by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Louise de la Vallière was the mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 until 1667. She later entered a convent, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde (Sister Louise of Mercy) until her death in 1710.

Louise de La Vallière – source: Wikipedia

Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc was born on August 6, 1644, at the Hôtel de la Crouzille in Tours, France. She was the daughter of Laurent La Baume Le Blanc, Marquis of La Vallière and Françoise Le Provost.

Following her father’s death in 1651, Louise’s mother was remarried to the Marquis de Saint Rémy, who served in the court of the Gaston, Duke of Orléans, son of King Henri IV of France. Louise became a companion to the Duke’s three younger daughters and was educated alongside them. After the Duke died, Louise accompanied the widowed Duchess and her daughters to Paris where they took up residence at the Palais de Luxembourg.

Soon, Louise became a Maid of Honor to Princess Henrietta Anne of England, the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the brother of King Louis IV of France. Henrietta then presented Louise to King Louis XIV, and within months she had become his mistress. Although discreet, their relationship soon became well-known within the French court, causing Louise much distress. She continued to serve as a Maid of Honor to Princess Henrietta, which caused a falling out with the King in 1662. Louise refused to reveal any information to him about the Princess’s alleged affair with the Count of Guiche and fled to a convent before King Louis XIV convinced her to return. Pregnant with her first child, Louise was removed from service to the Duchess, and given apartments in the Palais Royal.  Over the next five years, gave birth to five children – only two of whom would survive:

• Charles de La Baume Le Blanc (1663-1665)
• Philippe de La Baume Le Blanc (1665-1666)
• Louis de La Baume Le Blanc (1665-1666)
• Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666-1739) – legitimized by the King in 1667, and later married to Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
• Louis de Bourbon (1667-1683) – legitimized by the King in 1669, created Count of Vermandois

After the birth of her daughter Marie Anne in 1666, the relationship between Louise and King Louis XIV began to change. Much of this was due to the return to the court of Madame de Montespan who quickly drew the King’s attention and replaced Louise as his favorite mistress.

Marie Anne de Bourbon, later Princess of Conti. source: Wikipedia

In 1667, King Louis XIV legitimized their daughter Marie Anne, known as Mademoiselle de Blois, and created Louise Duchess de La Vallière and Duchess de Vaujours. This allowed Louise a greater position at court. However, she would not remain there for much longer. She gave birth to their last child Louis de Bourbon in October 1667. During the next several years, Louise remained at court, sharing apartments with Madame de Montespan, but her relationship with King Louis XIV was long over. Two years later, King Louis XIV legitimized their son, creating him Count of Vermandois.

By 1670, having been forced to remain at court and live with the King’s new mistress, Madame de Montespan, Louise became ill and at one point was near death. Upon recovering, she sought solace in religion, and the following year, decided to leave the court and enter a convent. However, King Louis XIV forced her to return for several years. Finally, in 1674, she was permitted to leave the court and entered the Carmelite convent in Faubourg-Saint-Jacques. She took her vows the following year, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde.

Louise remained at the convent until her death, 35 years later, on June 6, 1710. Per her wishes, she was buried in the convent cemetery. By that time, she was survived only by her daughter Marie Anne, who inherited the Duchies of La Vallière and Vaujours and Louise’s entire estate.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Anne at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena by Jean Bourdichon; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right, is the only woman to have been Queen Consort of France twice. She was the wife of King Charles VIII and the second of the three wives of King Louis XII. Born on January 25, 1477, at the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France, Anne was the elder of the two daughters of François II, Duke of Brittany and his second wife Margaret of Foix, Princess of Navarre.

Anne had one younger sister:

• Isabeau of Brittany (1478 – 1490), died at age 12 from pneumonia

Anne had one half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Margaret of Brittany but he died in infancy:

• Jean, Count of Montfort (born and died 1463)

At the age of four, Anne was on track to be the Duchess of Brittany but also the Queen Consort of England. In 1481, Anne had been officially engaged to Edward, Prince of Wales, the elder son and heir apparent of King Edward IV of England. Upon the death of his father in 1483, Edward was briefly King of England as Edward V. The Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III, had his nephew Edward V brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483, to await his coronation, which never happened. Edward V’s mother Elizabeth Woodville and her children sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions. Elizabeth agreed to let her second son Richard, Duke of York leave sanctuary and join his brother, who was lonely, at the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Edward and Richard’s uncle the Duke of Gloucester assumed the English throne as King Richard III. Edward and his brother Richard were seen less and less until the end of the summer of 1483 when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown and remains one of history’s greatest mysteries.

