Naples was induced to name Louis as her heir, but her cousin of the Hungarian line
Charles of Durazzo seized Naples and reigned as Charles III (r. 1382–86) after capturing
and murdering Joanna. Charles III was succeeded by his son Ladislas (r. 1386–1414) and
daughter Joanna II (r. 1414–35), during whose reign the Regno disintegrated.
The second house of Anjou, which had seized Provence, continued to claim Naples.
Louis I, who failed to dislodge Charles of Durazzo, died in Italy in 1384. His claims
passed on to his son Louis II (d. 1417) and grandson Louis III (d. 1434). The latter’s
brother René (d. 1480) had married Isabelle, the heiress of Lorraine, which with its
dependencies he added to Anjou, Maine, and Provence—the inheritance from his brother.
René seemed about to realize his family’s Neapolitan claims when Joanna II adopted him
as heir in 1434. He actually ruled in Naples from 1438 until expelled four years later by
Alfonso of Aragon. An ineffectual ruler, René never returned to Italy, and after
abdicating Lorraine to his son Jean he turned in his old age to the pursuit of art and
literature.
William A.Percy‚ Jr.
[See also: CHARLES I; NORMANS IN SICILY; RENÉ D’ANJOU]
Leonard, Émile G. Les Angevins de Naples. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1954.
ANNE OF BEAUJEU
(ca. 1461–1522). Duchess of Bour-bon. Anne of France, the oldest child of Louis XI and
Charlotte of Savoy, was born ca. 1461 and was married in 1474 to Pierre de Bourbon,
lord of Beaujeu, a prince who gave her father able service. She inherited much of her
father’s ability and, while still in her early twenties, had to act as guardian for her brother,
Charles VIII, who became king at the age of thirteen. Despite considerable opposition,
she and Pierre retained custody of the young king, skillfully managed the Estates General
of 1484, and defeated a princely uprising. For five years, she exercised considerable
authority over the French government. In 1488, when her husband inherited the duchy of
Bourbon and her brother reached the age of eighteen, her political influence diminished.
John Bell Henneman, Jr.
[See also: BOURBON/BOURBONNAIS; CHARLES VIII]
Pelicier, Paul. Essai sur le gouvernement de la dame de Beaujeu (1483–1491). Chartres: Garnier,
1882.
Pradel, Pierre. Anne de France, 1461–1522. Paris: Publisud, 1986.
ANNE OF BRITTANY
(1477–1514). Duchess of Brittany and queen of France. The oldest daughter of François
II, duke of Brittany, and Marguerite de Foix, Anne of Brittany was born at Nantes on
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