel of Brittany, René took a less active part in public affairs, and devoted himself more to artistic and literary pursuits. Guy XIV de Laval, François de Montfort-Laval, ( 28 January 1406 - 2 September 1486, Châteaubriant) Comte de Laval The fortunes of his house declined in his old age:

• In 1466, the rebellious Catalonians offered the crown of Aragon to René, and the Duke of Calabria, unsuccessful in Italy, was sent to take up the conquest of that kingdom. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. However, he died, apparently by poison, at Barcelona on December 16, 1470
• The Duke of Calabria's eldest son Nicholas perished in 1473, also under suspicion of poisoning. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion
• In 1471, René's daughter Margaret was finally defeated in the War of the Roses. Margaret of Anjou ( Marguerite d'Anjou, 23 March 1430 &ndash 25 August 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England Her husband and her son were killed and she herself became a prisoner and had to be ransomed by Louis XI of France in 1476. Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom Edward of Westminster, also known as Edward of Lancaster ( 13 October 1453 &ndash 4 May 1471) was the only Prince of Wales Louis XI ( July 3, 1423 – August 30, 1483) called the Prudent (le Prudent and the Universal Spider ( Middle

René II, Duke of Lorraine, Rene's grandson and only surviving male descendant, was gained over to the party of Louis XI, who suspected the king of Sicily of complicity with his enemies, the Duke of Brittany and the Constable Saint-Pol. René II ( May 2 1451 &ndash December 10 1508) was Count of Vaudémont from 1470 Duke of Lorraine from 1473 and Duke of Bar Francis II (in Breton Frañsez II, in French François II) ( June 23 1433 &ndash September 9 1488

René retired to Provence, and in 1474 made a will by which he left Bar to his grandson René II, Duke of Lorraine; Anjou and Provence to his nephew Charles, count of Le Maine. Charles IV Duke of Anjou, also Charles of Maine Count of Le Maine and Guise (1436&ndash1481 was the son of the Angevin prince Charles of Le Maine, King Louis XI seized Anjou and Bar, and two years later sought to compel René to exchange the two duchies for a pension. The offer was rejected, but further negotiations assured the lapse to the crown of the duchy of Anjou, and the annexation of Provence was only postponed until the death of the Count of Le Maine. René died on July 10, 1480 in Aix-en-Provence. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Aix (ɛks or Aix-en-Provence ( Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm to distinguish He was buried in the cathedral of Angers. Angers Cathedral ( Cathédrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers) in the city of Angers, was constructed on the orders of bishops Normand de Doué and Guillaume de Beaumont after

His charities having earned him the title of "the good. " He founded an order of chivalry, the Ordre du Croissant, which preceded the royal foundation of St Michael, but did not survive René. The Ordre du Croissant ( Order of the Crescent; Italian - Ordine della Luna Crescente) was a Chivalric order founded by Charles I of Naples and

René and the arts

The King of Sicily's fame as an amateur painter^[1] formerly led to the optimistic attribution to him of many paintings in Anjou and Provence, in many cases simply because they bore his arms. These works are generally in the Early Netherlandish style, and were probably executed under his patronage and direction, so that he may be said to have formed a school of the fine arts in sculpture, painting, goldsmith's work and tapestry. Early Netherlandish painting is the work of those painters who were active in the Low Countries during the 15th and early 16th century Northern renaissance He employed Barthélemy d'Eyck as both painter and varlet de chambre for most of his career. Barthélemy d'Eyck, van Eyck or d' Eyck,; (ca1420&ndashafter 1470 was an Early Netherlandish artist who worked in France and probably in Valet de chambre, or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards

Detail of the Burning Bush triptych, showing René and Jeanne de Laval

Two of the most famous works formerly attributed to René are the triptych of the Burning Bush of Nicolas Froment of Avignon, in the cathedral of Aix, showing portraits of René and his second wife, Jeanne de Laval, and an illuminated Book of Hours in the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. A triptych (pronounced "trip-tick" trip'tik (or US: 'tɹʷɪp Nicolas Froment (c 1435 in Uzès &ndash c 1486 in Avignon) was a French painter Avignon (/aviɲɔ̃/ in French) ( Provençal: Avinhon in classical norm or Avignoun in Mistralian norm is a commune A book of hours is the most common type of surviving Medieval Illuminated manuscript. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Among the men of letters attached to his court was Antoine de la Sale, whom he made tutor to his son, the Duke of Calabria. Antoine de la Sale or la Salle (1385/6 to 1460/1 was a French Writer. He encouraged the performance of mystery plays; on the performance of a mystery of the Passion at Saumur in 1462 he remitted four years of taxes to the town, and the representations of the Passion at Angers were carried out under his auspices. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. Saumur is a town and commune in the Maine-et-Loire département of France on the Loire River at, with an approximate Angers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in northwestern France about 300 km south-west of Paris.

