On this day in 1409 the birth of Rene of Anjou at Angers Castle in Anjou. Rene was a French noble of the family of Valois and Anjou. Known as Good King Rene simply because he inherited the crowns of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, he controlled large areas of land, he was therefore, an important figure during the last years of Hundred Years War.
Rene was the father of Margaret of Anjou Queen of Henry VI. Rene played his part in the negotiations with the English at Tours in 1444 and the marriage of Margaret to Henry - the fall out of which (the loss of French territories of Maine and Anjou, that had formed part of the marriage contract) as you will know, was far-reaching.
A wonderful description of Rene is given by Conn Iggulden in his book Stormbird, the first of his Wars of the Roses series (read it if you haven't already, its a must) The description comes from the mouth of the teenage Margaret.
"He was just a great white slug of a man. His face was unnaturally pale, perhaps from his years languishing in prison. His eyes were grey and cold, half hidden by heavy, unwrinkied lower lids, so that he always seemed to be peering over them. He had clearly not starved in prison."
Rene was the father of Margaret of Anjou Queen of Henry VI. Rene played his part in the negotiations with the English at Tours in 1444 and the marriage of Margaret to Henry - the fall out of which (the loss of French territories of Maine and Anjou, that had formed part of the marriage contract) as you will know, was far-reaching.
A wonderful description of Rene is given by Conn Iggulden in his book Stormbird, the first of his Wars of the Roses series (read it if you haven't already, its a must) The description comes from the mouth of the teenage Margaret.
"He was just a great white slug of a man. His face was unnaturally pale, perhaps from his years languishing in prison. His eyes were grey and cold, half hidden by heavy, unwrinkied lower lids, so that he always seemed to be peering over them. He had clearly not starved in prison."
I would not be surprised if Conn Iggulden took his inspiration from the Matheron Diptych that it is pictured here. The painting, by French artist Nicolas Froment was given to Jean Matheron, statesman and later a French ambassador, by Rene himself. He is depicted with his second wife Jeanne de Laval it is held in the Louvre in Paris.
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