| Joan of Valois | |
|---|---|
 Copy of a contemporary portrait in theRecueil d'Arras (about 1560) | |
| Countess consort ofHainaut,Holland, andZeeland | |
| Tenure | 1305–1337 |
| Born | 1294 (1294) Longpont,Aisne, France |
| Died | 1352 (aged 57–58) Fontenelle Abbey,Maing, France |
| Burial | Fontenelle Abbey,Maing, France |
| Spouse | William I, Count of Hainaut |
| Issue Detail | William II, Count of Hainaut Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut Philippa, Queen of England Joanna, Duchess of Jülich Isabella of Hainaut |
| House | Valois |
| Father | Charles, Count of Valois |
| Mother | Margaret, Countess of Anjou and Maine |
Joan of Valois (c. 1294 – 1352) was a Countess consort ofHainaut,Holland, andZeeland, by marriage toWilliam I, Count of Hainaut. She acted as regent of Hainaut and Holland several times during the absence of her spouse, and she also acted as a political mediator.
She was the second eldest daughter of the French princeCharles, Count of Valois, andMargaret, Countess of Anjou and Maine.[1] As the sister of KingPhilip VI of France and the mother-in-law of KingEdward III of England,[2] she was ideally placed to act as mediator between them.[2]
Joan was the second daughter of Count Charles of Valois and his first wife Margaret.[1][3] In 1299, Joan's mother died, probably in childbirth, and her father married his second wife,Catherine I of Courtenay, Titular Empress ofConstantinople, by whom he had four more children. By her father's third marriage withMahaut of Châtillon, Joan became the half sister ofIsabella of Valois and the EmpressBlanche of Valois, who marriedCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Joan marriedWilliam I, Count of Hainaut,[1] on 23 May 1305. They had been engaged in 1302, and the marriage took place to ensure William's loyalty toward France.
The chronicleVan den derden Eduwaert byJan van Boendale describe Joan as a good and pious woman who wisely fulfilled the traditional task of mediator.[3] She fulfilled the traditional role to supervise the household and court and act as a benefactor of artists, but also kept herself updated on political affairs and maintained contact with her family in both France and England, which kept her well informed of political matters.[3] During the many absences of her spouse, Joan was left to handle the economy and political affairs of the realms, receive diplomats and travel between Hainaut and Holland to maintain control.[3]
She was a supporter of her cousin,Isabella of France, Queen of England, in her struggle against her husband, KingEdward II of England. In December 1325, Joan traveled to France to attend the funeral of her father and had talks with Queen Isabella and her brother, KingCharles IV of France. This brought about an alliance between Hainaut, theQueen of England, and the English exiles, who were in opposition to the English king and his favorite,Hugh Despenser the Younger. Isabella's son,Edward of Windsor, became engaged to Joan's daughter,Philippa of Hainault, and Isabella raised an army in their lands. It was also from there that Isabella and her lover,Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, began their invasion of England.
In 1332, after Joan's daughter Philippa had become queen, Joan arranged a wedding between Isabella's daughterEleanor of Woodstock andReginald II, Duke of Guelders, and she visited her daughter Philippa in England.[citation needed]
After her husband William I died in 1337, Joan took the veil and entered intoFontenelle Abbey inMaing. The fact that she took the veil did not mean that she retired from the world: she maintained her own chancellery and personal staff, received guests from court and was kept up to day in political affairs.[3]
In 1340, her son-in-law King Edward III dealt her brother King Philip VI a heavy blow by defeating him at sea nearSluys. Edward III then went on tobesiege Tournai, but was beset by financial problems.Pope Benedict XII thus asked Joan to mediate. She first went to her brother, whom she had begged for peace. Then she went to her son-in-law, in his tent, and begged him for peace as well. The pleas of their relative Joan, sent by the Pope, allowed the two Kings to sign a truce without loss of face.[4]
In 1345, she also acted as a mediator in a conflict in the city of Tournai.[3] Joan died on 7 March 1352 at the abbey of Fontenelle.[5]
Joan and William had: