Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Charles IX, King of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Charles IX, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles IX, King of France was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, France on June 27, 1550. Styled as the Duke of Angoulême at birth, he was the third of the five sons and the fifth of the ten children of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici. Four months after Charles’ birth, his elder brother Louis died and Charles became second in the line of succession to the French throne after his brother François and was created Duke of Orléans.

Catherine de’Medici with her four youngest surviving children (left to right) Hercule François, Charles IX, Marguerite, and Henri III; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles had nine siblings but only six survived childhood:

When Charles was nine years old, his father King Henri II died from wounds suffered at a tournament. On June 30, 1559, a great celebration and tournament were held in Paris at the Hôtel des Tournelles (now the site of the Place des Vosges) in honor of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis and the two royal marriages that occurred as a result of the Peace. During a joust, an opponent’s lance struck King Henri II’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor, into the king’s right eye, and his temple into the brain. Henri II survived for more than a week, dying on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis. Charles’ fifteen-year-old eldest brother succeeded as King François II of France and now Charles was the heir to the throne.

Charles IX, circa 1561; Credit- Wikipedia

After only a 17-month reign, François II, King of France, aged 16, died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess Although François II had married Mary, Queen of Scots, the marriage was childless and so his ten-year-old younger brother succeeded him as Charles IX, King of France. On May 5, 1561, Charles was crowned King of France at Reims Cathedral. Charles’ mother Catherine de’Medici served as Regent of France until 1563 when Charles IX was declared of age. Charles IX was never able to rule on his own adequately and showed little interest in government. His mother Catherine remained the power behind the throne throughout his reign.

Charles inherited a kingdom divided between Roman Catholics and Protestant French Huguenots. Charles needed a make a strong Catholic marriage to help combat the Protestant French Huguenots and cement an alliance between the House of Habsburg and the House of Valois. Originally, Catherine de Medici wanted Charles to marry Archduchess Anna of Austria, the eldest daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his first cousin Maria of Austria, daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, and Isabella of Portugal. However, after the death of his third wife Elisabeth of Valois (Catherine’s daughter and Charles’ sister), King Philip II of Spain married Archduchess Anna of Austria, his niece (her mother was his sister). So, Catherine de’Medici settled for Maximilian II’s second daughter Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria.

Charles’ wife Elisabeth of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Nineteen-year-old Charles and sixteen-year-old Elisabeth were married in a proxy marriage on October 22, 1569, at the Speyer Cathedral in Speyer, now in Germany, then an important city in the Holy Roman Empire. Elisabeth’s uncle, Archduke Ferdinand of Further Austria-Tyrol, stood in as proxy for Charles. On November 4, 1569, Elisabeth and her entourage left for the journey to France. However, because of the constant rain making the roads impassable, it was decided to have the formal marriage celebrated in Mézières, a town in Champagne located on the French border with the Spanish Netherlands. Charles’ two younger brothers Henri, Duke of Anjou (the future King Henri III) and Hercule François, Duke of Alençon (later Duke of Anjou) met Elisabeth on her journey and escorted her to Mézières. Charles IX was curious about his bride and disguised himself as a soldier. He then mixed in with a group of courtiers while his brother Henri discussed the local architecture with Elisabeth. Charles was reportedly delighted with Elisabeth.

King Charles IX of France and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria were formally married on November 26, 1570, in Mézières with Cardinal Charles de Bourbon, Archbishop of Rouen performing the ceremony. On March 25, 1571, Elisabeth was crowned Queen of France by Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, Archbishop of Reims at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the traditional coronation site of the Queen Consorts of France.

After a brief infatuation with his new wife, Charles returned to his mistress Marie Touchet with whom he had an illegitimate son born in 1573, Charles, Duke of Angoulême. However, Charles and Elisabeth had a positive relationship. Although Elisabeth was fluent in German, Spanish, Latin, and Italian, she had difficulties learning French and adapting to the more risqué French court.