Location of the Duchy of Brittany; Credit – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11234869

The Duchy of Brittany was located on the northwestern peninsula of modern France, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north. The inheritance of the Duchy of Brittany was determined by the 1365 Treaty of Guérande which stated that in the absence of a male heir from the House of Montfort, the heirs of Joanna of Penthièvre, Duchess of Brittany would succeed to the Duchy of Brittany. Anne’s father was the only male from the House of Montfort and the House of Blois-Penthièvre heir was also a female, Nicole of Blois, who sold her rights to Brittany to King Louis XI of France. To avoid having the Duchy of Brittany revert to the King of France, Anne’s father had her officially recognized as his heiress by the Estates of Brittany in 1486. This move greatly angered the powers that be in France but increased the competition among the possible husbands for Anne, now a very eligible heiress.

Among the contenders for Anne’s hand in marriage were:

• Henry Tudor: the last male of the House of Lancaster, then in exile in Brittany, but the marriage did not interest him, became King Henry VII of England in 1485.
• Maximilian, King of the Romans and Archduke of Austria: widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right.
• Alain d’Albret, a great-grandson of Jean V, Duke of Brittany, and therefore a possible heir, Anne found him repulsive and refused to consider him.
• Louis, Duke of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France): the great-grandson of King Charles V of France, the most senior claimant as the heir of King Charles VIII who had no surviving children. However, Louis was already married to Jeanne of France but would have had his loveless, childless marriage annulled to marry Anne.
• Jean de Chalon, Prince of Orange (1443-1502), nephew of Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany, and next in line to the Duchy of Brittany after Anne and her sister Isabeau who would die in 1490.
• Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham: the marriage was suggested by King Henry VII of England but Henry VII got a better deal when the executors of the will of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, paid Henry VII £4000 for Buckingham’s marriage to Percy’s eldest daughter Eleanor.

King Charles VIII of France, Anne’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 9, 1488, Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany died as a result of a fall from his horse, and Anne became the Duchess of Brittany in her own right.  Anne feared for the independence of her duchy against the might of France and so she arranged a marriage for herself with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. King Charles VIII succeeded his father as King of France in 1483.  However, he was a minor, and his elder sister Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, served as regents. They refused to allow a marriage between Anne and Maximilian because it would put the Habsburgs, Maxililian’s family on two French borders.

A month before Anne’s father died, he had been forced to sign the Treaty of Verger and thereby becoming a vassal of King Charles VIII of France and agreeing to seek Charles’ consent before arranging the marriage of his daughters. The Treaty of Verger was used to force Anne to renounce Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who she had married by proxy, and marry King Charles VIII of France.

Waxwork reenactment of the marriage of Anne, Duchess of Brittany and King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne and King Charles VIII of France were married at the Château de Langeais on December 6, 1491. On February 8, 1492, Anne was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France.

Anne and Charles had seven children but none survived:

• Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (1492 – 1495), died from measles at the age of three
• François (stillborn 1493)
• Stillborn daughter (1494)
• Stillborn daughter (1495)
• Charles, Dauphin of France (September 1496 – October 1496)
• François, Dauphin of France (1497), died several hours after birth
• Anne of France (1498), died several hours after birth

Anne’s second husband, King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly from a head injury in 1498. Because he had no surviving children, Louis, Duke of Orléans succeeded him as King Louis XII of France. Anne returned to Brittany and began taking steps to ensure the independence of her duchy. Louis XII did not want this to happen and so he had his 24-year childless marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France annulled. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages but they did have two daughters who survived to adulthood:

• Princess Claude of France (1499 – 1524), married François d’Angoulême, later King François I of France, had seven children including King Henri II of France and Madeleine of Valois, first wife of James V, King of Scots; only two of Claude’s children lived past the age of 30
• Stillborn son (1500)
• Stillborn son (1503)
• Miscarriage (1503)
• Miscarriage (1505)
• Stillborn son (1508)
• Miscarriage (1509)
• Princess Renée of France (1510 – 1574), married Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara, had five children
• Stillborn son (1512)

Anne receiving a book in praise of famous women, by Jean Perréal, circa 1506; Credit – Wikipedia

Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. Claude succeeded her mother as Duchess of Brittany and since Claude’s husband François d’Angoulême became King of France after the death of his father-in-law King Louis XII, the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown. After Anne’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, but Louis XIII died three months after the marriage.

