Joan II of Navarre

2.1. Birth and Uncertain Legitimacy

Joan was born on January 28, 1312, as the daughter of Louis I of Navarre (who later became Louis X of France) and his first wife, Margaret of Burgundy. Her father was the eldest son and heir of King Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. However, Joan's legitimacy became dubious due to the Tour de Nesle Affair in 1314, which involved her mother, Margaret, and Margaret's sisters-in-law, Joan and Blanche of Burgundy. Margaret and Blanche were accused of adultery with two knights, the Aunay brothers. After torture, one of the brothers confessed to having been Margaret and Blanche's lovers for three years. The Aunay brothers were executed, and Margaret and Blanche were imprisoned. Margaret died in prison at Château Gaillard, possibly due to natural causes exacerbated by harsh treatment, or potentially by Louis's order. This scandal created a lasting stain on Joan's reputation, casting doubt on her paternity, as the affair coincided with the year of her birth. Despite this, on his deathbed in 1316, Louis X explicitly declared Joan his legitimate daughter.

2.2. French Succession Crisis and Disinheritance

Upon the death of Joan's paternal grandfather, Philip IV, on November 26, 1314, her father ascended the French throne as Louis X. Louis X died prematurely on June 5, 1316, leaving his second wife, Clementia of Hungary, pregnant. An agreement among powerful French lords, completed on July 16, stipulated that if Clementia bore a son, he would be crowned King of France. If she bore a daughter, that daughter, along with Joan, could only inherit the Kingdom of Navarre and the counties of Champagne and Brie, which Louis X had inherited from his mother, Joan I of Navarre. It was also agreed that Joan would be sent to her mother's relatives in Burgundy, and her marriage would require the consent of the French royal family.

Clementia gave birth to a son, John the Posthumous, on November 13, 1316, but he died five days later. This triggered a severe succession crisis. Joan's maternal uncle, Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy, attempted to negotiate with Philip the Tall, Louis X's brother and Joan's paternal uncle, to protect Joan's interests. However, Philip instead arranged his own coronation, which took place in Reims on January 9, 1317. The Estates-General of 1317, an assembly of French lords, further solidified Philip V's position on February 2 by declaring that a woman could not inherit the French crown, reinforcing the concept of Salic law. Most Navarrese noblemen initially swore fidelity to Philip V, who also refused to grant Champagne and Brie to Joan. Joan's maternal grandmother, Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy, protested Philip V's coronation through letters to leading French lords, arguing that Joan's disinheritance violated "divine right of law, by custom, in the usage kept in similar cases in empires, kingdoms, fiefs, in baronies in such a length of time that there is no memory of the contrary." Despite these protests, Philip V faced little opposition and his uncle, Charles of Valois, defeated Joan's supporters.

2.3. Marriage to Philip of Évreux and Early Life in France

On March 27, 1318, an agreement was concluded between Philip V and Odo IV. Philip V married his eldest daughter, Joan, to Odo IV, recognizing them as heirs to the counties of Burgundy and Artois. In return, Joan was to marry her cousin, Philip of Évreux, receiving a dowry of 15,000 livres tournois in rents and the right to inherit Champagne and Brie if Philip V died without sons. It was also agreed that Joan would renounce her claims to France and Navarre upon turning twelve, though there is no evidence this renunciation ever formally took place.

Joan and Philip's marriage was celebrated on June 18, 1318, when Joan was only six years old and Philip twelve. After her marriage, Joan lived with Philip's grandmother, Marie of Brabant. Although they lived near each other, Philip and Joan were not raised together due to their age difference. Their marriage was only consummated in 1324. Philip of Évreux was the grandson of Philip III of France and inherited the county of Évreux. This gave the couple extensive landholdings in northern France, including Normandy and Champagne.

3.1. Dissolution of the Personal Union with France

The succession crisis in France continued to unfold after Philip V died without surviving male heirs in early 1322. His brother, Charles the Fair, the last surviving son of Philip IV, succeeded him on both the French and Navarrese thrones. However, most Navarrese nobles refused to pay homage to Charles, and he did not confirm the Fueros (liberties) of Navarre, indicating a growing desire for greater autonomy.

The direct male line of the Capetian dynasty became extinct with Charles IV's death on February 1, 1328. His widow, Joan of Évreux, was pregnant at the time, leading to another succession crisis. On April 1, she gave birth to a daughter, Blanche, confirming the end of the direct male Capetian line. With no male heir, the French lords assembled to elect a regent, with Philip of Valois emerging as the strongest claimant due to his close patrilineal relationship to the deceased king. Meanwhile, the Navarrese Estates, meeting at Puente La Reina on March 13, replaced the French governor with two local lords, asserting their independence. In May, the general assembly of Navarre passed a resolution explicitly requesting Joan to visit Navarre and take control of its government, affirming that the crown belonged "by right of succession and inheritance" to her. This decision effectively ended the personal union between Navarre and France, which had been formed through the marriage of Joan I of Navarre and Philip IV of France.