Princess Marie Elisabeth of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles and Elisabeth had one daughter Princess Marie Elisabeth who was born on October 27, 1572, at the Louvre Palace in Paris. There was disappointment that Marie Elisabeth was not the much-needed male heir. She died on April 2, 1578, at the age of five, and was buried in a vault of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

The legacy of the reign of King Charles IX was the French Wars of Religion and the notorious massacre of the French Protestant Huguenots in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. During the reign of Charles’ elder brother François II, the Catholic François I, Duke of Guise dominated French politics. The Duke of Guise was the maternal uncle of François II’s wife, Mary, Queen of Scots. Once Charles IX became King of France, to limit the power of the Guises, his mother Catherine de’Medici, Regent of France strengthened the power of the Protestant branch of the French royal family, the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. The House of Bourbon was in line to succeed to the French throne should the House of Valois fail to produce a male heir. The heir of the House of Bourbon was Henri of Navarre, son of Jeanne III, Queen Regnant of Navarre and Prince Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme.

Massacre of Vassy; Credit – Wikipedia

In January 1562, Catherine issued the tolerant Edict of Saint-Germain that provided limited tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots. On March 1, 1562, in an incident known as the Massacre of Vassy, François II, Duke of Guise killed Huguenots worshipping in a barn at Vassy. Guise, who called the massacre “a regrettable accident”, was cheered as a hero in the streets of Paris while the Huguenots called for revenge. The massacre sparked the French Wars of Religion. For the next thirty years, France found itself in a state of either civil war or armed truce. The continued unrest throughout France led to Catherine taking, in frustration and anger, hard-line policies against Protestant Huguenots.

On August 18, 1572, Charles IX’s sister Marguerite of Valois was married to Henri of Navarre, now King Henri III of Navarre (the future Henri IV, the first Bourbon King of France), at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The marriage was arranged in the hopes that by bringing together the Bourbon and Valois dynasties, the tensions between the Catholics and the Protestant Huguenots would be eased. Ironically, King Henri III of Navarre, a Protestant Huguenot, was not permitted in the Catholic cathedral and had to stay outside for the ceremony.

Five days after the wedding, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place. Before the massacre, on August 21, 1572, Gaspard II de Coligny, a French nobleman and an Admiral of France, a disciplined Huguenot leader and a close friend and advisor to King Charles IX, was walking back to his rooms from the Louvre Palace when a shot rang out from a house, wounding him in the hand and arm. Coligny was carried to his rooms, where a surgeon removed a bullet from his elbow and amputated a damaged finger. Catherine de’Medici was said to have received the news without emotion. She then made a tearful visit to Coligny and promised to punish his attacker. Exactly who was behind the attack on Coligny is unknown. Various historians have suggested it was Catherine, the Guise family, or a Spanish-papal plot and that the goal was to end Coligny’s influence on Charles IX. Whatever the truth, the massacre that followed was soon beyond the control of Catherine or any other leader.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre; Credit – Wikipedia

The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre began two days later, on August 23, 1572, and certainly, Catherine de’Medici played a role in the decision-making when her son King Charles IX is said to have ordered, “Then kill them all! Kill them all!” Historians have suggested that Catherine and her advisers expected a Huguenot uprising to avenge the attack on Coligny. Therefore, they chose to strike first and wipe out many Huguenots while they were still in Paris after the wedding of Marguerite of Valois and King Henri III of Navarre. The Protestant Henri III narrowly escaped death, mostly thanks to his new Catholic wife, and his promise to convert to Catholicism. On August 24, Gaspard de Coligny, recovering from his previous injury, was attacked and killed in his rooms by a group led by Henri I, Duke of Guise.

The massacre in Paris lasted for almost a week and spread to many parts of France, where it lasted into the autumn. Modern estimates for the number of dead across France range from 5,000 to 30,000. The killings did not significantly weaken the Huguenots. Instead, the old hatred between Catholics and Protestants was revived and new hostilities were triggered.

Although King Charles IX publicly approved of the results of the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre, it left him with a psychological trauma that lasted for the remaining two years of his life. He became increasingly depressed and his already weak constitution could no longer resist the tuberculosis that ravaged his body. On May 30, 1574, Charles IX, King of France died at the age of 23, at the Château de Vincennes near Paris and was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. On October 18, 1793, during the French Revolution, his tomb was desecrated and has not survived.

Funeral of Charles IX; 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.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles IX Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IX_of_France> [Accessed 19 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Of Austria, Queen Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_Austria,_Queen_of_France> [Accessed 19 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Catherine De’ Medici, Queen Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/catherine-de-medici-queen-of-france/> [Accessed 19 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. King Henri II Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-30-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles IX (Roi De France). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IX_(roi_de_France)> [Accessed 19 June 2020].
  • Goldstone, Nancy, 2015. The Rival Queens: Catherine De’medici And Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, And The Betrayal That Ignited A Kingdom. New York: Back Bay Books.
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. Marguerite Of Valois, Queen Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/marguerite-of-valois-queen-of-france/> [Accessed 19 June 2020].

Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth of Valois was the third of the four wives of King Philip II of Spain, son of Carlos I, King of Spain/Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal. Born on April 2, 1545, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France, Elisabeth was the eldest of the four daughters and the second of the ten children of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici.

Elisabeth had nine siblings but only six survived childhood:

Elisabeth’s brother François and sister-in-law Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth grew up with her elder brother, the future François II, King of France, a year older than Elizabeth, and François’ fiancée Mary, Queen of Scots, who was three years older. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament had approved Mary’s marriage to François and in August 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years, after the death of François, whom she married in 1558. Elisabeth shared a bedroom with Mary and had to give precedence to Mary because she was already a crowned queen. Elisabeth and Mary remained close through their correspondence for the rest of their lives.

In 1551, when Elisabeth was six years old, her father Henri II began negotiations for a marriage to the Protestant 13-year-old King Edward VI of England. Pope Julius III said he would excommunicate Henri II and Elisabeth if the marriage occurred. Despite this, Henri II continued with the marriage negotiations and agreed upon a dowry. However, King Edward VI died in 1553.

In 1559, Elisabeth was betrothed to 14-year-old Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the only child and the heir apparent of King Philip II of Spain of the House of Habsburg. Carlos was sickly, deformed, and showed signs of mental instability. His condition was probably due to the inbreeding common among the House of Habsburg, and the royal houses of Portugal and Spain. Carlos’ parents, Philip of Spain and María Manuela of Portugal, were double first cousins which meant Carlos had only four different great-grandparents instead of the usual eight. Carlos was imprisoned in his rooms by his father Philip in early 1568 after participating in a plot to murder him. He died after six months, probably as the result of his delicate health although there were rumors of poisoning. Modern historians now think that Carlos died of natural causes.

King Philip II of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage between Elisabeth and Carlos never occurred. Instead, 14-year-old Elisabeth married Carlos’ 32-year-old father King Philip II of Spain. Philip had already been married twice: first to Carlos’ mother María Manuela of Portugal who died giving birth to Carlos and next to his first cousin once removed Queen Mary I of England who had died in 1558. In 1559, the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed with France’s longtime enemies, the Habsburgs, and two marriages were stipulated by the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis: Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy marrying Henri II’s sister Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry, and King Philip II of Spain marrying Elisabeth.

Departure of Elisabeth for Spain by Eugène Isabey depicts Elisabeth in white and her mother Catherine de’Medici in black as they part from each other; Credit – Wikipedia

The proxy marriage of Elisabeth and Philip II took place at Notre-Dame de Paris on June 22, 1559, with Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba representing King Philip II. On June 30, 1559, a great celebration and tournament were held in Paris at the Hôtel des Tournelles (now the site of the Place des Vosges) in honor of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis and the two marriages that occurred as a result of the Peace. During a joust with Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scotch Guard, de Montgomery’s lance struck King Henri II’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor going through the king’s right eye and his temple into the brain. Henri II survived for more than a week, dying on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis. Henri II’s fifteen-year-old eldest son succeeded as King François II of France. Because of her father’s death, Elisabeth’s departure for Spain was postponed until November 18, 1559. She did not meet King Philip until January 31, 1560. On February 2, 1560, Elisabeth and Philip were married in person in Guadalajara, Spain.

Queen Elisabeth in 1560; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth and Philip made the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, Spain their primary home. Enchanted by his 14-year-old wife, Philip eventually gave up his mistresses. Despite the 18-year-age gap, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. At first, Elisabeth found it very difficult in Spain. She missed France and her family very much but worked hard to get used to her new role in the Kingdom of Spain. Elisabeth’s efforts left a good impression on the aristocrats of the Spanish royal court. Born and raised in Renaissance France, Elisabeth began to spread French customs in Spain. She was very fond of gambling, picnics, and most importantly masquerade balls and soon these customs became commonplace at the Spanish court.

