Anne of Brittany, heiress of the duchy who married two kings of France

The only daughter of Duke Francis II was born in the castle of the Dukes of Brittany at Nantes and in time, the ruler having no sons, became by decision of the nobility the heiress of Brittany. This made her one of the most powerful women of her age and the richest lady in Europe. A coveted bride, Anne, alas, had no say in the choice of suitors for her hand. Her father betrothed her to Maximilian, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who was 15 years her senior and whose alliance suited Brittany well.

However, under the Treaty of Verger then in force, concluded after the "Mad War" between France and Brittany, the duke had no right to give his heiress in marriage without the French king's approval of the groom.
In the end the French took Anne by force, laying siege to Rennes, which held out to the last, and she was married to King Charles VIII the Affable, who was 7 years her senior. The duchess lost her influence over Brittany and carried no particular weight at the French court, where everything was run by Charles's elder sister Anne of Beaujeu, formerly his regent.

Curiously, from 1482 Charles had been betrothed to Margaret of Austria, the daughter of his wife's first husband, who lived at the French court; but before the wedding she was packed off back to her father. She was only 12 years old, Anne 14. As for Emperor Maximilian, he had married Anne on the same terms as those of his first marriage, in 1477, to the rich daughter of Charles the Bold, Mary of Burgundy. Once again history repeated itself.

Charles died at 28, having struck his head on a doorframe that was too low in the château of Amboise. Anne returned to Brittany and began to rule, even managing to mint her own coins.

The Duchess of Brittany's third marriage was longer and happier: she became queen of France for the second time by marrying Louis XII. Anne was the first bride in the history of royal weddings to walk to the altar in a white dress; until then white had been regarded as the colour of mourning. After the wedding of Anne and Louis, the white bridal gown became a tradition among European monarchs.
After Anne's death, unfortunately, Brittany failed to preserve its cherished sovereignty from France, despite all the efforts of the queen and her will. The funeral ceremonies lasted 40 days, a record for those times, and this too became a tradition for French monarchs. A year later Louis died as well. The spouses lie at Saint-Denis.