Madeleine de Valois

Magdalena of Valois

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Magdalena of Valois, also called Madeleine de France (1 December 1443, Tours - 21 January 1495, Pamplona), was a daughter of Charles VII of France and Marie of Anjou, and acted as regent for her children, Francis I and Catherine I, who were successively monarchs of Navarre.

She married Gaston, Prince of Viana, son and heir of Gaston IV, Count of Foix and Eleanor of Navarre, at Saint-Jean-d'Angély in 1461. They had two children:

François Phébus (1466 - 1483), King of Navarre

Catherine (1470 - 1518), Queen-regnant of Navarre, married in 1484 John III d'Albret (1469 - 1516).

Her husband died in 1470, predeceasing his father; accordingly, when Gaston IV died in 1472, his possessions were inherited by Magdalena's son, Francis Phoebus. Francis became the heir of Navarre in 1479 upon the death of his great-grandfather, John II of Aragon and Navarre, who left Navarre to the rightful heir, Magdalena's mother-in-law, Eleanor. Eleanor only spent a few weeks as Queen before she herself died; Francis Phoebus became King, and his mother acted as regent until his death, at age 17, in 1483; Magdalena then acted as regent for her daughter, Catherine, until 1494. During this regency, she was forced to battle her brother-in-law, John of Foix, who claimed the throne of Navarre as male heir of Francis Phoebus.

Magdalena was taken hostage by Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1494. She died in the following year; her death provoked fresh conflict.

With the death of Charles VIII of France (Magdalena's nephew), the descendants of Charles VI of France ceased to occupy the French throne. By the death of Anne of Beaujeu, Magdalena's descent, along with that of her elder sister Yolande, Duchess of Savoy became the last surviving legitimate descents from Charles VII of France. Her descendant and heir, Henry III of Navarre, would become King of France in 1589, returning the descent and heirs of Charles VI and Charles VII to the French throne.