Tracts, legal and historical

82
nareh expresses his regard for the duke, and while he kindly
styles him his son, informs him that Alionora and he had been
contracted together per verba defuturo under certain conditions
which waited his ratification. From this it would appear, that
Alionora was then at the French court. The marriage, as is
well known, took place, and Cox remarks, that Sigismund had
no issue, either by her or a subsequent wife, but left fourteen
natural children, which was unfortunate, because he adds, that
he " was the poorest prince of his time." l Isabel Duchess of
Brittany, above alluded to, was certainly the second daughter of
James I., and there are documents respecting her in Argen-
tseus's History of Brittany.' 2 The princely house of Rohan,
the pink of the old noblesse of France, owing to their descent
from her, have always quartered the royal arms of Scotland.
The remaining sister, here styled wife of the Duke of Savoy,
may next attract our attention.
The marriage of this princess, had been fixed at Stirling on
the 14th of December 1444, with Lewis Count of Geneva (who
had only then attained his eighth year), afterwards Duke of
Savoy, in presence of the ambassadors of his father, who had
been dispatched from Savoy for the purpose. She was conduct-
ed to that country in 1455, but thereafter, owing to certain in-
trigues, as is asserted of the French court, the marriage between
her and Lewis was dissolved at Ganat in Bourbonnois, on the
third of March in the same year, 3 upon conditions, which will
appear from the following letter of James II. It is given by
Guichenon, from the original, in the public archives of Savoy.
" Jacobus dei gratia Rex Scotorum, universis ad quorum no-
titiam prsesentes Literae pervenerint, Salutem. Sciatis nos in-
tellexisse pleneque concepisse effectus, conventiones et concor-
dias initas et fac'as in Oppido Gannasii die vigesima tertia men-
sis Martii, anno Domini millesimo quadringentesimo quinqua-
1 Hist, of House of Austria, Vol. I. p. 237,
2 Lib. ii. c. ia.
3 Guiclienon's Histoire Genealogiinie de la Royale Maison de Savoie.
Vol. II. p. 111—12.