Johanna of Hachberg-Sausenberg

Johanna of Hachberg-Sausenberg

Johanna of Hachberg-Sausenberg (1485 – 23 September 1543), was a noble feudal lord, countess regnant of Neuchâtel in 1503–1512 and again from 1529 to 1543. She was the daughter of Philip of Hochberg and Maria of Savoy.

Life

Johanna inherited the rule of Neuchâtel from her father in 1503. In 1504 she married Louis I d'Orléans, duc de Longueville. As was the custom with female rulers at the time, her husband became her co-ruler. In 1512, Neuchâtel was occupied by the Old Swiss Confederation, as the result of the pro-French policy of Johanna's spouse and co-regent, which was regarded as a security threat to Switzerland. She was actively involved in negotiations with the Swiss cantons to discontinue the occupation and regain access to her county, and when she was widowed in 1516 her position in the negotiations improved. The occupation of Neuchâtel was discontinued in 1529, along with a sizeable repartion, and Johanna was able to resume her reign.

Issue

Johanna and Louis had:

• Claude (1508 – November 9, 1524), Duke of Longueville and peer of France.
• Louis II (1510 – June 9, 1537), married Mary of Guise, succeeded his brother.
• François (1513–1548), Marquis of Rothelin, married Jacqueline de Rohan
• Charlotte (1512–1549), Mademoiselle de Longueville prior to her marriage to Philippe, Duke of Nemours.

Legacy

In 1943, a street in Neuchâtel, the rue Jehanne de Hochberg, was named after her.

Sources

• Potter, David (1995). A History of France, 1460-1560: The Emergence of a Nation State. St. Martin's Press.
• Scott, Tom (2017). The Swiss and their Neighbours, 1460-1560: Between Accommodation and Aggression. Oxford University Press.
• Frédéric de Chambrier: Histoire de Neuchâtel et Valangin jusqu’à l’avénement de la maison de Prusse. Neuchâtel 1840, pp. 292–319