Joanna of Brabant (1322–1406)
Joanna of Brabant (1322–1406)
Duchess of Brabant and countess of Hainault and Holland. Name variations: Johanna, Joan Louvain; Joan of Brabant. Reigned as duchess of Brabant, 1355–1404; abdicated in 1404. Born on June 24, 1322 (some sources cite 1332); died on December 1, 1406; daughter of John III, duke of Brabant (r. 1312–1355), and Marie of Evreux (d. 1335); sister of Margaret of Brabant (1323–1368) and Marie of Guelders (1325–1399); married William IV (1307–1345), count of Holland and Hainault, before November 1334 (died 1345); married Wenzel of Bohemia also known as Wenceslas (1337–1383), duke of Luxemburg and Brabant (r. 1353–1383), in 1354; no children.
Joanna of Brabant was born in 1322, the daughter of John III, duke of Brabant, and Marie of Evreux . As duchess of Brabant, Joanna succeeded her husband upon his death in 1355; the following year, she offered her subjects a new constitution, known as the Joyeuse Entrée, granting much wider liberties. Her successor was Antoine of Burgundy, the grandson of her younger sister Margaret of Brabant .