Francis II, Duke of Brittany

Francis II, Duke of Brittany
(d. 1488)
   After 1471, Francis II, ruler of the French Duchy of BRITTANY, held custody of Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond (see Henry VII, King of England), the surviving Lancastrian claimant to the English throne.
   Becoming duke of Brittany in 1458, Francis’s goal was to maintain Breton independence, which was threatened by the growing power of his feudal overlord, the king of FRANCE. To achieve this end, Francis, a weak and irresolute man, conducted a complex foreign policy that sought to preserve the friendship of England and BURGUNDY without unduly alienating France. Personally favorable to the house of LANCASTER, Francis allowed Jasper TUDOR, earl of Pembroke, to hire Breton men and ships for an invasion of WALES in 1464. However, the expedition never sailed, in part because Francis withdrew his support when LOUIS XI of France became less friendly to the Lancastrian cause. Nonetheless, Francis remained cool to diplomatic overtures from Yorkist England until 1468, when the growing threat of French invasion and Brittany’s thriving English trade forced the duke to conclude formal treaties of commerce and alliance with EDWARD IV.
   After 1471, Francis had custody of Pembroke and his nephew Richmond, who had been driven ashore in Brittany after the restoration of the house of YORK forced them to flee Wales (see Edward IV, Restoration of). Francis used his possession of Richmond, the remaining Lancastrian heir, to pressure Edward IV into supporting Brittany against France. In 1472, a force of 1,000 English ARCHERS under Anthony WOODVILLE, Earl Rivers, helped the Bretons repel a French invasion. In 1476, after persistent lobbying by Bishop Robert STILLINGTON, the English envoy, and by the pro-English faction at his own COURT, Francis agreed to surrender Richmond to Edward. However, before the English could sail, Richmond’s friends among the duke’s advisors persuaded Francis to change his mind, and Richmond eventually returned safely to the Breton court. In 1480, Francis betrothed his only child, Anne, to Edward IV’s heir, the future EDWARD V. When RICHARD III usurped the throne in 1483, he ended the marriage and so damaged the duke’s hopes for the future independence of Brittany. After failing in an attempt to use his continued possession of Richmond to extort military assistance from Richard, Francis supplied Richmond with ships and men and allowed him to participate in BUCKINGHAM’S REBELLION in October 1483. After the failure of that uprising, a growing band of English exiles formed around Richmond in Brittany. In 1484, Richard, working through Francis’s treasurer, Pierre LANDAIS, who had temporary direction of the Breton government while the duke was ill, secured an agreement to hand Richmond over to the king’s agents.Warned of the plot by Bishop John MORTON, Richmond fled to France. Francis died in 1488, three years before his daughter’s marriage to CHARLES VIII of France effectively ended Breton independence.
   Further Reading: Griffiths, Ralph A., and Roger S. Thomas, The Making of the Tudor Dynasty (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1985); Jones, Michael, The Creation of Brittany: A Late Medieval State (London: Hambledon, 1988).

Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses. . 2001.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Francis I, Duke of Brittany — Francis I (in breton Fransez I, in french François I) (Vannes/Gwened, May 14 1414 ndash; July 18 1450, Château de l Hermine/Kastell an Erminig), was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort and titular earl of Richmond, from 1442 to his death. He was… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis III, Duke of Brittany — Infobox French Royalty|prince name=Francis III title=Duke of Brittany; Dauphin of Viennois caption= reign=20 July 1524 – 10 August 1536 titles=The Duke of Brittany The Dauphin of Viennois full name= succession = Duke of Brittany… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis II, Duke of Brittany — Infobox Breton Royalty|majesty name =Francis II title =Duke of Brittany caption =The tomb of Francis in Nantes. succession =Duke of Brittany predecessor =Arthur III successor =Anne reign =26 December 1458 9 September 1488 reign type =Reign spouse …   Wikipedia

  • John VI, Duke of Brittany — John VI the Wise (in Breton, Yann V ar Fur , in french this would be Jean VI but French accounting, influenced by the French view of the Breton War of Succession, makes him Jean V le Sage ) (December 24 1389 ndash; August 29 1442), was duke of… …   Wikipedia

  • Conan II, Duke of Brittany — Conan II of Rennes (c. 1033 – 11 December 1066) was Duke of Brittany, from 1040 to his death. Conan was the eldest child and heir of Alan III, Duke of Brittany by his wife Berthe de Blois, and member of the House of Rennes.[1] He was the elder… …   Wikipedia

  • Conan IV, Duke of Brittany — Conan IV Duke of Brittany Reign 1156–1171 Predecessor Odo II Bertha Successor …   Wikipedia

  • Charles I, Duke of Brittany — Charles of Blois Duke of Brittany Duke of Brittany Reign 30 April 1341 – 29 September 1364 Predecessor John III Successor …   Wikipedia

  • Conan III, Duke of Brittany — Conan III of Cornwall or the Fat (c. 1093 1096 – September 17, 1148), (Breton Konan III a Vreizh, and Konan Kerne) was duke of Brittany, from 1112 to his death. He was son of Duke Alan IV and Ermengarde of Anjou. Conan III allied himself with… …   Wikipedia

  • Arthur III, Duke of Brittany — Arthur III (in breton Arzhur III) (August 24 1393 ndash; December 26 1458), known as the Justicier and as Arthur de Richemont, was Lord of Parthenay and titular Count (Earl) of Richmond in England and, for eleven months at the very end of his… …   Wikipedia

  • Peter II, Duke of Brittany — Peter II (in breton Pêr II, in french Pierre II) (1418 ndash; 1457, Nantes/ Naoned), was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort and titular earl of Richmond, from 1450 to his death. He was son of Duke John VI and Joan of France, and thus was younger …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”