John I, Count of La Marche

John of Bourbon (John I/VII, Count of La Marche and of Vendôme), (1344 – 11 June 1393, Vendôme) was the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon.

Life
He was captured as a young man at the Battle of Poitiers, but ransomed.

After the death of his father and elder brother following the Battle of Brignais, John succeeded them as Count of La Marche.

He took an active part in the Hundred Years' War, and became Governor of Limousin after helping reconquer it from the English. Later he joined Bertrand du Guesclin in his campaign of 1366 in Castile. In 1374, his brother-in-law Bouchard VII, Count of Vendôme died, and John became Count of Vendôme and Castres in right of his wife.

He joined the campaign of Charles VI 1382 in Flanders (which culminated in the Battle of Roosebeke) and fought in 1392 in Brittany.

He rebuilt the castles of Vendôme and Lavardin.

Marriage and children
On 28 September 1364, he married Catherine of Vendôme, countess of Vendôme (d. 1412) and daughter of John VI, Count of Vendôme.

He had seven children by Catherine:
 * James II, Count of La Marche and Castres (1370–1438).
 * Isabelle (b. 1373), a nun at Poissy.
 * Louis, Count of Vendôme (1376–1446).
 * John, Lord of Carency (1378–1457), married c. 1416 Catherine, daughter of Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, without issue, married in 1420 at Le Mans, his mistress Jeanne de Vendômois, with whom he had issue.
 * Anne (c. 1380 – September 1408, Paris), married in 1401 John of Berry, Count of Montpensier (d. 1401), married in Paris in 1402 Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria.
 * Marie (1386 – aft. 11 September 1463), Lady of Brehencourt, married Jean de Baynes, Lord of Croix.
 * Charlotte (1388 – 15 January 1422), married in 1411 at Nicosia King Janus of Cyprus.

Patrilineal descent
John's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Count John were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house.

John is a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians.

John's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Kings of France and the Counts of Paris and Worms. This line can be traced back more than 1,200 years from Robert of Hesbaye to the present day, through Kings of France & Navarre, Spain and Two-Sicilies, Dukes of Parma and Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg, Princes of Orléans and Emperors of Brazil. It is one of the oldest in Europe.


 * 1) Robert II of Worms and Rheingau (Robert of Hesbaye), 770 - 807
 * 2) Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 808 - 834
 * 3) Robert IV the Strong, 820 - 866
 * 4) Robert I of France, 866 - 923
 * 5) Hugh the Great, 895 - 956
 * 6) Hugh Capet, 941 - 996
 * 7) Robert II of France, 972 - 1031
 * 8) Henry I of France, 1008–1060
 * 9) Philip I of France, 1053–1108
 * 10) Louis VI of France, 1081–1137
 * 11) Louis VII of France, 1120–1180
 * 12) Philip II of France, 1165–1223
 * 13) Louis VIII of France, 1187–1226
 * 14) Louis IX of France, 1215–1270
 * 15) Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256–1317
 * 16) Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, 1279–1342
 * 17) James I, Count of La Marche, 1319–1362
 * 18) John I de Bourbon, Count of La Marche, 1344–1393