John III, Duke of Brittany

John III the Good (in Breton Yann III, in French Jean III; 8 March 1286  30 April 1341) was duke of Brittany, from 1312 to his death and 5th Earl of Richmond from 1334 to his death. He was the son of Duke Arthur II and Mary of Limoges, his first wife. John was strongly opposed to his father's second marriage to Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland and attempted to contest its legality.

John III
The funeral of John III
Duke of Brittany
Reign27 August 1312  30 April 1341
PredecessorArthur II
Successordisputed between: John of Montfort
and Joanna with Charles I
Born8 March 1286
Château de Champtoceaux
Died30 April 1341(1341-04-30) (aged 55)
Caen
Burial
Notre-Dame des Carmes
SpouseIsabella of Valois
Isabella of Castile
Joan of Savoy
HouseDreux
FatherArthur II, Duke of Brittany
MotherMarie, Viscountess of Limoges
ReligionRoman Catholicism

In 1297, John was married to his first wife Isabella of Valois,[1] eldest daughter of Charles of Valois and his first wife Margaret of Naples. At the time of their marriage John was eleven years old and his bride five. Isabella died childless in 1309. In 1310, John married his second wife, Isabella of Castile. Isabella died childless in 1328.

In 1329, John married his third wife, Joan of Savoy. He predeceased his third wife by three years and died childless. He was unwilling to cede the Duchy to his half-brother, John of Montfort, son of his hated step-mother Yolande. He wished to leave the Duchy to the French king, but his nobles objected. The marriage of his niece Joanna of Dreux to Charles of Blois gave Charles a plausible claim to the Duchy, but the matter was unresolved at John's death.

After his death, John de Montfort claimed his rights as duke, but the French king supported the Blois faction, and the Breton War of Succession (1341–1364) was triggered. The Breton Civil War was fought between the House of Blois and the House of Montfort. It became part of the Hundred Years' War, as England supported the Montfort faction, which won, against the House of Blois, which was supported by France.

Arms

See also

  • Dukes of Brittany family tree

References

  1. Michael Jones, Creation of Brittany: A Late Medieval State, (Hambledon Press, 1988), 210.
John III, Duke of Brittany
Cadet branch of the Capetian Dynasty
Born: 8 March 1286 Died: 30 April 1341
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Arthur II
Duke of Brittany
1312–1341
Succeeded by
Joan
Preceded by
Guy VII
Viscount of Limoges
1312–1331
Peerage of England
Preceded by
John of Brittany
Earl of Richmond
1334–1341
Succeeded by
Robert III of Artois
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