Anne’s funeral services lasted forty days and that became the tradition of French royal funerals until the 18th century. Following Anne’s request, her heart was placed in a gold reliquary, then transported to Nantes to be deposited in her parents’ tomb at Nantes Cathedral in the Duchy of Brittany, now in France. During the French Revolution, the gold reliquary containing Anne’s heart was removed from its place of rest, emptied, and sent to Paris to be melted down. Instead, the gold reliquary was kept intact at the National Library in Paris. In 1819, the reliquary was returned to Nantes where it was kept in several museums. Since 1896, the reliquary has been in the collection of the Musée Dobrée in Nantes. On April 13, 2018, the reliquary was stolen from the Musée Dobrée but it was recovered undamaged later that month. The inscription on the reliquary reads: “In this little vessel of fine gold, pure and clean, rests a heart greater than any lady in the world ever had. Anne was her name, twice queen in France, Duchess of the Bretons, royal and sovereign.”

Anne’s heart reliquary on display at the Musée Dobrée; Credit – By Picture by –Jibi44 13:18, 31 March 2006 (UTC) – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=662433

Anne and Louis XII were buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris in a magnificent tomb carved from Carrara marble by the Juste Family, a family of Italian sculptors. The tomb was commissioned in 1515, probably by Louis XII’s successor King François I of France who was married to Louis and Anne’s elder daughter Claude. Anne and Louis’ tomb has survived although it was desecrated in October 1793 during the French Revolution and their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. However, the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir saved much of the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. During the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830), the tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis where it can be seen today.

Tomb of King Louis XII of France and his second of three wives Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany; Credit – By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18611160

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne Of Brittany. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward V Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-v-of-england/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan and McMahon, Emily, 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. François II De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_II_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Jeanne of France, Queen of France, Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Born April 23, 1464, in Nogent-le-Roi, County of Dreux, now in France, Jeanne of France, Queen of France, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Joan of Valois, was the first of the three wives of King Louis XII of France. She was the third of the three daughters and the fourth of the eight children of King Louis XI of France and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. Jeanne’s father Louis XI decided to play her marriage card early. On May 19, 1464, shortly after Jeanne’s baptism, she was betrothed to her second cousin, two-year-old Louis of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France), son of Charles, Duke of Orléans and Maria of Cleves.

Jeanne had seven siblings but her elder sister Anne and her younger brother Charles were her only siblings to survive childhood:

• Louis (1458 – 1460)
• Joachim (born and died 1459)
• Louise (born and died 1460)
• Anne of France (1461 – 1522), married Pierre II, Duke of Bourbon, had two children
• François (born and died 1466)
• King Charles VIII of France (1470 – 1498), married Anne, Duchess of Brittany, had seven children, three were stillborn, three died young
• François (1472 – 1473)

Jeanne’s sister Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

For the first five years of her life, Jeanne lived at the Chateau d’Amboise in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire, France, on the Loire River. She was often ill and probably had a spinal curvature as she had a hump on her back, and walked with a limp. In 1469, Jeanne and her sister Anne were placed in the home of François de Linières, a distant cousin of their father, and his wife Anne de Culan. The couple did not have children and became adoptive parents of the two sisters. In the home of François and his wife Anne, Jeanne and her sister learned reading, writing and mathematics, drawing and painting, embroidery tapestry, and lute playing.

François and his wife Anne were devout Catholics and instilled a deep and solid faith in the two sisters. In 1471, King Louis XI ordered the saying of the prayer Ave Maria (Hail Mary) for peace. Jeanne deeply appreciated this prayer and developed a special affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary. She would later write that during her childhood she received a prophecy from the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Before your death, you will found a religious order in my honor. In doing so, you will give me great pleasure and you will do me a service.”

