Louis II of Chalon-Arlay

Louis II lord of Arlay
Spouse(s)	Johanna of Montfaucon Eléonore of Armagnac
Issue William VII lord of Arlay Louis de Châlon Hugh de Châlon
Noble family	House of Chalon-Arlay
Father	John III lord of Arlay
Mother	Mary of Baux-Orange
Born	c. 1388
Died	3 December 1463 Nozeroy

Louis of Chalon-Arlay (c. 1388 – 3 December 1463), nicknamed the Good, was Lord of Arlay and Arguel Prince of Orange. He was he son of John III of Chalon-Arlay and his wife, Mary of Baux-Orange, and the father of William VII of Chalon.

Louis was very ambitious. He tried to establish his authority in the Dauphiné, but failed. He did manage to extend his territory eastwards, to Neuchâtel and Lausanne. During his attempts to extend his territory, he would sometimes express loyalty towards the King of France, and at other times toward the German Emperor or the Duke of Burgundy. In the end, nobody really trusted him.

Louis was also active in the Netherlands: in 1425, he led an army sent by Philip the Good to support Duke John IV of Brabant in a war against his wife Jacqueline.

Louis also called himself Count of Geneva, claiming it was part of the inheritance he had received from his mother. However, he was never able to realize this claim. The county of Geneva was held by Antipope Felix V. After Felix's death, Louis fought a long battle against the Counts of Savoy for control of Geneva. The struggle ended when the Emperor decided in favour of the House of Savoy.

In his last will and testament, Louis stipulated that his children from his second marriage would take precedence over his children from his first marriage when in the division of the inheritance. After his death, this caused a prolonged struggle between his children and their descendants.

Louis married twice:

1. Johanna (d. 1445), the daughter of Count Henry II of Montbéliard an Marie of Châtillon. With her he had one son:
   1. William VII (d. 1475), his successor as Prince of Orange
2. Eléonore (1423–1456), a daughter of Count John IV of Armagnac and his second wife, Isabella of Navarre. With her, he had two more sons:
   1. Louis (1448–1476), Lord of Chateau-Guyon and Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
   2. Hugh de Chalon (-1490), Lord of Château-Guyon, who married Louise of Savoy, a daughter of Duke Amadeus IX of Savoy and Yolande of Valois.

Louis II died at his castle at Nozeroy on 3 December 1463. He was succeeded as Prince of Orange by his son William VII.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Louis II of Chalon-Arlay

16. Hugh I of Chalon-Arlay               8. John II of Chalon-Arlay                       17. Béatrice de la Tour du Pin               4. Louis I of Chalon-Arlay                             18. Dreux IV of Mello               9. Margaret of Mello                       19. Eleanor of Savoy               2. John III of Chalon-Arlay                                   20. Hugh V of Longvy               10. Philipe of Vienne                       21. Margeurite de Montmoret               5. Marguerite of Vienne                             22. Henry d'Antigny               11. Huguette d'Antigny                       23. Marguerite de Bellevesvre               1. Louis II of Chalon-Arlay                                         24. Bertrand III of Baux-Orange               12. Raymond III of Baux-Orange                       25. Eleonore of Geneva               6. Raymond V of Baux-Orange                             26. Guy of Viennois               13. Anne of Viennios                       27. Beatrix of Baux               3. Mary of Baux-Orange                                   28. William III, Count of Geneva               14. Amadeus III of Geneva                       29. Agnes of Savoy               7. Jeanne of Geneva                             30. Robert VII, Count of Auvergne               15. Mathilde d'Auvergne                       31. Maria of Dampierre

References

• Frédéric Barbey, Louis de Chalon, Prince d'Orange, in the series Mémoires et documents publiés par la Société d'histoire de la Suisse romande, 2nd series, vol. XIII, Lausanne, Librairie Payot, 1926
• J.K.H. de Roo van Alderwerelt: De voorgeschiedenis van het wapen gevoerd door de eerste prins van Orange uit het geslacht van de graven van Nassau, in: Jaarboek van het Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie, part XXV, 1971