Margaret of Burgundy, Queen of France

Margaret of Burgundy, (French: Marguerite de Bourgogne) (1290 – August 14 1315), was the first queen consort of King Louis X of France and Navarre. Marguerite was a princess of the ducal House of Burgundy, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. She was the eldest daughter of duke Robert II of Burgundy (1248-1306) and Agnes of France (1260-1327), the youngest daughter of Louis IX of France and Marguerite Berenger of Provence. In 1305, Marguerite married her cousin once removed, Louis of France, King of Navarre, who in 1314 acceded to the French throne as Louis X. They had one daughter, Jeanne (born 1311). Early in 1314, Marguerite was allegedly caught in adultery, her sister-in-law Isabella of France being a witness against her, and was imprisoned for the last two years of her life. Imprisoned along with her was her sister-in-law Blanche of Burgundy. Marguerite was allegedly strangled on her husband's orders, in order to allow him to remarry. Marguerite is portrayed in La Reine Étranglée, a novel in the famous Les Rois Maudits ("The Accursed Kings") series of historical novels by Maurice Druon. Marguerite's daughter, Jeanne, later became Queen regnant of Navarre as Jeanne II of Navarre (1311-1349). Her paternity was under doubts of bastardy because of her mother's adultery. However Jeanne was Marguerite's undoubted daughter and thus a full potential heir to Burgundy. She was also a granddaughter of Louis IX of France. Marguerite de Bourgogne was a sister of:

• Duke Hugh V of Burgundy (c. 1294-1315)
• Duke Eudes IV of Burgundy (c. 1295-1349)
• Joan the Lame, Queen consort of Philip VI of France.

In 1361, Marguerite's rights of ainesse became important in the premature death of Duke Philip I of Burgundy (her grandnephew), since the closest Burgundian heirs were descendants of Marguerite and of her sister, Joan the Lame. Marguerite's grandson and heir Charles II of Navarre claimed the duchy on the basis of primogeniture, but Joan the Lame's son John II of France on the basis of proximity, being one generation closer to the Burgundian dukes. The case was ruled in favour of John, who became Duke of Burgundy, later bestowing the Duchy upon his son, Philip the Bold.

Sources

Weir, Alison, Isabella