King Louis XII of France, previously Duke of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 8, 1476, twelve-year-old Jeanne married her betrothed, fourteen-year-old Louis, now Duke of Orléans, having succeeded his father in 1465. This marriage became quite political because it could secure the French succession due to the ill health of King Louis XI’s only son and heir, the future King Charles VIII of France. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. Louis, Duke of Orléans was not pleased about marrying his second cousin, whom he considered deformed  The marriage was unhappy, the couple lived apart, and there were no children.

Jeanne’s brother King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XI died in 1483, leaving his 13-year-old son to succeed him as King Charles VIII of France. Louis of Orléans was eager to annul his marriage with Jeanne as it now lacked dynastic importance due to the presumption that King Charles VIII would provide his own heirs. Louis’ request to annul his marriage to Jeanne and marry Anne of Brittany, the heiress of the Duchy of Brittany, was declined by the pope. Nevertheless, Louis of Orléans unsuccessfully attempted to join Charles VIII’s sister Anne as one of Charles’ regents in 1484, ending in Anne’s arrest of Louis. During Louis’ captivity, Charles VIII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany, by force. Louis was pardoned by Charles VIII in 1491 and joined the king on his failed Italian campaigns.

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and Anne of Brittany had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis of Orléans’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Eager to gain control of Anne of Brittany’s funds and territories, Louis again attempted to annul his marriage to Jeanne. Unable to prove with any documented evidence his close relation to Jeanne (they were second cousins) or his young age at the time of their marriage, Louis XII claimed that the marriage was unconsummated due to witchcraft and a deformity on Jeanne’s part. Although Jeanne fought admirably to save her reputation, on December 15, 1498, Pope Alexander VI granted the annulment based on Louis and Jeanne having been forced into the marriage by Jeanne’s father. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany and although Anne had nine pregnancies, only two children survived childbirth. After Anne of Brittany’s death, Louis XII married Mary Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII of England but Louis died three months later.

Annunciation (c. 1472–1475) is thought to be Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest complete work; Credit – Wikipedia

After the annulment ended her marriage, Jeanne was made Duchess of Berry and retired to Bourges, the capital of the Duchy of Berry, saying she would pray for her former husband. Soon, Jeanne confided to her confessor her call to the religious life. She began to make plans for the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a new enclosed religious order of contemplative nuns in honor of the Annunciation – the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child and become the mother of Jesus.

Jeanne succeeded in founding a new religious order in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Rule of Life she wrote for her new community is entitled The Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin, the imitation of which she proposed as the goal for the members of the order. The Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was confirmed by Pope Alexander VI. On October 8, 1502, the first five members of the order received the veil. Jeanne took her solemn vows on June 4, 1503, receiving the name Sister Gabriela Maria.

Chapel in the former Convent of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bourges, France that holds the empty sarcophagus of Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/history.php

Jeanne, aged 40, died on February 4, 1505, in Bourges, Duchy of Berry, now in France, and was buried in the chapel of the convent she founded in Bourges. On May 27, 1562, during the sack of Bourges by the Huguenots, Jeanne’s tomb was desecrated and her remains were burned.  Soon after her death, miracles and healings attributed to her were said to have occurred. The cause for her canonization was begun in 1631 and Pope Benedict XIV beatified her on April 21, 1742. Jeanne was canonized as a saint on May 28, 1950, by Pope Pius XII. Her feast day is February 4. The nuns of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary still maintain their way of life in four convents in France and convents in Belgium, Costa Rica, and Poland.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• Anuncjatki.pl. 2020. The Annunciade — The Order Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/nuns.php> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joan Of France, Duchess Of Berry. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_France,_Duchess_of_Berry> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XI Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XI_of_France> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Order Of The Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Annunciation_of_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Jeanne De France (1464-1505). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_de_France_(1464-1505)> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
• McMahon, Emily and Flantzer, Susan. 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 1 June 2020].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Henri III of France; Credit – Wikipedia

The last of the kings of the House of Valois, King Henri III of France was born at the Château de Fontainebleau in France on September 19, 1551. He was the fifth of the ten children and the fourth of the five sons of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. On December 5, 1551, in the chapel at the Château de Fontainebleau, Henri was baptized Alexandre Édouard, the names of his two godparents, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and King Edward VI of England. At his confirmation in 1565, he took his father’s name, Henri. He was created Duke of Angoulême and Duke of Orléans in 1560 and Duke of Anjou in 1566.

