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- BIOGRAPHY
Jean II de Bourbon, comte de Vendôme, was born in 1426, the son of Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vendôme, and his second wife Jeanne de Laval, daughter of Guy XIII (Jean) de Montfort, sire de Laval, seigneur de Kergorlay and Anne de Laval, dame de Laval, de Vitré, de Gavre.
On 9 November 1454 at Anjers Jean married Isabella de Beauvau, dame de Champigny et de La Roche-sur-Yon, daughter of Louis de Beauvau, sire de La Roche-sur-Yon and Marguerite de Chambley. Jean and Isabella had eight children, of whom two sons and three daughters would have progeny. Jean also had two illegitimate children.
Jean was a close follower of Charles VII, king of France. He began his military career with Jean, comte de Dunois, the 'Bastard of Orléans', fighting in the successful campaign by Dunois (Jean bâtard d'Orléans) against the English in the conquest of Guyenne and Normandy. Jean supported Louis XI against the League of the Public Good, and fought for him in his defeat by Charles 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy, at Montlhéry on 16 July 1465. Little appreciated by Louis, he then retired to the château de Lavardain at Vendôme, which he had rebuilt. He founded the church of the Madeleine at Vendôme, and he had the chapel of St. Jacques built. He died at the château de Lavardain on 6 January 1478, and was succeeded as comte de Vendôme by his eldest son François.
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