Germaine of Foix

Germaine de Foix (* 1488 or 1490 in Foix, Narbonne, † October 15, 1538 in Liria (Valencia ) ) was a French noblewoman and the second wife of King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Life

Germaine de Foix was in 1488 or 1490 as the daughter of Jean de Foix, Count of Etampes and Viscount of Narbonne, and his wife Maria of Orléans, sister of King Louis XII. of France, was born.

After the death of his first wife, Queen Isabella of Castile, King Ferdinand of Aragon had been forced the government of Castile to transfer his son Philip the Handsome. Philip exercised the power in the name of his wife Joanna of Castile, daughter and heiress of Isabella. Ferdinand had objected to the style of government of Philip and married on March 22, 1505 in Denia, the eighteen- year-old Germaine de Foix in the hope of an heir who would stand in line to the throne of Aragon in front of his daughter Johanna.

The political connection should be peace between King Louis XII. of France and King Ferdinand of Aragon, which was agreed in the Treaty of Blois, seal. The contract implied that the French king his niece transferred the dynastic rights to the Kingdom of Naples and the title of King of Jerusalem. These rights should revert to the French crown in the case of infertility of the couple. In return, Ferdinand of Aragon had to promise to appoint a son of this relationship with the King of Aragon. The political connection caused resistance among the members of the nobility of Castile, since it was believed that Ferdinand wanted to prevent his daughter Johanna and her husband Philip inherited the title of King of Aragon.

In 1506, Philip and Ferdinand died was Regent of Castile for his mentally ill daughter Johanna.

On May 3, 1509 in Valladolid, the first son of the couple, Juan, príncipe de Gerona, born. The prince was the future king of Aragon, Valencia and Catalonia in Spain, and Naples, Sicily and Sardinia in Italy and the fusion of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile would have prevented. However, the infant died a few hours after his birth. According to other sources, he died at the age of four days on 7 May 1509th

Ferdinand diplomatic duplicity and the shifting alliances with France, angry the English king Henry VIII, who was married to Ferdinand's youngest daughter Catherine of Aragon. That's why he married in 1514 his sister Mary with the 52 year old King Louis XII. of France, who already died three months after the wedding.

On January 15, 1516, King Ferdinand II of Aragon died. The king had suffered from health problems for the past two years and died allegedly after drinking aphrodisiac herbs that should improve its fertility. Ferdinand promised Germaine in his will an annual pension of 50,000 florins, which should be resolved, however, in the event of remarriage of the widow. After the death of her husband Germaine moved to Castile.

Ferdinand's grandson and successor, King Charles I of Spain, arranged for Germaine on June 17, 1519 in Barcelona, a marriage with the Margrave John of Brandenburg, a son of Frederick V, Margrave of Brandenburg -Ansbach and his wife Zofia Jagiellonka, Princess of Poland. He was therefore cousin of the Elector Joachim of Brandenburg. Germaine has held the office of Captain-General and Viceroy of Valencia, which Karl on March 27, 1523 expanded on Johann. The pair made ​​on December 11, 1523 in the Cathedral of Valencia the solemn oath of office. While revolutionary unrest in Valencia, almost all the palaces of the local nobles were destroyed, Johanns palace was however spared. When Charles was preparing against France in 1524, John and his wife pawned his jewels and gold and silver plates to help out with Karl funds. After the death of John on July 5, 1525 in Valencia Germaine married on August 1, 1526 in Seville Fernando, Duke of Calabria and Prince of Taranto. He was born on 15 December 1488 Andria, the son of King Frederick I of Naples and Isabella del Balzo. The couple was Viceroy and Viceroy of Valencia, was the patron of the arts and music. The Viceroy pair ruled authoritarian and the Moors were confronted in the course of his government activities with bandits, internal conflicts, piracy from North Africa, the debt of the nobility and rebellion. In addition, the pair hit the Germanías - uprising, confiscated the goods of the rebels and led by a Refeudalisationsprozess.

Germaine de Foix died at the age of 49 years on 15 October 1538 and is buried in Liria Valencia in San Miguel de los Reyes Monastery. The Duke of Calabria married on 1 February 1540 in second wife Mencia de Mendoza Fonseca, second Marquesa del Cenete, and was until his death on October 26, 1550 or August 5, 1550 in Valencia Viceroy of Valencia. He had an illegitimate son, Juan Pablo de Matarredona.

Myth

Germaine de Foix and Charles I of Spain should have been a pair of lovers according to contemporary sources.

In the year 1517 the young King Charles I of Spain met after his arrival in Spain for the first time on Germaine. The widow was at that time an attractive woman of 29 years who have not yet suffered at this time from obesity. Karl organizing in honor of Germaine banquets and tournaments. Soon a love affair between the King and Germaine is said to have developed, which shall originate from a daughter named Isabel. Although it was never officially recognized, Germaine de Foix called this girl in her will " Infanta Isabel " ( a title she could not wear ) and the father of the child, " the Emperor ." The girl was brought up at the royal court of Castile. Isabella, Infanta of Castile, was allegedly born on August 20, 1518 in Valencia and died in 1537 in Perpignan.

In 1519, Germaine de Foix Karl and his sister Eleanor escorted to Zaragoza and Barcelona, ​​where the crowned King and the Royal Family was celebrated. Before the love affair between the widow and the young King had become public can was the marriage of Germaine with John, Margrave of Brandenburg- Ansbach, decided. Johann of Brandenburg was a loyal follower of the king and was appointed in the wake of marriage to Viceroy and major general of Valencia and the commander of the Spanish army.

Documents

• Prince (France)
• King (Naples)
• Titular King (Jerusalem)
• House Grailly
• Hohenzollern ( Brandenburg- Ansbach - Kulmbach line )
• House Trastámara
• Born in 1488
• Died in 1538
• Woman