JOAN OF NAVARRE

born c. 1370 died July 9, 1437, Havering atte Bowe, Essex, Eng. , French Jeanne de Navarre the wife of Henry IV of England and the daughter of Charles the Bad, king of Navarre. In 1386 Joan was married to John IV (or V), duke of Brittany; they had eight children. John died in 1399, and Joan was regent for her son John V (or VI) until 1401. Early in 1402 a marriage was arranged between Joan and Henry IV of England, and the ceremony took place by proxy on April 3, 1402. Because Brittany was not on good terms with England, the Bretons did not favour the match, so that when Joan embarked for England she left her older children with the duke of Burgundy. Her coronation took place on Feb. 26, 1403, at Westminster. She had no children by this marriage. After Henry IV died in March 1413, Joan maintained good relations with her stepson, Henry V. After a few years, however, her situation became awkward because Brittany, ruled by Joan's son, John V (or VI), was still hostile to England. In 1419 she was accused of witchcraft and, though the whole matter was vague, was imprisoned. Joan's life was uneventful after her release in 1422.