Elisabeth and Philip’s two daughters Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Michelle; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth continued to concentrate on her role as Queen of Spain. She considered her main duty to give birth to sons but she was unable to do so. She had five pregnancies but had only two surviving daughters:

In May 1568, Elisabeth’s health suffered. A new pregnancy caused severe vomiting and dizziness which the doctors tried to relieve by bleeding which would have further weakened her and not helped her as the doctors then believed. On October 3, 1568, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, Spain, Elisabeth went into premature labor which turned out to be very complicated and so all of the doctors of the royal court were called. Elisabeth demanded that Philip be brought to her. She begged him to look after their two daughters and to help her brother Henri III to reign in France. Elisabeth also told him that she had known that she would not live a long life and had prayed constantly for her soul. She asked Philip to pray for her soul and Philip immediately fell to his knees. After much suffering, Elisabeth gave birth to a daughter of five months of gestation. The daughter was baptized Juana but only lived for ninety minutes. An hour later, 23-year-old Elisabeth died. It was said that Philip II was only seen crying once in his life, during the funeral of his wife Elisabeth.

Philip wanted to have all the kings and queens of Spain buried at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial which was still under construction. Elisabeth and her daughter Juana were temporarily buried at the Carmelite Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, founded by Philip’s sister Joanna of Austria. In 1573, Elisabeth’s remains were transferred to El Escorial where she was buried in the Pantheon of the Infantes (Princes) and not where her husband would be buried in the Pantheon of the Kings because she had not been the mother of a King of Spain.

Tomb of Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Philip II dressed in deep mourning for the rest of his life and only the lack of a male heir pushed him into a fourth marriage. In 1570, Philip married his niece Anna of Austria, daughter of first cousins Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain, who was Philip’s sister. Philip and Anna had five children and the only one who survived was Philip II’s successor King Philip III of Spain. Philip II was a widower four times, outliving all four of his wives.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Of Valois. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_Valois> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Philip II Of Spain. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabel De Valois (1546-1568). [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_de_Valois_(1546-1568)> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. King Henri II Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-30-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. King Philip II Of Spain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-philip-ii-of-spain/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Ka.wikipedia.org. 2020. ელიზაბეტ დე ვალუა. [online] Available at: <https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98%E1%83%96%E1%83%90%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A2_%E1%83%93%E1%83%94_%E1%83%95%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%A3%E1%83%90> [Accessed 18 June 2020]. (Elisabeth of Valois from Georgian 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.

Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Henri II, King of France, Catherine de’ Medici was a member of the Italian House of Medici, a banking family and political dynasty that first came to prominence during the first half of the 15th century in the Republic of Florence. Catherine was born on April 13, 1519, in Florence, Republic of Florence, now in Tuscany, Italy. She was the only child of Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne. Sadly, Catherine’s parents both died before she was one-month-old. Her mother died at age 20 on April 28, 1519, from puerperal fever (childbed fever), plague, or syphilis contracted from her husband. Her 26-year-old father died on May 4, 1519, from syphilis.

Catherine’s father Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino, the only son of Piero de’ Medici and Alfonsina Orsini, was the grandson of Lorenzo de’ Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent),  the great Renaissance ruler of Florence. Niccolò Machiavelli had dedicated his now-famous political treatise The Prince to Catherine’s father, Lorenzo II,  to inform the young ruler of Florence about tactics to use to maintain his authority.

Catherine’s mother Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne was a daughter of Jean III de La Tour, Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais and Jeanne de Bourbon, Duchess of Bourbon. Madeleine had one sister Anne and they were the heirs of their father and so upon his death, they shared extensive properties in Auvergne, Clermont, Berry, Castres, and Louraguais in France. Their wealth did not go unnoticed by François I, King of France, Catherine’s future-father-in-law.

François I, King of France, Catherine’s father-in-law; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1515, François I, King of France made a political agreement with Pope Leo X, born Giovanni de’ Medici, the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Pope Leo’s nephew Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino (Catherine’s father) had just come to power in Florence, and François I suggested a marriage alliance to cement the political agreement and proposed that Lorenzo II should marry Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne, from a French noble family. Lorenzo II agreed and François I hosted an extravagant wedding for them at the Château d’Amboise in France.

Madeleine’s sister Anne survived her by five years but died childless and so five-year-old Catherine de’Medici not only had wealth from her father but also the wealth of the Counties of Auvergne and Boulogne and the Barony of La Tour from her mother’s family. In 1519, knowing all this might happen, it is no wonder that François I wanted to raise Catherine at the French court as a potential bride for one of his sons but Pope Leo X had other plans. He wanted Catherine to be raised within the de Medici family.