Philip of Valois was crowned King of France as Philip VI in Reims on May 29. He had no claim to Navarre, Champagne, or Brie, as he was not descended from Joan I of Navarre. To strengthen his position in France and secure the strategically important Champagne and Brie, Philip VI acknowledged Joan and Philip of Évreux's right to rule Navarre in July. In exchange, he persuaded them to renounce their claims to Champagne and Brie, compensating them with the counties of Longueville, Mortain, and Angouleme.

3.2. Accession Negotiations and Coronation

After the Navarrese general assembly's decision in May 1328, Joan was recognized as the lawful monarch of Navarre. The following months were marked by extensive negotiations between Joan, Philip of Évreux, and the Estates of the realm, particularly concerning Philip's role in the kingdom's administration. Although the Navarrese had acknowledged only Joan's hereditary right to rule, her husband also asserted his authority. During this period of royal absence, anti-Jewish pogroms occurred in Navarrese towns, highlighting the need for stable governance.

Joan and Philip dispatched two French lords, Henri IV de Sully and Philippe de Melun, to represent them in these negotiations. Initially, the Navarrese were reluctant to confirm Philip's right to share the queen's rule. However, at a meeting in Roncesvalles in November 1328, delegates of the general assembly agreed to allow Philip to participate in Navarre's administration. They stipulated that traditional coronation elements, such as elevation on a shield and the ceremonial throwing of money to spectators, would only be performed for Joan. To underscore Philip's claim to joint reign, Henri de Sully cited Paul the Apostle's statement from the First Epistle to the Corinthians that "the head of woman is man," also emphasizing that Joan had approved and consented to strengthening her husband's position.

Joan and Philip arrived in Navarre in early 1329 and were crowned together in the Pamplona Cathedral on March 5. During the ceremony, both were raised on a shield and both threw money to the spectators, signifying their joint acceptance by the people. They signed a coronation oath that outlined their royal prerogatives. The charter explicitly declared Joan as the "true and natural heir" of Navarre but also stated that "all of the kingdom of Navarre would obey her consort." The Navarrese also included a clause specifying that both Joan and Philip were required to renounce the crown once their heir reached twenty-one, or face a fine of 100,000 livres. Joan further compensated her husband for the expenses incurred in securing the Navarrese throne.

4.1. Joint Reign with Philip III

Joan II and Philip III of Navarre maintained a remarkably cooperative relationship throughout their joint reign. Out of the eighty-five royal decrees preserved from this period, forty-one documents were issued in both their names, indicating a shared authority. While Philip III appears to have been more active in certain governmental aspects, particularly legislation, signing thirty-eight decrees alone without reference to his wife, only six documents were issued exclusively in Joan's name. This distribution suggests a collaborative yet somewhat specialized division of labor, with Philip often taking the lead in legal matters, while Joan's involvement was significant in the broader governance. Despite their efficient co-rule, historical evidence does not strongly indicate an unusually close personal relationship, but rather a functional and successful partnership that contrasted with the more personally documented marriages of other contemporary royals.

4.2. Administration and State Affairs

Immediately following their coronation, the royal couple took decisive action to address the recent anti-Jewish pogroms in Navarre. They ordered the punishment of the perpetrators and ensured that compensation was paid to the victims, demonstrating a commitment to justice and social order. Their reign also saw significant investment in the kingdom's infrastructure. Royal fortresses were repaired, and a new castle was constructed at Castelrenault. Furthermore, with their financial support, an irrigation system was built for the arid fields surrounding Tudela, a crucial project for agricultural development.

Maintaining peaceful relations with neighboring states was a cornerstone of their foreign policy. As early as 1329, they initiated negotiations for the betrothal of their eldest daughter, Joan, to Peter, the heir of Aragon, as a diplomatic move to foster alliances. A peace treaty with Castille was signed in Salamanca on March 15, 1330. Despite these efforts, a border dispute over the ownership of the Monastery of Fitero escalated into a brief war with Castille in 1335. However, with the support of Peter IV of Aragon, a new peace treaty with Castille was successfully signed on February 28, 1336, re-establishing stability.

