Quick Facts
Biography
John VIII (1425 - 6 January 1477) was Count of Vendôme from 1466 until his death. A member of the House of Bourbon, he was the son and successor of Louis, Count of Vendôme. As a courtier of King Charles VII of France, he fought the English in Normandy and Guyenne. He attached himself to King Louis XI, but was not in royal favor. He withdrew to the Château of Lavardin and completed its construction.
In 1454, he married Isabelle de Beauvau, daughter of Louis de Beauvau, Seneschal of Anjou and Marguerite de Chambley. They had eight children:
- Jeanne, married Louis, Count of Grandpré
- Catherine, married Gilbert de Chabannes
- Jeanne, married at first John II, Duke of Bourbon and later John III, Count of Auvergne
- Renée, Abbess of Fontevraud
- François, Count of Vendôme (1470–1495)
- Louis, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon
- Charlotte, married Engelbert, Count of Nevers
- Isabelle, Abbess of la Trinité de Caen
Jean also had two illegitimate sons:
- Louis, Bishop of Avranches
- Jacques, Governor of Valois and the Vendomois (1455 - 1524) was the father of Catherine de Bourbon, paternal grandmother of Gabrielle d'Estrées, mistress of Henry IV of France.
Ancestors
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Patrilineal descent
| Patrilineal descent |
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Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Count John were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house. Jean was a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians. Jean's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Kings of France and the Counts of Paris and Worms. This line can be traced back more than 1,200 years from Robert of Hesbaye to the present day, through Kings of France & Navarre, Spain and Two-Sicilies, Dukes of Parma and Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg, Princes of Orléans and Emperors of Brazil. It is one of the oldest in Europe.
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