Initially, Catherine was placed under the care of her paternal grandmother Alfonsina Orsini. After Alfonsina died in 1520, Catherine was placed in the household of her paternal aunt Clarice de’ Medici. In 1523, Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, the illegitimate son of Giuliano de’Medici, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was elected Pope Clement VII and he took over the responsibility of caring for Catherine. Pope Clement placed Catherine in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence where she lived until the troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor attacked and defeated Florence in 1530. Catherine then was moved to the safety of Pope Clement VII’s residence in Rome.

Henri II, King of France, Catherine’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to her wealth, Catherine had several potential bridegrooms but Pope Clement jumped at the offer of François I, King of France to marry her to his second son Henri, Duke of Orléans (the future King Henri II). At this time, Henri’s elder brother François III, Duke of Brittany, Dauphin of France was the heir to the throne and there was little prospect of Henri becoming King of France. The two fourteen-year-olds were married at the Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins in Marseille, France on October 28, 1533. Henri paid little attention to Catherine during the first ten years of their marriage, preferring mistresses, particularly Diane de Poitiers who became Henri’s mistress when he was fifteen and she was 35-years-old. She remained Henri’s mistress for the rest of his life. In 1536, Henri’s elder brother François died at the age of 18 and Henri became the heir to the French throne. There were suspicions that François was poisoned but he probably died of natural causes, most likely from tuberculosis.

Catherine and her four youngest surviving children, circa 1561; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine and Henri did not have any children until they had been married for nearly eleven years. Eventually, they had ten children, seven surviving to adulthood.

Henri succeeded his father on March 31, 1547, his 28th birthday, and was crowned King of France on July 25, 1547, at Reims Cathedral. Catherine was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis on June 10, 1549. Henri’s reign was marked by the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and the suppression of the Protestant Reformation, particularly the persecution of the Protestant French Huguenots, who were becoming a large minority.

On June 30, 1559, a great celebration and tournament was held in Paris at the Hôtel des Tournelles (now the site of the Place des Vosges) in honor of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis with France’s longtime enemies, the Habsburgs and the two marriages that occurred as a result of the Peace: Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy marrying Henri’s sister Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry and King Philip II of Spain marrying Elisabeth, the eldest daughter of Catherine and Henri II.

Tournament between Henri II and Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, Credit – Wikipedia

King Henri II, at age 40, still liked to participate in tournaments even though he had been advised not to participate because of dizziness he was suffering after physical exertion. During a joust with Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scotch Guard, de Montgomery’s lance struck Henri’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor going through the king’s right eye and his temple into the brain. Henri survived for more than a week. On July 9, he was given the last rites and he died on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis. Henri II’s fifteen-year-old eldest son succeeded as King François II of France.

After only a 17-month reign, François II, King of France, aged 16, died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. François II was the first of the three husbands of Mary, Queen of Scots but he died childlessly, so his ten-year-old younger brother succeeded him as Charles IX, King of France, and his mother Catherine served as Regent of France until 1563 when Charles IX was declared to be of age. Charles IX was never able to adequately rule on his own and showed little interest in government and so Catherine remained the power behind the throne. In 1570, Charles IX married Elisabeth of Austria with whom he had one daughter who died in childhood.

Catherine observes the massacred Huguenots by Édouard Debat-Ponsan, 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

During Charles IX’s reign, the French Wars of Religion continued. On August 23-24, 1572, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place, in which 5,000 to 30,000 Protestant French Huguenots were killed.  Catherine was a great influence on her son Charles IX when on August 23, 1572, he ordered the killings. Two years later, the childless 23-year-old Charles IX, King of France died from tuberculosis and was succeeded by his 22-year-old-brother Henri III, King of France.

Two days after his coronation, Henri III married Louise of Lorraine. It was hoped that Henri and Louise would produce an heir to the throne but it was not to be. Henri III was Catherine’s favorite son. Unlike his elder brothers, he came to the throne as an adult. Henri III attempted to give the Protestant French Huguenots more rights but he was undermined by political parties funded by foreign powers and the Catholic activist Henri I, Duke of Guise, who formed the Catholic League which promoted the eradication of Protestants in Catholic France and removing Henri III from the French throne.

In 1588, Henri I, Duke of Guise was assassinated by the king’s bodyguard as King Henri III looked on. Henri III had hoped that getting rid of the Duke of Guise would restore his authority with the French people. Instead, it caused a major outrage among the relatives and allies of the Duke of Guise and much of France. Again, Henri III’s mother played a role in his decisions. Ultimately, Henri III paid a price for his decisions. Seven months after his mother’s death, Henri III was assassinated by Jacques Clément, a fanatic Dominican monk who sided with the Catholic League.

