
Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Brittany, and of the region Brittany
'John III ''the Good''' (in breton 'Yann III', in french 'Jean III') (
March 8 1286 –
April 30 1341), was
duke of Brittany, from
1312 to his death. He was son of Duke
Arthur II and Mary of Limoges, his first wife.
In 1297, John was married to his first wife Isabelle of Valois, eldest daughter of
Charles of Valois and his first wife
Marguerite of Anjou and Maine. Her maternal grandparents were
Charles II of Naples and
Maria Arpad of Hungary. At the time of their marriage John was eleven years old and his bride only five.
Isabelle died childless in
1309. In
1310, John married his second wife
Isabella of Castile, daughter of
Sancho IV of Castile and his wife
María de Molina. John was twenty-four years old and Isabella twenty-seven.
Isabella died childless in
1328. In
1329, John married his third wife Joan of Savoy, only child of
Edward, Count of Savoy and Blanche of Burgundy. Her maternal grandparents were
Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and
Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy. John was forty-three years old and Joan about nineteen.
He predeceased his third wifes by three years and remained childless. His death triggered the
Breton War of Succession (
1341–
1364), which opposed the House of Blois and the rights of his niece
Joanna of Dreux, to the House of Montfort, a cadet branch of the ducal family of Brittany, led by
John of Montfort and his homonymous son. This civil war was an incident of the
Hundred Years' War.
See also
★
Dukes of Brittany family tree