Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Choess (talk | contribs) at 17:38, 26 May 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

René II (May 2 1451–December 10 1508) was count of Vaudemont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar and titular King of Aragon, Naples and Jerusalem from 1483 to his death. He was Duke of Calabria 1480–1483.

Family

He was the son of Yolande of Lorraine and Frederick, count of Vaudemont. On his mother's side, he was a grandson of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. His father was a member of the Vaudemont family, a junior branch of the Lorraine ducal family, descending from John I, Duke of Lorraine. He was thus both heir-general and heir-male to the Duchy when he succeeded on the death of his cousin Nicholas in 1473.

René married Phillipa of Guelders in 1485 and had the following children:

• Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (1489–1544)
• Claude, Duke of Guise (1496–1550), first Duke of Guise
• John, Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Metz (1498–1550)
• Louis, Count of Vaudemont (1500–1526)
• Francis, Count of Lambesc (1506–1525)
• plus six others who died young

His maternal grandfather René I of Anjou died in 1480 his mother succeeded to René's claims as King of Naples and René took the title of Duke of Calabria, as heir apparent.

When his mother Yolande of Anjou died in 1483, he succeeded as Duke of Bar, and in her claims to the kingdoms of Aragon, Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem (his great-grandparents' Four Kingdoms).

Life

During his rule, René had to fight an attempted invasion of Lorraine by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. The attempt failed with the help of the king of France and Charles died while besieging Nancy.

See also

• Dukes of Lorraine family tree

This France-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This German biographical article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• 1451 births
• 1508 deaths
• Dukes of Lorraine
• France stubs
• German people stubs