Catherine as a widow; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine continued to play a role in the government until the last few weeks of her life. She died on January 5, 1589, aged 69, at the Château de Blois in the Loire Valley of France from pleurisy. Because of all the unrest in Paris, it was impossible to bring Catherine’s remains to Paris for burial at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the traditional burial site of the French royal family. Instead, she was buried at the Saint-Sauveur de Blois Church in Blois, near where she had died. In 1610, Diane de France, Duchess of Angoulême in her own right, the illegitimate daughter of Catherine’s husband Henri II and his mistress Filippa Duci, arranged for Catherine’s remains to be transferred to the Basilica of Saint-Denis and be buried with her husband. Their tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution in October 1793. Archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir was able to save the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. It was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830).

Tomb of Henri II of France and Catherine de’Medici; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Catherine De’ Medici. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_de%27_Medici> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
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  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. King Henri II Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-30-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. King Henri III Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henri-iii-of-france/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Catherine De Médicis. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_de_M%C3%A9dicis> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Goldstone, Nancy, 2015. The Rival Queens: Catherine De’medici And Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, And The Betrayal That Ignited A Kingdom. New York: Back Bay Books.

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, Mistress of King Louis XIV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Madame de Montespan was one of the most notable mistresses of King Louis XIV of France, from 1667 until the early 1680s.

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan; Credit – Wikipedia

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on October 5, 1640 in Lussac-les-Châteaux, France, the 3rd of 5 children of Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke de Mortemart and Diane de Granseigne. Her father was a prominent member of the court of King Louis XIII of France, serving as First Gentleman of the Chamber, and was also a close confidante of Queen Anne of France (born Anne of Austria). Her mother also served as a lady-in-waiting to The Queen.

Raised at her family’s estates and the French court in Paris, she began her formal education at the Convent of Saint Mary at Saintes and became very religious. At 20 years old, she became a maid of honor to the Duchess of Orléans (born Princess Henrietta of England), and later a lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie Therese of France (born Maria Teresa of Spain).

On January 28, 1663, at the Église Saint-Eustache in Paris, she married  Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan. The couple had two children:

King Louis XIV of France. source: Wikipedia

A prominent figure in the French court, Madame de Montespan soon set out to become the primary mistress of King Louis XIV, replacing his current mistress Louise de La Vallière. Before long, she developed an intimate relationship with the King and slowly pushed Louise out of his life. By 1669, she had become his primary mistress and had given birth to her first child with the King.

Françoise-Athénaïs and King Louis XIV had seven children:

The children were raised by Madame Scarron, the Marquise de Maintenon, who would later become King Louis XIV’s second wife. In 1673, Françoise-Athénaïs’ children were legitimized by the King, although Françoise-Athénaïs’s name was not listed, as she was still married to her husband at the time. In 1674, she and her husband were officially separated but never divorced.

In 1677, Madame de Montespan was involved in the Affaire des Poissons (Affair of the Poisons) which would lead to the end of her influence and power at court and her relationship with the King. Over a period of several years, many prominent members of the court were charged and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft. Accusations were made that Madame de Montespan was involved, with allegations that she had engaged a midwife, Catherine Deshayes Monvoison, to perform black masses to retain the King’s favor. Françoise-Athénaïs was never charged, but rumors and scandal swirled through the French court.

By 1691, Madame de Montespan was no longer in favor with King Louis XIV and left the French court for a convent in Paris. Louis XIV gave her a generous pension and she spent the remainder of her life supporting numerous hospitals and charities. On May 27, 1707, Madame de Montespan died at Bourbon-l’Archambault, France and was buried in the chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France.

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.

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile was the third wife of Manuel I, King of Portugal, and the second wife of François I, King of France. She was born on November 15, 1498, in Leuven, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Eleanor (Leonor in Spanish and Portuguese, Eléonore or Aliénor in French) was the eldest of the four daughters and the eldest of the six children of Philip (the Handsome), Duke of Burgundy and Joanna, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon.

Eleanor’s father Philip; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s mother Joanna; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Eleanor and her siblings were nieces and nephews of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, and first cousins of Henry VIII and Catherine’s daughter Queen Mary I of England.

Ferdinand, Charles, Eleanor, Isabella, Mary, and Catherine; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor had five younger siblings. Her two brothers were Kings and Holy Roman Emperors and Eleanor and her three sisters were all Queen Consorts.

