Blanche of Burgundy (c. 1296 â€" 29 April 1326) was Queen of France
and Navarre for a few months in 1322 through her marriage to King
Charles IV the Fair. The daughter of Count Otto IV of Burgundy and
Countess Mahaut of Artois, she was led to a disastrous marriage by her
mother's ambition. Eight years before her husband's accession to the
thrones, Blanche was arrested and found guilty of adultery with a
Norman knight. Her sister-in-law, Margaret of Burgundy, suffered the
same fate, while her sister Joan was acquitted. Blanche was imprisoned
until she became queen, when she was moved to the coast of Normandy.
The date and place of her death are unknown; the mere fact that she
died was simply mentioned on the occasion of her husband's third
marriage in April 1326.Blanche was the younger daughter of Otto IV,
Count of Burgundy, and Mahaut, Countess of Artois. Her father died in
1302, leaving the county to Blanche's younger brother, Count Robert.
Blanche's elder sister Joan was supposed to marry King Louis the
Headstrong of Navarre, the eldest son and heir apparent of King Philip
the Fair of France, but Philip the Fair changed his mind and arranged
for her to marry his second son, Count Philip the Tall of Poitiers, in
1307. The same year, Louis married Margaret of Burgundy. The Countess
of Artois was proud of this achievement and quickly started
negotiating her younger daughter's marriage to Count Charles the Fair
of la Marche, King Philip's third son, offering a huge dowry. The
negotiations were successful and on 23 September 1307, the
eleven-year-old Blanche and two years older Charles concluded a
marriage contract. The marriage ceremony was hastily performed at
Countess Mahaut's castle in Hesdin in January 1308. At first, the
Count and Countess of la Marche had an unremarkable marriage that was
neither as flawed as that of the King and Queen of Navarre nor as
harmonious as that of the Count and Countess of Poitiers.Blanche was
the younger daughter of Otto IV, Count of Burgundy, and Mahaut,
Countess of Artois. Her father died in 1302, leaving the county to
Blanche's younger brother, Count Robert. Blanche's elder sister Joan
was supposed to marry King Louis the Headstrong of Navarre, the eldest
son and heir apparent of King Philip the Fair of France, but Philip
the Fair changed his mind and arranged for her to marry his second
son, Count Philip the Tall of Poitiers, in 1307. The same year, Louis
married Margaret of Burgundy. The Countess of Artois was proud of this
achievement and quickly started negotiating her younger daughter's
marriage to Count Charles the Fair of la Marche, King Philip's third
son, offering a huge dowry. The negotiations were successful and on 23
September 1307, the eleven-year-old Blanche and two years older
Charles concluded a marriage contract. The marriage ceremony was
hastily performed at Countess Mahaut's castle in Hesdin in January
1308. At first, the Count and Countess of la Marche had an
unremarkable marriage that was neither as flawed as that of the King
and Queen of Navarre nor as harmonious as that of the Count and
Countess of Poitiers.In 1313, the Countess of la Marche's
sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Queen Isabella and King Edward II of
England, paid a visit to King Philip. Isabella presented her brothers
and sisters-in-law with embroidered coin purses. Later that year, upon
their return to London, Isabella and Edward held a banquet during
which the Queen noticed that the coin purses she had given to Blanche
and Margaret were now in the possession of the Norman knights Gautier
and Philippe d'Aunay. From that she concluded that the brothers were
having relationships with her sisters-in-law. When she visited Paris
again in 1314, she informed King Philip about her suspicions.Blanche
and Margaret were soon accused of inappropriate conduct, such as
drinking and eating with the knights, and of eventually committing
adultery with them in Paris guard tower known as the Tour de Nesle.
Blanche's sister Joan was accused of hiding the affair and later of
participating in it. Blanche of Burgundy Top Movies & Young Movies