John III, Duke of Brittany

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Duke of Brittany

John III

The funeral of John III

Duke of Brittany
Reign| 27 August 1312 - 30 April 1341
Predecessor| Arthur II
Successor| disputed between: John of Montfort
and Joanna with Charles I

Born| 8 March 1286
Château de Champtoceaux
Died| 30 April 1341(1341-04-30) (aged 55)
Caen
Burial|

Notre-Dame des Carmes

Spouse|

Isabella of Valois

(m. 1297; died 1309)​

Isabella of Castile

(m. 1310; died 1328)​

Joan of Savoy

(m. 1329)​

House| Dreux
Father| Arthur II, Duke of Brittany
Mother| Marie, Viscountess of Limoges

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 Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, and his first wife Marie, Viscountess of Limoges.[1] John was strongly opposed to his father's second marriage to Yolande and attempted to contest its legality.

In 1297, John married Isabella of Valois,[2] eldest child of Charles, Count of Valois and his first wife Margaret of Naples. At the time of their marriage John was eleven years old and his bride five. She died childless in 1309.

In 1310, John married his second wife, Isabella of Castile.[1] She died childless in 1328.

In 1329, John married his third wife Joan of Savoy.[1] He predeceased his third wife by three years and died childless. He was unwilling to cede the Duchy of Brittany to his half-brother John of Montfort, son of his hated step-mother Yolande. He wished to leave the duchy to the French King Philip VI, 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 of Montfort claimed his rights as duke of Brittany, but King Philip VI 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[edit]

* Coat of arms as duke until 1316

* In 1316, he simplified his coat of arms to plain ermine. This is still the arms of Brittany.

## See also[edit]

* Dukes of Brittany family tree

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Morvan 2009, table 2.
2. ^ Jones 1988, p. 210.

## Sources[edit]

* Jones, Michael (1988). Creation of Brittany: A Late Medieval State. Hambledon Press.
* Morvan, Frederic (2009). La Chevalerie bretonne et la formation de l'armee ducale (in French). Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

## External links[edit]

* Inquisition Post Mortem #355, dated 1341.

John III, Duke of Brittany

House of Dreux

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

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of Brittany

Early monarchs|

| c. 578–907|

* Waroch
* Saint Judicael
* 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 Hoël 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 (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)
* François de Bourbon (1973–1984)

|

Authority control

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef

*[m.]: married
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[c.]: circa