Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine

Who was Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine?

Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine, also known as Yolande de Bar, was Duchess of Lorraine and Bar. She was the daughter of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, and René of Anjou. Because of her various titles she is also known as Yolande de Lorraine and Yolande d'Anjou. Her younger sister was Margaret of Anjou, Queen consort of Henry VI of England.

A romanticised version of her life is given in the play King René’s Daughter by Henrik Hertz, in which she is portrayed as blind, though she is eventually cured. It was later adapted to Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta. There is no evidence that she was ever blind.