| Isabella of Bourbon | |
|---|---|
 16th-century portrait of Isabella | |
| Countess consort of Charolais | |
| Tenure | 1454 – 1465 |
| Born | c. 1434 |
| Died | 25 September 1465(1465-09-25) (aged 30–31) St. Michael's Abbey, Antwerp |
| Burial | Antwerp, Flanders |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Mary, Duchess of Burgundy |
| House | Bourbon |
| Father | Charles I, Duke of Bourbon |
| Mother | Agnes of Burgundy |
Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolais (c. 1434 – 25 September 1465) was the second wife ofCharles the Bold,Count of Charolais and futureDuke of Burgundy. She was a daughter ofCharles I, Duke of Bourbon andAgnes of Burgundy, and the mother ofMary of Burgundy, heiress of Burgundy.[1]
Not much is known about Isabella's life. She was the daughter of the reigning Duke of Bourbon, and his Burgundian wife, Agnes, daughter ofJohn the Fearless, the powerfulDuke of Burgundy.
Although her father was politically opposed to his brother-in-law,Philip the Good, he betrothed Isabella toCharles the Bold, only legitimate son and heir of Burgundy as a condition of truce. She married Charles on 30 October 1454 at Lille, France, and they were reportedly very much in love, perhaps because of (or causing) her husband's faithfulness.[2]
In 1459, Isabella stood godmother to Joachim, the short-lived son of the refugeeDauphin of France and his second wife,Charlotte of Savoy. Upon his succession to the throne of France, the Dauphin abandoned his wife in Burgundy, leaving the young Queen Charlotte dependent on Isabella's aid.
After several months of illness, Isabella died oftuberculosis in Antwerp on 26 September 1465.[2]
Isabella's early death meant that she had little significance or influence during her lifetime, but in death she became a symbol of the power of the Dukes of Burgundy, which would later be inherited by her only daughter Mary. As the duke's second marriage failed to produce a son, Mary was heiress to the duchy, and her marriage to aHabsburg had major repercussions for centuries.
Isabella's funeral monument was built in the church ofSt. Michael's Abbey, Antwerp in 1476. It was decorated with 24 brass copper alloy statuettes[3] of noblemen and women standing in niches, now known as 'weepers' or 'mourners', placed above a bronze effigy of Isabella.[4] Art historians generally attributed the carvings toJan Borman the Younger and the castings toRenier van Thienen.[5] The mourners clothes are of an earlier fashion than Isabella's, probably because the mourners were copied from older tombs.
The statues have been on display in theRijksmuseum since 1887. The rest of the tomb, with the statue of Isabella, are in Antwerp cathedral. Nothing more of the tomb furnishings survives.
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