Charles de la Cerda

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Charles de la Cerda, commonly known as Charles of Spain (French: Charles d'Espagne) (1327 – 8 January 1354), was a Franco-Castilian nobleman and soldier, the son of Alfonso de la Cerda of Spain (died 1327) and Isabelle d'Antoing,[1] and grandson of Alfonso de la Cerda the disinherited (1270–1333). He was a distant cousin of John II of France.

Charles de la Cerda
Arms of the House de la Cerda
Count of Angoulême
Reign1350–1354
PredecessorJoan of Navarre
SuccessorJohn I de Berry
Constable of France
Reign13501354
PredecessorRaoul II, Count of Eu
SuccessorJames I, Count of Ponthieu
Born1327
Died8 January 1354
L'Aigle
HouseHouse of la Cerda
FatherAlfonso de la Cerda of Spain
MotherIsabelle d'Antoing

A boyhood companion and favorite of John while he was Duke of Normandy, Charles commanded the Castilian galleys at the Battle of L'Espagnols-sur-Mer, where he was defeated by Edward III of England after a long and desperate struggle.[2] Soon after John's accession to the throne, he was appointed Constable of France,[3] filling the vacancy left by the execution of Raoul II, Count of Eu, and created Count of Angoulême. Vacant since the death of Joan II of Navarre in 1349, the title to Angoulême was claimed by her son, Charles II, King of Navarre, who bitterly resented La Cerda's preferment. In 1351, Charles de la Cerda married Marguerite, a daughter of Charles, Duke of Brittany.

In 1354, following an altercation with Philippe de Navarre (1336-1363), brother of Charles II of Navarre, Jean le Soult (called Le Bascon), a henchman of Charles II of Navarre, slew de la Cerda in an inn in L'Aigle.[4] The repercussions of this murder led to a continuous state of instability within France that was only resolved upon the accession of Charles V in 1364.

References

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  1. ^ Farmer 2017, p. 14.
  2. ^ Cushway 2011, p. 137-140.
  3. ^ Farmer 2017, p. 16.
  4. ^ Delachenal 1910, p. 37-38.

Sources

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  • Cushway, Graham (2011). Edward III and the War at Sea: The English Navy, 1327-1377. The Boydell Press.
  • Farmer, Sharon (2017). The Silk Industries of Medieval Paris: Artisanal Migration, Technological Innovation, and Gendered Experience. University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • Delachenal, Roland, ed. (1910). Les Grandes Chroniques de France: Chronique des règnes de Jean II et de Charles V, Tome Premier (1350 – 1364). Vol. I. Librairie Renouard.
French nobility
Vacant
Title last held by
Joan
Count of Angoulême
1350–1354
Vacant
Title next held by
John I
Political offices
Vacant
Title last held by
Raoul II, Count of Eu
Constable of France
1350–1354
Vacant
Title next held by
James I, Count of Ponthieu