Henri had nine siblings:

• François II, King of France (1544 – 1560), married Mary, Queen of Scots, no children
• Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain (1545 – 1568), married King Philip II of Spain, had two daughters
• Claude of Valois, Duchess of Lorraine (1547 – 1575), married Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, had nine children
• Louis, Duke of Orléans (1549 – 1550), died in infancy
• Charles IX, King of France (1550 – 1574), married Elisabeth of Austria, had one daughter who died young
• Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France and Navarre (1553 – 1615), married Henri III, King of Navarre, the future Henri IV of France, no children
• Hercule François, Duke of Anjou (1555 – 1584), unmarried
• Victoria of Valois (born and died 1556), twin of Joan, died in infancy
• Joan of Valois, twin of Victoria, died in utero

In 1559, when Henri was eight years old, his 40-year-old father King Henri II died from injuries suffered while jousting in a tournament. Henri’s eldest brother succeeded their father as King François II of France. After only a 17-month reign, François II died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. François II had been married to Mary, Queen of Scots but died childless, so his ten-year-old younger brother succeeded him as King Charles IX, and his mother Catherine de Médici was named Regent of France. Henri was now the heir to the French throne.

Henri was educated by Jacques Amyot and François de Carnavalet, followers of Humanism, from whom he learned to love learning and intellectual discussions. Henri had an official role at an early age. When he was nine years old, Henri attended the Estates-General with his ten-year-old brother King Charles IX. He then accompanied his brother on his grand tour of France. In 1567, the sixteen-year-old Henri was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom, making him the head of the royal armies. Henri was considered as a husband for the thirty-seven-year-old Queen Elizabeth I of England. Most historians think that Elizabeth was using a possible marriage to Henri to arouse Spain. Nevertheless, eighteen-year-old Henri referred to Elizabeth as a putain publique (public whore) and made disparaging remarks about their age difference.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre; Credit – Wikipedia

Henri was a Catholic military leader in the French Wars of Religion – Catholics against the Protestant Huguenots – and helped plot the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of August 23-24, 1572 in which 5,000 to 30,000 Protestant Huguenots were killed. The reigns of Henri and his two brothers saw France in constant turmoil over religion.

In 1573, Polish nobles chose Henri as the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On his way to Krakow, the capital of his new kingdom, Henri was welcomed in Nancy in the Duchy of Lorraine by his brother-in-law and his sister, Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Claude of Valois, Duchess of Lorraine. All members of the House of Lorraine were invited to welcome Henri and participate in the celebrations and Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, daughter of Nicolas of Lorraine, Count of Vaudémont and Duke of Mercœur, and her family attended the celebrations. A beautiful, tall, blonde 20-year-old young woman, Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, caught Henri’s attention and stayed in his mind.

In 1574, 23-year-old Charles IX, King of France, died from tuberculosis without a male heir, and so his brother succeeded him as Henri III, King of France. In mid-June 1574, upon learning of his brother’s death, Henri secretly left Poland and headed back to France. Because he did not return to Poland, the Polish Parliament declared the throne vacant. Henri did not regret this because he would have more power as King of France.

Once back in France, 23-year-old Henri III knew he must provide an heir to the throne. Henri III had an unrequited love for Marie of Cleves, the wife of Henri of Bourbon, Prince of Condé. He planned to obtain an annulment of Marie’s marriage and then marry her himself but Marie died before he could implement his plan. Catherine de Medici wanted her son to marry a foreign princess and Henri III wanted to end his mother’s matrimonial machinations. He remembered Louise of Lorriane-Vaudémont, the girl he met passing through Lorraine who resembled his lost love Marie of Cleves, and decided to marry her.

Henri’s wife Louise of Lorraine; Credit – Wikipedia

In January 1575, Henri III sent emissaries to Louise’s father to ask for her hand in marriage. At that time, Louise was away on a pilgrimage and her father agreed to the marriage without consulting her. Upon her return from the pilgrimage, Louise was in disbelief when told she was to marry the King of France. Henri’s choice of a bride from a relatively modest noble family also surprised the French court and many people in the Kingdom of France, including Henri’s mother. Henri decided to combine his coronation and his wedding. Henri was crowned as King of France at the Cathedral of Reims on February 13, 1575. Two days later, Louise and Henri were married at the Cathedral of Reims by Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon.

