Questions about Anne of Brittany's Marriage(s)

Anne of Brittany married twice - neither time a necessarily willing bride (once bringing two beds to her wedding, and the other hoping that the pope would side with her and not grant the annulment for her second husband to marry her).

Her only son - Charles Orland, dauphin de France - was born of her first marriage; while her only surviving children were two daughters born of her second.

She had at least five children from her first marriage - three boys (Charles-Orland in 1492, a second Charles in 1496; and François, who was either stillborn or lived only a few hours in 1497) and two girls (a stillborn daughter in 1494 and a shortlived daughter Anne in 1498).

Now I'm aware that Louis XII married her due to a clause in her first marriage contract which stipulated that if she had no children with Charles VIII, she was to marry his successor in order to give France a second stab at annexing Brittany. But what if one of her daughters from the first marriage survived? Would she still be required to marry Louis or no? Who might the daughter marry (probably someone French if Louis is pulling the strings, the young Comte d'Angouleme or the duc d'Alencon, perhaps)? If Louis doesn't marry Anne, who might he remarry to?

Looking forward to your thoughts and comments. Thanks in advance.
 
Anne of Brittany married twice - neither time a necessarily willing bride (once bringing two beds to her wedding, and the other hoping that the pope would side with her and not grant the annulment for her second husband to marry her).

Her only son - Charles Orland, dauphin de France - was born of her first marriage; while her only surviving children were two daughters born of her second.

She had at least five children from her first marriage - three boys (Charles-Orland in 1492, a second Charles in 1496; and François, who was either stillborn or lived only a few hours in 1497) and two girls (a stillborn daughter in 1494 and a shortlived daughter Anne in 1498).

Now I'm aware that Louis XII married her due to a clause in her first marriage contract which stipulated that if she had no children with Charles VIII, she was to marry his successor in order to give France a second stab at annexing Brittany. But what if one of her daughters from the first marriage survived? Would she still be required to marry Louis or no? Who might the daughter marry (probably someone French if Louis is pulling the strings, the young Comte d'Angouleme or the duc d'Alencon, perhaps)? If Louis doesn't marry Anne, who might he remarry to?

Looking forward to your thoughts and comments. Thanks in advance.

Well, of course it depends on the actual instrument by which the marriage of Charles VIII to Anne of Brittany was negotiated, but I'm sure you know daughters couldn't inherit under the French succession law so really it seems there would be no opportunity for the duchy of Brittany to be merged into the French crown under a surviving daughter.

Another significant factor is that, at least according to the bio of Louis XII I read, he and Anne had a reasonably close relationship and were mutually supportive. So while the continued independence of Brittany was always a priority for Anne, it's not inconceivable she would have married Louis in the absence of an express requirement.

As it was, there were options by which the line of the dukes of Brittany would have continued even with her married to Louis. Had Mary Tudor bore Louis that heir he tried so very hard to get, Francis would have become the duke of Brittany as husband to Louis and Anne's daughter Claude while France got a crowned infant on Louis's death.

As to who other than Louis she could remarry in 1498, that's a fascinating question. Henry VII does not become available until 1503 when Elizabeth of York dies. Maximilian cannot go for round two of that particular dispute because he's married to Bianca Sforza until 1510. Even Ferdinand of Aragon, sexy bastard that he is, will not be single until 1504 when Isabella dies. So the outlook is not great for a match of sufficient stature and military resources to counter France. And the question remains, even if they could, would they want to? For the other European powers, Brittany is a strategic gambit. For France, it's a strategic necessity. they may decide it's not worth re-litigating the Breton succession in the knowledge that France will always be willing to commit more resources to the cause than they are.
 
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Since Louis XI's reign (and buying succession rights from other branches), Valois ambitions in Brittany were quite clear, Brittany was within their sphere of influence and any tentative for getting it out would have been answered.

At the end of the Mad War, it was made even clearer : Francis II of Brittany couldn't marry his daughters without consent of the french kings. Would an attempt with Maximilian should be tried ITTL, it would end as IOTL in 1490, aka with France taking Brittany trough military means (would it be only to make french nobles remembering about Burgundy's fate).

At this point, I think it's quite clear that Valois wouldn't concede to a marriage that doesn't beneficy them directly or indirectly, and would have the means to enforce it.
 
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