4.3. Absence from Navarre and Local Administration

Despite their commitment to Navarre, Joan and Philip primarily resided in their French domains, especially Évreux and other territories in Normandy and Champagne. They left Navarre in September 1331 and, apart from a second visit between April 1336 and October 1337, they rarely returned. This frequent absence was a pragmatic necessity, as the royal couple had to balance the administrative needs of their extensive French territories with the governance of Navarre. According to historian José María Lacarra, Joan and Philip found it challenging to adapt to the "tastes and customs of the Navarrese" and were "alien to their language," which contributed to their frequent absences from the kingdom. During these periods, Navarre was administered by appointed French governors on their behalf, ensuring continued royal authority despite their physical distance.

4.4. Sole Reign after Philip III's Death

Philip III died in September 1343, leaving Joan to rule Navarre as sole queen. Upon his death, Joan promptly initiated administrative changes, replacing Philip of Melun, who had managed Navarre on behalf of the royal couple, with William of Brahe. Soon after, she also dismissed William of Brahe, appointing Jean de Conflans in his place. These administrative shifts may have reflected Joan's desire for a more direct and independent approach to governance, potentially signaling a disagreement with Philip's previous administrative strategies, as suggested by historian Elena Woodacre.

In 1344, a copy of the Fueros of Navarre was specifically arranged for the queen in the local Romance language (in ydiomate Navarre^Spanish, or Navarro-Aragonese). This copy included a blank column for its translation into ydioma galicanum^French (a French variant), indicating the linguistic and administrative complexities of her rule. French was likely Joan's natural language, which she used even for Navarrese affairs. In 1345, Joan also established the convent of San Francisco in Olite, demonstrating her ongoing engagement with the kingdom's religious and social life.

5.1. Role in the Hundred Years' War

Joan had intended to visit Navarre again after Philip III's death, but she never returned. This was most likely due to the escalating threat of invasion to her family's domains in France during the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. Initially, Joan and Philip had supported King Philip VI of France against Edward III of England, who asserted his claim to the French throne as the son of Joan's aunt, Isabella of France.

However, by 1346, Joan grew increasingly disillusioned with Philip VI's perceived failures as a military leader. Demonstrating her pragmatic approach to protecting her territories, she boldly concluded a truce with the Earl of Lancaster in November of that year. This agreement granted Edward III's troops free passage through her county of Angoulême in exchange for protection of her lands. She also committed not to construct new fortifications or permit Philip VI's army to use the existing ones within her domains. Philip VI was in no position to take action against her for this independent diplomatic move, highlighting Joan's ability to prioritize the security and stability of her realm amidst the larger conflict.

5.2. Death and Burial

Joan II of Navarre succumbed to the devastating Black Death on October 6, 1349. She was 37 years old at the time of her death, which occurred at Château de Conflans. In her last will, she made a specific request that her son, Charles II, finance the construction or renovation of a chapel in Santa Maria of Olite.

Joan's body was interred in the Basilica of St Denis, the traditional burial place for French monarchs. However, her heart was buried separately alongside her husband's heart at the now-demolished church of the Couvent des Jacobins in Paris. This practice of separate heart burial was common among royalty during the period, symbolizing a special spiritual or personal connection to a particular place or individual.

6.1. Children

Joan married Philip of Évreux on June 18, 1318. They had nine children together:

• Joan (c. 1326-1387): She was initially considered as a bride for the future Peter IV of Aragon but ultimately became a nun at the Franciscan convent at Longchamp.
• Maria (c. 1329-1347): She became the first wife of Peter IV of Aragon, fulfilling the earlier alliance negotiations.
• Louis (1330-1334): Died in childhood.
• Blanche (1331-1398): Became the second wife of Philip VI of France, marrying him after her mother's death.
• Charles (1332-1387): He succeeded his parents as Count of Évreux and King of Navarre, known as Charles the Bad.
• Philip (c. 1333-1363): He was Count of Longueville and married Yolande de Dampierre.
• Agnes (1334-1396): Married Gaston III, Count of Foix.
• Louis (1341-1372): Count of Beaumont-le-Roger, he first married Maria de Lizarazu and then Joanna, Duchess of Durazzo.
• Joan (after 1342-1403): Married John I, Viscount of Rohan.

6.2. Family Tree

Joan II of Navarre's lineage connects her deeply to both the Capetian dynasty of France and the House of Burgundy. Her father, Louis X of France, was the son of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. Her mother, Margaret of Burgundy, was the daughter of Robert II of Burgundy and Agnes of France. Through her father, Joan descended from the main Capetian line that had ruled France and Navarre, while her mother connected her to a powerful ducal house. Her husband, Philip III of Navarre, was a grandson of Philip III of France through his son Louis of Évreux, making him a cousin to Joan's father. This marriage further intertwined the Navarrese monarchy with branches of the French royal family, which would be crucial for future successions and alliances within Europe.