Louise suffered a miscarriage with complications in May 1575 and she never had children. Henri and Louise went on many pilgrimages and took thermal cures hoping to have an heir. Despite Henri’s affairs, Louise and Henri both loved each other and Louise did an admirable job with her duties as Queen of France.

Seated, left to right: Henri III, his mother Catherine de Medici and his wife Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Henri signed the Edict of Beaulieu in 1576 which gave the Protestant Huguenots many rights including the right of public worship. This resulted in Catholic activist Henri I, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League which promoted the eradication of Protestants in Catholic France and removing Henri III from the French throne. Eventually, Henri III was forced to rescind most of the rights given to the Protestants.

King Henri III of Navarre, later King Henri IV of France; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1584, Henri’s youngest brother and heir presumptive Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon died. The Protestant Huguenot King Henri III of Navarre, who was married to Henri III of France’s sister Marguerite, was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX and therefore the rightful heir to the French throne. This led to what was known as the War of the Three Henris – King Henri III of Navarre, King Henri III of France, and Henri I, Duke of Guise. The Duke of Guise was a staunch opponent of the Huguenots and fought against the possibility of Henri of Navarre succeeding to the French throne.

The assassination of the Duke of Guise by Charles Durupt; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1588, Henri III of France had Henri I, Duke of Guise assassinated by “the Forty-Five,” the king’s bodyguard, as Henri III of France looked on. The day after, the Duke of Guise’s brother Louis of Lorraine, Cardinal of Guise was assassinated on Henri III’s orders. Henri III of France hoped that getting rid of the Guises would restore his authority with the French people. Instead, it caused such an outrage among the relatives and allies of the Guises and much of France that Henri III of France was forced to take refuge with Henri of Navarre. The two Henris were joined in their desire to defeat the Catholic League which had taken control of much of the country.

Stabbing and death of King Henri III; Credit – Wikipedia

Jacques Clément was a fanatic Dominican monk who sided with the Catholic League. He planned to kill King Henri III of France who he believed to be the enemy of Catholicism since the Duke of Guise’s assassination. On August 1, 1589, Henri III of France was with his army at Saint-Cloud, preparing to attack Paris. Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to Henri III. After giving Henri III some documents, Clément told Henri that he had a secret message for him. Henri III asked his attendants to step back to give him privacy. Clément whispered in Henri’s ear while stabbing him in the abdomen. Henri’s guards immediately killed Clément.

•  Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri III, King of France

Henri III on his deathbed recognizing Henri of Navarre as his successor; Credit – Wikipedia

At first, Henri III’s wounds did not seem serious but infection soon set in. The dying king formally recognized his brother-in-law, King Henri III of Navarre, as his legitimate successor. After a day of agony, 37-year-old King Henri III of France died on August 2, 1589, at the Château de Saint-Cloud near Paris. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the traditional burial site of the Kings of France, but his tomb has not survived. His heart was placed in an urn atop a column at the Collegiate Church of Saint-Cloud. The column is now at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Henri III of Navarre succeeded him as King Henri IV of France, the first of the kings of the House of Bourbon. Ironically, Henri IV was also assassinated by a Catholic zealot in 1610.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Henry III of France. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Assassinat d’Henri III. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassinat_d%27Henri_III [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Henri III (roi de France). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_III_(roi_de_France) [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
• Mehl, Scott. (2016). King Henri IV of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henri-iv-of-france/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial; Credit – Wikipedia

Born in Paris, France on March 16, 1856, Napoleon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte was the only child of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French and Eugénie de Montijo. Heir to the throne of the French Empire, from birth he was styled His Imperial Highness The Prince Imperial of France. His parents called him Louis. Louis’s father was born Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (known as Prince Louis-Napoleon of France), the son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (younger brother of Emperor Napoleon I) and Hortense de Beauharnais (daughter of Emperor Napoleon I’s first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais from her first marriage). Louis’ mother came from the Spanish nobility.

Napoleon III and Eugenie with their son Louis; Credit – Wikipedia

Eight years before the birth of Louis, the French Revolution of 1848 had led to the abdication of Louis-Philippe, King of the French and the Second Republic. Louis’ father Louis-Napoleon was elected to the French National Assembly and the country prepared to elect the first President of the French Republic. Louis-Napoleon immediately threw his hat into the ring, and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election. Taking the title Prince-President, Louis-Napoleon took up residence at the Élysée Palace in Paris. 

