Born in 1370, James was the first son of
John I, Count of La Marche and
Catherine of Vendôme. He first bore arms in the crusade against the Ottomans which culminated in the
Battle of Nicopolis, and was captured and ransomed. After returning to
France, he commanded a force which invaded England in support of
Owain Glyndŵr. His troops burned
Plymouth in 1403, but twelve ships of his fleet were lost in a storm while returning to France in 1404. James was an adherent of
John the Fearless and foe of the
Armagnac party. However, his affairs in France were interrupted by a sojourn abroad. In 1415, the barons of the
Kingdom of Naples arranged his marriage to
Joanna II of Naples. It was hoped James would break the power of her court favorites,
Pandolfo Alopo and
Muzio Sforza. He was not given the title King, but was referred to as Vicar General, Duke of Calabria, and Prince of Taranto. James had Alopo executed and imprisoned Sforza, but also kept the queen in confinement and aspired to personal rule. The indignant barons captured and imprisoned him in 1416; he was compelled to free Sforza and resign the kingship, and was ejected from the kingdom in 1419. Returning to France, James fought against the English for
Charles VII of France in 1428 and was made
Governor of
Languedoc. In 1435, James resigned his titles and became a
Franciscan friar, dying in 1438. ==Marriage==