Isabella of Scotland, Duchess of Brittany

Isabella Stewart (autumn of 1426 – 13 October 1494/5 March 1499), was a Scottish princess who became Duchess of Brittany by marriage to Francis I of Brittany.

Life Born in autumn 1426, Isabella was the second daughter of James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort. It was said she was more beautiful than her elder sister Margaret, who married the Dauphin of France, and for this John V, Duke of Brittany proposed to marry her; thus he sent ambassadors to Scotland to take a description of her. They reported "she was handsome, upright and graceful but she seemed simple too". The Duke's reply was "My friends, return to Scotland and bring her here, she is all I desire, and I will have no other; your clever women do more harm than good". The marriage contract was signed on 19 July 1441 and ratified on 29 September of that year, but the marriage did not take place as Duke John died on 29 August 1442.

Once in Brittany, Isabella married the eldest son of John V, now Francis I, Duke of Brittany at the Château d'Auray on 30 October 1442. The wedding took place in the same year as he succeeded his father as he would have needed to secure an heir for the Duchy.

After the wedding, the whole court went to Rennes for eight days of festivities. On her wedding day, her husband gave her an illuminated Book of Hours known as the Hours of Isabella Stuart. saying that she was happy and popular in Brittany and was in any case too frail to travel. Isabella died ca. 1494/99, which suggests that these claims of ill health were much exaggerated. Isabella also complained that her brother had never paid her dowry and demanded that this be paid to her. James was compelled to accept his sisters decision to remain in Brittany in her widowhood. This book was previously owned by his first wife Yolande of Anjou (1412-1440) who had inherited it from her mother Yolande of Aragon (1381-1442). The book was reilluminated for Isabella in two stages to include images of the Scottish princess in heraldic dress (the ermine of Brittany and the lion of Scotland) and her own coat of arms. Isabella passed the book to her daughter Margaret of Brittany (1443-1469).

Another two books are held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which she is likely to have commissioned.

Issue Margaret of Brittany (1443–1469, Nantes), married Francis II, Duke of Brittany. Marie of Brittany (1444–1506), married John II, viscount of Rohan and count of Porhoët.