Jeanne III of Navarre

Who was Jeanne III of Navarre?

Jeanne d'Albret, also known as Jeanne III d'Albret or Joan III, was the queen regnant of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. She married Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, and was the mother of Henry of Bourbon, who became King Henry III of Navarre and King Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon king of France. She became the Duchess of Vendôme by marriage.

She was the acknowledged spiritual and political leader of the French Huguenot movement, and a key figure in the French Wars of Religion.