Joanna of Aragon, Countess of Foix facts for kids

Joanna of Aragon (born October 1375 – died September 1407) was an important princess from the House of Barcelona. She was also known as Joana de Foix. Joanna was the only child of John I of Aragon and his first wife, Martha of Armagnac, who lived to be an adult. Through her marriage to Matthew of Foix, she became the Countess of Foix.

Joanna's Early Life

Joanna was born in October 1375 in a place called Daroca. She was the second of five children born to her father, King John I, and his first wife. Sadly, most of her brothers and sisters did not survive.

Her father, King John I, later married a second time to Violant of Bar. From this marriage, Joanna had a younger half-sister named Yolande. Yolande was the only child from that marriage who grew up.

Marriage and Royal Ambitions

On June 4, 1392, Joanna married Matthew of Foix in Barcelona. Matthew was the son of Roger Bernard II, who was the Viscount of Castelbon. Joanna and Matthew were distant cousins, both related to an earlier king, Peter III of Aragon.

Joanna and Matthew were married for about fifteen years. However, they never had any children together. This became important later on when it came to who would rule Aragon.

In 1396, Joanna's father, King John I, passed away. His brother, Martin, was next in line to become king. Martin was Joanna's uncle.

However, there were problems in Sicily, where Martin was at the time. Nobles there were causing trouble, which kept Martin from returning to Aragon right away. While he was away, Martin's wife, Maria de Luna, claimed the throne for him. She acted as his ruler until he could finally arrive in 1397.

The Fight for the Throne

Because King Martin was delayed, it caused more arguments about who should be the next ruler of Aragon. Joanna and her husband, Matthew, believed they had a right to the throne. They even tried to invade Aragon to claim it. However, King Martin was able to stop their invasion.

Joanna's younger half-sister, Yolande, also tried to claim the throne. She had the support of her mother, Violant of Bar. This happened even though Joanna was still alive. Yolande's attempt also failed at that time.

Later, Yolande married Louis II of Naples. They had children who also tried to claim the throne of Aragon after King Martin's death.

Joanna herself died without having any children in September 1407 in Valencia. She never became the Queen of Aragon. After King Martin died, Yolande tried again to claim Aragon, but she was not successful either.

See also

In Spanish: Juana de Aragón y de Armagnac para niños