Violant of Bar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Violant of Bar
Queen consort of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, and Sardinia and Corsica; Countess consort of Barcelona
Tenure	1380–1395
Born	c.1365 Northern France
Died	3 July 1431 Barcelona
Spouse	John I of Aragon
Issue Detail	Yolande, Queen of Naples
House	House of Montbéliard
Father	Robert, Duke of Bar
Mother	Marie of Valois
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Violant of Bar (around 1365 – July 3, 1431) was a Queen of Aragon. She became queen by marrying John I of Aragon. Violant was very active in arranging marriages for political reasons. From 1388 to 1395, she acted as "Queen-Lieutenant" (a regent) for her husband in Aragon. This meant she governed the kingdom when he was unable to.

Life of Queen Violant

Violant was the daughter of Robert I, Duke of Bar and Marie of Valois. She was one of eleven children. In 1380, at age 15, she married John, Duke of Girona. He was the future king of Aragon. This marriage made her the Duchess of Girona and Countess of Cervera.

Becoming Queen

John became King of Aragon in 1387. He was often sick, so Violant took on many important duties. In 1388, she became the queen-lieutenant. She ruled Aragon for seven years. Violant brought French culture to the Aragonese court. She especially supported Provençal troubadours, who were poet-musicians.

After King John died in 1396, Violant said she was pregnant. However, her sister-in-law, Maria de Luna, quickly took control. Maria declared herself queen-lieutenant. She made sure Violant was watched closely. Maria then arrested Violant's friends. She also made Violant leave the royal castle. Maria spread stories that made Violant look bad. She presented herself as Aragon's savior.

After John's death in 1395, Violant focused on her only surviving child, Yolande. Yolande and her sons later tried to claim the Kingdom of Aragon.

Violant died in Barcelona on July 3, 1431. She was sixty-six years old.

Queen's Role in Politics

Royal women in the Middle Ages often used their family connections. They could gain access to politics and power. Queens had important duties. They attended political meetings and advised on decisions. This was especially true for marriages.

In Iberia (Spain and Portugal), a queen's role was very active. They had many political and home duties. Some writers compared the queen's role to the queen piece in chess. Both move all over the board, doing many tasks.

Arranging Marriages

Violant of Bar's marriage to Duke John was not popular with his father, King Pere III. The king wanted John to marry his granddaughter, Maria, Queen of Sicily. This would have brought two kingdoms closer. But John refused to marry his half-niece. King Pere III and his wife even skipped the wedding.

John chose Violant because he liked French culture. He used their marriage to make Aragon and France stronger allies. It also helped Aragon support the Avignon Papacy. For Violant, this marriage offered protection and support. It also gave her a chance to gain power. She became a duchess and later a queen. She also became a mother, and her children would be part of future marriage plans.

Even though she had no choice in her own marriage, Violant played a big role in arranging others. She helped arrange marriages for her children, servants, and nobles. Monarchs often arranged marriages for their people. This was because a marriage could create new allies. Violant made sure marriages were good for everyone. She knew good marriages strengthened political ties. She used her power to make sure dowries were paid. She also got nobles to agree to marriages. She even threatened to stop unions if things weren't going well.

Family Marriages

Violant was very careful when arranging marriages for her own family. In 1382, she wrote to her parents. She wanted her and her husband's ideas to be heard. This was before her sister's marriage was arranged. Violant wanted her sister to marry someone from Aragon's royal family. This would give her family more importance in the court. It would also make the ties between Aragon and France stronger.

Violant also talked with Juan I of Castile about marriages. In 1384, Juan suggested his youngest son marry Violant's stepdaughter, Joanna. Violant knew the youngest son would not become king. She told her husband this marriage was not good enough. It would hurt their family's honor. Violant suggested Joanna marry Juan's oldest son, Enrique III.

At the same time, they discussed Violant's daughter, Violant of Aragon. Juan offered her to the youngest son of the Duke of Anjou. Violant made a counter-offer. She wanted her daughter to marry the Duke of Anjou's oldest son. Neither side gave in, so neither wedding happened. In 1388, Violant agreed to marry John's sister to Juan's brother, Fadrique.

In 1389, Violant heard the Duke of Turaine was divorced. She tried to arrange a marriage between him and Joanna. This marriage would have made King John and King Charles IV of France even closer. But Violant could not make this marriage happen.

The King of England offered one of his daughters for marriage. But Violant was loyal to her cousin, Charles IV. He was an enemy of England. So, Violant did not arrange that marriage.

In 1392, Violant arranged for Joanna to marry Mateu, Count of Foix. This further strengthened ties between Aragon and France. In the same year, Violant married her daughter, Yolande, to Louis II of Anjou. He was the King of Naples. This gave Violant a strong political position as Queen of Naples.

Violant and John had one son, Jaime (James), who had marriage plans. Born in 1384, he was their only heir. He was named Dauphin at age four. A marriage was planned with a princess from Navarre. Violant asked for the princess to be sent to her. This was refused. Violant then threatened to stop the marriage. Sadly, Jaime died in 1388.

Events in Valencia

In Valencia, there was a riot against the Jewish people in July 1391. Some people have criticized Violant and her husband for not doing enough to stop the violence. Violant did write a letter to officials in Valencia. She asked them to protect the Jewish people. This was almost a month before the violence started.

Violant's brother-in-law was in Valencia. He was chosen to calm the rioters. Later, when he asked King John for help, the king refused. He then asked Violant to change the king's mind. But she refused for legal reasons, not personal ones.

This riot was part of a larger period called the Reconquista. It was not the only such event. Many Sephardic Jews became Christians, some willingly, some by force. This made other Jewish people wonder why their friends and leaders were changing their faith.

Some historians believe these riots were linked to the Black Death. The plague returned every twenty years. Many Christians thought the plague was a punishment from God. Archeological findings suggest that wealthy people started this riot. Some historians think the riots were also due to people being unhappy with the king.

Children of Violant

• James (1382–1388), Duke of Girona and Count of Cervera
• Yolande (Zaragoza 1384 - Saumur 14 November 1442), married on December 2, 1400, to Louis II of Naples. She played an important role in the history of France.
• Ferdinand (1389 - Monzón October 1389), Duke of Girona and Count of Cervera
• Joanna (1392 - Barcelona 4 August 1396)
• Antonia (born and died 1392)
• Peter (1394-1394), Duke of Girona and Count of Cervera

Images for kids

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  Violant of Bar

See also