After a failed attempt to change the law which would have required him to step down at the end of his four-year term, Louis-Napoleon soon saw a chance to take power by force. Quickly overpowering his opponents, Louis-Napoleon established himself as the sole ruler within France, supported by a referendum held in December 1851. Not content with being simply a Prince-President, Louis-Napoleon arranged for the Senate to schedule another referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoleon took the throne as Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. He would be the last monarch of France.

Louis was first under the supervision of Miss Shaw, his English nurse who was recommended by Queen Victoria and taught him English from an early age. In 1867, a household was set up for Louis supervised by General Auguste Frossard as his governor, with Augustin Filon as his tutor and Xavier Uhlmann as his valet. However, Louis’ life drastically changed in 1870.

Louis in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War. Without significant allied support and with unprepared and limited forces, the French army was quickly defeated. Napoleon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan and quickly surrendered. The Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending – for the last time – the French monarchy. Napoleon III was held by the Prussians and was not released until March 1871 when peace was established between France and the new German Empire. Napoleon III, his wife, and son went into exile, arriving in England on March 20, 1871, and settling at Camden Place, a large country house in Chislehurst, Kent, England. Napoleon III died at Camden Place on January 9, 1873, at the age of 64. His son Louis was proclaimed Napoleon IV by the Bonapartists.

Camden Place, Louis’ family home in England; Credit – By Ian Capper, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37658334

After the death of his father, Louis and his mother remained in England. Louis attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and finished seventh in his class of thirty-four and was first in riding and fencing. However, he wanted to become an expert in artillery, the weaponry in which his great-uncle Napoleon Bonaparte began his military career and so he transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery at the Aldershot Garrison and attained the rank of Lieutenant in the British Army. Many Bonapartist supporters wanted Louis to leave the British Army and devote himself to his duties as the official Bonapartist pretender to the French throne but he preferred a military career. There were plans for Louis to marry a daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Empress Eugénie and Queen Victoria had their own plans to marry him to Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, but all the marriage plans came to naught.

In 1879, the Anglo-Zulu War started in Africa, and Louis wanted to take part. He was only allowed to do so after his mother approved and Queen Victoria intervened to get him a place in the British Army. Louis was to serve in reconnaissance and the British commanders were repeatedly told not to let him get into dangerous situations and provide him with a sufficiently large escort.

Louis in Africa in 1879; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 1, 1879, Louis participated in a reconnaissance mission. The nine-member patrol was on horseback and stopped at the edge of a river that was thought to be safe but they were surprised by forty Zulu warriors. Louis had not totally mounted his horse at the time of the attack and his frightened horse started to run off with Louis clinging to the saddle. Eventually, the saddle strap broke, Louis fell beneath his horse and his right arm was trampled. He jumped up and with his revolver in his left hand, started to run but the Zulus could run faster. The Zulus overtook him and mortally stabbed him eighteen times with their assegais, a pole weapon made of wood with an iron tip. Louis was just twenty-three years old.

Louis’s death caused an international sensation. In France, there were rumors that the British had intentionally disposed of Louis. Other rumors accused the French republicans and the Freemasons. One account even accused Queen Victoria of arranging the whole thing. Louis’ body was brought back to Royal Arsenal Woolwich on the banks of the River Thames in London. There he lay in state overnight in the riverfront guardhouse. The next day, the funeral procession, which included Queen Victoria, brought Louis’ remains to Chislehurst, his home in England, where he was buried at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church next to his father. Empress Eugénie decided to build a monastery and a chapel for the remains of Napoleon III and their son. In 1888, their remains were moved to the Imperial Crypt at St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. When Eugénie died in 1920 at the age of 94, she was buried with her husband and son.

Tomb of Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Napoléon Eugène Louis Bonaparte. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_Eug%C3%A8ne_Louis_Bonaparte [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Napoléon, Prince Imperial. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1856-1879). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Napol%C3%A9on_Bonaparte_(1856-1879) [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Mehl, S. (2016). Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eugenie-de-montijo-empress-of-the-french/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Mehl, S. (2016). Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon III of the French. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-napoleon-bonaparte-emperor-napoleon-iii-of-the-french/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].