(also known as Joan of France) Jane was the daughter of King Louis XI of France. Said to be sickly and slightly deformed her father sent her away to to a chateau to be raised. Jane wanted to enter a religious order but instead was trained to be an asset in the royal court.
As a child she was betrothed to the heir apparent, Louis, Duke of Orleans. Her husband was angry about the forced marriage which occurred when Jane was 12, and his treatment of her reflected his displeasure. Jane tried to make the best of her marriage, but when her husband ascended to the throne as Louis XII, he asked the pope for an annulment. Bowing to political pressures the annulment was granted.
This liberated Jane to move forward with her desire to live a religious life, and with the assistance of her Franciscan advisor she established the Franciscan order of the Annunciation. Members of her community devoted themselves to prayer, penance and cultivating the virtues of the Blessed Mother.
