A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Anne of Brittany
The eldest daughter of Francis II. duke of Brittany, who had no male heirs, an alliance with her was an object of ambition to the greatest princes in Europe. She was promised, when only five years old, to Edward the Black Prince; but he died soon after: and, as she grew up, her beauty and mental accomplishments made many seek her hand, as well from personal attachment, as any other motive. The Sieur d'Albert, the duke of Orleans, afterwards Lewis XII.; Maximilian, king of the Romans, who became emperor; and Charles VIII. king of France. At the time of her father's death, her choice was undetermined; but, on account of the unsettled state of her dominions, it was thought best to prefer Maximilian, to whom, in 1490, she was married, by proxy; but, before they met, she was persuaded, by the fears the Bretons entertained of the power of France, to break off this intended union, and give her hand to Charles VIII. in 1491; and the daughter of Maximilian, to whom he was already contracted, was sent back to her father, who thus received a double affront.
While Charles pursued his wars in Italy, he left the administration in her hands; and, though scarcely eighteen years of age, she governed with admirable prudence. Dying in 1498, the duke of Orleans, now called to the crown, got his marriage with Jane of France set aside, and became the husband of the queen-dowager, in 1499. She had been once destined for him by her father, and his former love and attachment were not abated. Lewis was frugal, from tenderness to his people; but he did not disapprove the munificence of Anne. She had a cabinet filled with diamonds and all sorts of precious stones, of which she made presents to the wives of those who had deserved well of their country. She was the dispenser of rewards and bounty; the prize of valour, merit, and learning, was given by the hand of beauty. She made many religious foundations; and, as duchess of Brittany, assumed, with the consent of the king, many privileges heretofore unknown to the queens of France, but which they afterwards retained; such as having a guard; (hers, from her attachment to her native country, was always composed of Bretons) giving audience to ambassadors, &c. "Great and majestic in everything," says St. Foix, "she would have a court; and women of quality, who, till then were only born in one castle, to marry and die in another, now came to reside at Paris." What was more glorious for Anne was, the respect her example inspired for whatever was estimable in the female character. No lady, of even the highest rank, dared appear at court, without she was known to be virtuous; and, to use the words of one of their authors, "She planted honour and delicacy in the hearts of the French ladies." She instituted the order De la Cordeliere, in remembrance of the cords with which our Saviour was bound, and conferred it on the principal ladies of her court, admonishing them, at the same time, to live virtuously, and always remember the obligations and duties of their religion. The queens of France, before her time had mourned in white; but she put on black on the death of Charles VIII: and, on her death, Lewis XII. did the same, contrary to the usual custom also of their kings. A magnificent marble monument was erected to her honour, by Francis I. at St. Denis, near that of Lewis XII.
The author of Anecdotes of the Queens of France, says, the complection of Anne was of a dazzling whiteness, but fresh and animated; that she had a large and high forehead, at once dignified and modest, and a face rather long; that she was neither tall, nor otherwise. She had no other personal defect, than a trifling lameness, which, however, from the care she had taken to correct it in walking, and by her shoes, was hardly perceptible. She was naturally eloquent, judicious, and agreeable, notwithstanding the rudeness of an age, to which the graces and literature were alike unknown. Her heart was generous and affectionate; she had a high idea of the duties of a queen: but her pride rendered her revengeful and obstinate. Yet Anne was sincerely pious, even to superstition; but, in all respects pertinacious in adhering to opinions she had once adopted. She wished to appear learned in the eyes of foreigners; and, to ingratiate herself with them, would often intermix phrases of their different languages, when speaking to them, as if she understood them all.