He exchanged verses with his kinsman, the poet Charles of Orleans. Charles of Valois Duke of Orléans ( November 24, 1394 &ndash January 5, 1465) became Duke of Orléans in 1407 following the murder The best of his poems is the idyl of Regnault and Jeanneton, representing his own courtship of Jeanne de Laval. Le Livre des tournois, a book of ceremonial, and the allegorical romance, "Conquests qu'un chevalier nommé le Cuer d'amour espris feist d'une dame appelée Doulce Mercy", with other works ascribed to him, were perhaps dictated to his secretaries, or at least compiled under his direction. Le Livre des tournois ("tournament book" Traicte de la Forme de Devis d'un Tournoi) by René d'Anjou of ca

Marriages and issue

René married:

1. Isabelle de Lorraine (1410–February 28, 1453) in 1420
2. Jeanne de Laval, on September 10, 1454, at the Abbey of St. Isabella (1400 &ndash February 28 1453) was Duchess of Lorraine from 1431 to her death Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Nicholas in Angers

His legitimate children by Isabelle were:

1. John II, Duke of Lorraine (1425–1470)
2. René (b. John II of Anjou ( Nancy, 1425 &ndash December 16, 1470, Barcelona) was Duke of Lorraine from 1453 to his death 1426)
3. Louis of Anjou (1427, Nancy – 1443), Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson
4. Nicolas (b. Nancy (nɑ̃si archaic Nanzig Nanzeg is a city and commune in the Lorraine région of northeastern France Pont-à-Mousson is a commune of northeastern France, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département. 1428, Nancy), d. young
5. Yolande de Bar (November 2, 1428 – March 23, 1483), married 1445, Nancy, Frederick, Count of Vaudémont
6. Margaret (March 23, 1430 – August 25, 1482), married Henry VI of England. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Margaret of Anjou ( Marguerite d'Anjou, 23 March 1430 &ndash 25 August 1482) was the Queen consort of Henry VI of England Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom
7. Charles (1431–1432), Count of Guise
8. Isabelle, d. young
9. Louise (b. 1436), d. young
10. Anne (b. 1437), d. young

He also had several illegitimate children:

1. John, Bastard of Anjou (d. 1536), Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson, married 1500 Marguerite de Glandeves-Faucon
2. Jeanne Blanche (d. 1470), Lady of Mirebeau, married in Paris 1467 Bertrand de Beauvau (d. Mirebeau is a commune of the Vienne département, in France. Demographics Sister cities Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city 1474)
3. Madeleine (d. aft. 1515), Countesss of Montferrand (+after 1515), married in Tours 1496 Louis Jean, seigneur de Bellenave

Ancestry

Miscellaneous

• He appears as "Reignier" in the history play of William Shakespeare, Henry VI, part 1. Bonne of Luxemburg (also Bona ( May 20, 1315 &ndash September 11, 1349) was born Jutta the daughter of John the Blind of Luxemburg William Shakespeare ( baptised The First Part of King Henry the Sixth is history play by William Shakespeare, believed written in approximately 1588–1590
• Agnès Sorel, the future mistress of Charles VII, was holding a position in René's household when Charles met her. Agnès Sorel (1421 &ndash February 9, 1450) surnamed Dame de beauté, was a mistress of King Charles VII of France.
• He spent 8 years in Naples, and later spent his time between his castles in Angers, Tarascon and Aix-en-Provence. Tarascon, sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a town and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône
• In conspiracy theories, such as the one promoted in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, René has been alleged to be the ninth Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. A conspiracy theory attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually Political, Social or Historical events or the concealment The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (retitled Holy Blood Holy Grail in the United States) is a controversial book by Michael Baigent The Prieuré de Sion, translated from French as Priory of Sion, is the name of multiple groups both real and fictitious
• René and his Order of the Crescent were adopted as "historical founders" by the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity in 1912, as exemplars of Christian chivalry and charity. Lambda Chi Alpha ( ΛΧΑ) headquartered in Indianapolis Indiana, is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC and one of the largest Chivalric order Chivalry is a term related to the Medieval institution of Knighthood. Ceremonies of the Order of the Crescent were referenced in formulating ceremonies for the fraternity.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

External links

• Website about Rene I of Naples
• King René's Tournament Book