Joan II of Navarre

Joan II (28 January 1312 – 6 October 1349) was Queen of Navarre from 1328 until her death. She was the only daughter of Margaret of Burgundy, first wife of King Louis X of France (Louis I of Navarre). Because Margaret was believed to have been involved in an extramarital affair, Joan's paternity is in doubt.

Inheritance

On the deaths of Louis X (1316) and his son, John I (also 1316), both of whom had been kings of France and Navarre, she was excluded from the succession in favor of Louis' brother Philip V of France (Philip II of Navarre), the second surviving son of Philip IV of France. Philip V prevailed for a number of reasons, including her youth, doubts regarding her paternity, and the Estates-General's determination that women should not be allowed to rule France. The last reason, however, was not applicable to Navarre because there was already precedent there for succession by a female. The only reason that she was not officially declared a bastard was that Philip needed the political support of her mother's brother Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy, who did not want to perpetuate the scandal of his sister's behavior. After Philip V's brother and successor Charles IV of France (Charles I of Navarre) died in 1328, there was no male heir to either crown in the direct line from Philip IV. Instead, a more distant Philip, a descendant of Philip IV's younger brother Charles of Valois, successfully claimed the throne as Philip VI of France in preference to Joan and a...
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