Great Britain -- History -- Henry VI, 1422-1461; Margaret, of Anjou, Queen, consort of Henry VI, King of England, 1430-1482
The duke confined his captive in an upper room in a high tower of the
castle of Dijon, and kept him imprisoned there for several years. One
of the boys was kept with him, but the other was set at liberty. All
this time Margaret remained with her mother. She was a very beautiful
and a very intelligent child, and was a great favorite with all who
knew her. The interest which was awakened by her beauty and her other
personal attractions was greatly increased by the general sympathy
which was felt for the misfortunes of her father, and the loneliness
and distress of her mother.
[Sidenote: 1436.]
[Sidenote: His occupations and amusements in prison.]
In the mean time, Rene, shut up in the tower at the castle of Dijon,
made himself as contented as he could, and employed his time in
various peaceful and ingenious occupations. Though he had fought well
in the battle with Antoine, he was, in fact, not at all of a warlike
disposition. He was very fond of music, and poetry, and painting; and
he occupied his leisure during his confinement in executing beautiful
miniatures and paintings upon glass, after the manner of those times.
Some of these paintings remained in the window of a church in Dijon,
where they were placed soon after Rene painted them, for several
hundred years.
[Sidenote: Origin of Rene's royal title.]
It has already been stated that the name by which Margaret's father is
commonly designated is King Rene. The origin of this royal title is
now to be explained. He had an older brother, who became by
inheritance, with Joanna his wife, king and queen of the Two Sicilies,
that is, of the kingdom consisting of the island of Sicily and the
territory connected with Naples on the main land. The brother, at the
close of his life, designated Rene as his heir. This happened in the
year 1436, while Rene was still in captivity in the castle of Dijon.
He could, of course, do nothing himself to assert his claims to this
new inheritance, but Isabella immediately assumed the title of Queen
of the Two Sicilies for herself, and began at once to make
preparation for proceeding to Italy and taking possession of the
kingdom.
[Sidenote: Isabella and the children at Tarascon.]
While maturing her plans, she took up her residence for a time at the
chateau of Tarascon, on the banks of the Rhone, with the two children
who remained under her care, namely, her son Louis and Margaret. Her
other son was at Dijon with his father, and the other daughter,
Yolante, had been given up, as has already been said, to the custody
of the wife of Antoine, with a view of being married, as soon as she
was old enough, to Antoine's son.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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