Charles, Duke of Brittany

Blessed Charles of Blois-Châtillon

Duke of Brittany
Reign	30 April 1341 – 29 September 1364
Predecessor	John III
Successor	John IV

Born	c. 1319 Blois (France)
Died	29 September 1364 (aged 44–45) Auray
Spouse	Joanna, Duchess of Brittany
Issue	John I of Blois-Châtillon Guy Henry Marie, Lady of Guise Margaret, Countess of Angoulême
House	House of Blois
Father	Guy I of Blois-Châtillon
Mother	Margaret of Valois

Charles de Châtillon
Duke of Britanny Patron of Europe
Died	Auray
Venerated in	Roman Catholicism
Beatified	1904 by Pie X
Canonized	1364 (annulled) by Pope Urban V
Feast	29 September (General Roman Calendar)
Patronage	-Army soldiers -Agricultural workers

Charles of Blois-Châtillon (1319 – 29 September 1364) "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 to his death via his marriage to Joan of Penthiève, holding the title against the claims of John of Montfort. He was later canonized as a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church for his devotion to religion. This canonization was later annulled, although he remains beatified.

Biography

Charles was born in Blois, son of Guy de Châtillon, count of Blois, by Margaret of Valois, a sister of king Philip VI of France. He was a devout man, who took piety to the extreme of mortifying his own flesh. It is said that he placed pebbles in his shoes, wore ropes tight with knots near his flesh and confessed every night in fear of sleeping in a state of sin. He was nevertheless an accomplished military leader, who inspired loyalty by his religious fervour.

On 4 June 1337 in Paris, he married Joanna of Penthièvre, heiress and niece of duke John III.^[1] Together, Charles and Joanna de Châtillon fought the House of Montfort in the Breton War of Succession (1341–1364), with the support of the crown of France. Despite his piety, Charles did not hesitate in ordering the massacre of 1400 civilians after the siege of Quimper.^[2] After initial successes, Charles was taken prisoner by the English in 1347. Thomas Dagworth was the official captor of Charles of Blois.^[3] He was released nine years afterwards against a ransom of about half a million ecús, and resumed the war against the Montforts.

Family

By his marriage to Joanna, he had five children:

John (Jean) I of Châtillon (1340–1404), also known as Jean de Blois
Guy
Henri (d. 1400)
Marie (1345–1404), Lady of Guise, married in 1360 Louis I, Duke of Anjou
Marguerite, married in 1351 Charles de la Cerda (d. 1354)

Death and legacy

Charles de Châtillon died in 1364 in the Battle of Auray, which with the second treaty of Guerande in 1381, determined the end of the Breton War of Succession as a victory for the Montforts.^[4]

Charles de Châtillon was canonized as a Saint of the Roman Catholic church for his devotion to religion. The canonization process was nullified by Pope Gregory XI at the request of Duke John IV of Brittany, Charles' final opponent in the Breton War of Succession and the recognized Duke of Brittany under the first Treaty of Guerande.

Subsequently, in 1904, Charles de Châtillon was beatified and therefore may be referred to as the Blessed Charles of Blois. His Roman Catholic Feast Day is 30 September.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Image of S.Charles de Châtillon in the book Vie des Saints", Yann-Vari Perrot, publishing in 1912 (page 692)
The Saint Charles de Châtillon de Blois, battles gallery, Versailles castle, France
The Saint Charles de Châtillon in the glass window of the Church Saint-Pierre in Plounéour-Trez, France
The Saint Charles de Châtillon in the glass window of the Church Saint-Malo in Dinan, France
Statue of Blessed Knight Charles Châtillon de Blois in the Church of Notre-Dame de Bulat-Pestivien (Bretagne)
The Knight Charles de Blois-Châtillon, with is army, in the attack of Siege of Hennebont in 1342, an epic battle during the war of succession of Brittany
"The Knight Charles de Châtillon is taken prisoner". Jean Froissart, Chroniques (Vol. I), Koninklijke Bibliotheek in 1816
Battle of Auray, 1364
"War of Breton Succession" (1341–1364), Jean Froissart, Paris, 9th century
Battle of Auray in the glass window of the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Rennes
Battle of Auray 1364, "Chroniques"
Battle of Auray, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
First Siege of Vannes in 1342 by Charles de Blois-Châtillon
Charles de Blois-Châtillon, was taken prisoner after the battle of Roche Derrien in 1347

Notes

↑ See the Franciscan Description of the Blessed Charles of Blois

References

↑ Michael Prestwich, The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1272-1377, (Routledge, 1993), 174.
↑ Jonathan Sumption, The Hundred Years War, Volume 1: Trial by Battle, (Faber & Faber, 1999), 434.
↑ Michael Jones, Creation of Brittany: A Late Medieval State, (The Hambledon Press, 1988), 265.
↑ France under Charles V and Charles VI, Francoise Autrand, The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 6, C.1300-c.1415, ed. Michael Jones, (Cambridge University Press, 2000), 441.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Charles (Duke of Brittany).

Regnal titles
Charles, Duke of Brittany Born: 1319 Died: 1364
Preceded by John III	Duke of Brittany jure uxoris 1341–1364 With: Joan disputed by John of Montfort and John IV	Succeeded by John IV
Preceded by Joan as sole countess	Count of Penthièvre jure uxoris 1337–1364 With: Joan	Succeeded by Joan as sole countess

Rulers of Brittany

Early monarchs

c. 578–907	Waroch Saint Judicaël Alain II Hir Morman Wihomarc Nominoe Erispoe Salomon Pascweten Gurvand Judicael Alan I Gourmaëlon

Viking Occupation

c. 907–938	Hroflr Rognvaldr Incon

House of Nantes

938–958	Alan II (938–952) Drogo (952–958) Hoël I (960–981) Guerech (981–988) Alan (III) (988–990)

House of Rennes

958–1072	Conan I (990–992)) Geoffrey I (992–1008) Alan III (1008–1040) Odo I (1008–1034) Conan II (1040–1066) Hawise (1066–1072) with Hoel II (1066–1072)

House of Cornouaille

1072–1156	Alan IV (1072–1112) Conan III (1112–1148) Bertha (1148–1156) with Odo II (1148–1156)

House of Penthièvre

1156–1196	Conan IV (1156–1166) Constance (1166–1201) with Geoffrey II (1181–1186), later Guy of Thouars (1199–1201)

House of Plantagenet

1196–1203	Arthur I (1196–1203)

House of Thouars

1203–1221	Alix (1203–1221) with Peter I (1213–1221)

House of Dreux

1221–1341	John I (1221–1286) John II (1286–1305) Arthur II (1305–1312) John III (1312–1341)

War of the Breton Succession

1341–1365	Joan (1341–1364) with Charles I (1341–1364) disputed by John of Montfort (1341–1345) and John IV (1345–1365)

Montfort of Brittany

1365–1514	John IV (1365–1399) John V (1399–1442) Francis I (1442–1450) Peter II (1450–1457) Arthur III (1457–1458) Francis II (1458–1488) Anne (1488–1514)

House of Valois

1514–1547	Claude (1514–1524) Francis III (1524–1536) Henry (1536–1547)

Courtesy title

1547–present	Louis de France (1704–1705) Louis de France (1707–1712) Francis de Bourbon (1973–1984)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 54258580 LCCN: nr97026991 GND: 119270048 SUDOC: 034599320 BNF: cb125338794 (data)

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