Eleanor’s relatives from her father’s House of Habsburg unsuccessfully tried to negotiate marriages for her to King Henry VII and King Henry VIII of England, King Louis XII of France, and King Sigismund I of Poland. When Eleanor was eighteen years old, she wanted to marry Friedrich II, Elector Palatine. Eleanor’s brother Charles, then Duke of Burgundy and King of Spain, discovered her reading love letters from Friedrich. Eleanor and Friedrich had to legally swear that they were not secretly married, after which Charles expelled Friedrich from his court.

Eleanor’s first husband, Manuel I, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Charles made a political marriage for his sister Eleanor with King Manuel I of Portugal to avoid the possibility of Portuguese assistance for any rebellion in Castile, part of the Kingdom of Spain. On July 16, 1518, 19-year-old Eleanor became Queen of Portugal when she married 49-year-old Manuel I. Manuel had been married twice before to two maternal aunts of Eleanor, Isabella of Aragon and Maria of Aragon. Isabella had died in childbirth giving birth to her first child who also died. Maria also died in childbirth giving birth to her tenth child who did not survive. However, eight of Maria and Manuel’s children survived including two Kings of Portugal, King João III and Cardinal-King Henrique I, and Isabella who married her first cousin and Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The marriage of Eleanor and King Manuel I of Portugal lasted only three years. On December 13, 1521, Manuel died from the plague and was succeeded by his son with his second wife, King João III.

Eleanor and Manuel had two children:

Eleanor’s daughter, Infanta Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of King Manuel I of Portugal, Eleanor and her six-month-old daughter Maria returned to the court of her brother Charles, who had been elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. When Maria was nine years old, she was moved back to Lisbon, Portugal where she lived at the court of her half-brother King João III for the rest of her life. There were some considerations for her marriage but Maria never did marry.

François I, King of France and Eleanor; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1529, the Treaty of Cambrai was signed ending the Seventh Italian War, also known as the War of the League of Cognac, fought between Charles V’s Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Spain and François I’s Kingdom of France and his allies. To seal the treaty, François I, King of France, a widower for several years, agreed to marry Eleanor, the sister of Charles V. Eleanor and François were married on July 4, 1530, and Eleanor was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France on May 31, 1531. Eleanor was ignored by François who preferred his mistresses. Eleanor and François had no children.

Eleanor was useful as an intermediary between France and her brother’s Holy Roman Empire. She took an active role in the care and education of François’ two youngest daughters, eleven-year-old Madeleine and nine-year-old Marguerite. Their mother Claude of France had died seven years earlier, in 1524. Eleanor played her role as Queen of France on official occasions such as the marriage of François’ heir, the future King Henri II, and Catherine de’Medici in 1533. Eleanor’s second husband François I, King of France, aged 52, died on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris with his first wife Claude of France.

Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

After being widowed, Eleanor received the Duchy of Touraine as her dower lands, and in 1548, she left France for the court in Brussels, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, where her sister Mary served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. For many years, with the help of her brother Charles, Eleanor unsuccessfully sought the King of Portugal’s permission for her daughter Maria to live with her. Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling, Eleanor’s brother Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste in Cuacos de Yuste, Spain. In 1556, Eleanor and her sister Mary decided to follow their brother Charles into retirement in Spain in Jarandilla de la Vera, close to the monastery where Charles retired so they could visit him.

Eleanor had not seen her daughter Maria since 1528. Finally, in 1558, King João III of Portugal agreed to allow his half-sister Maria to visit her mother. Both mother and daughter traveled to the town of Badajoz, Spain, close to the Portuguese border. Eleanor asked Maria to live with her but Maria refused the request and remained with her mother for three weeks before returning to Lisbon. On the return trip from Badajoz, Eleanor died at Talavera la Real, Spain on February 18, 1558, at the age of 59. Her siblings Charles and Mary soon followed her into death. Charles died on September 21, 1558, and Mary died on October 18, 1558.

Eleanor was initially buried at the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major in Mérida, Spain. In 1574, on the order of her nephew King Felipe II of Spain, Eleanor’s remains, along with the remains of other members of the Habsburg family, were transferred to a temporary crypt at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain which was under construction. In 1586, the remains were transferred to the permanent crypts at El Escorial, which is now the traditional burial site of the Spanish royal family. Eleanor’s remains rest in the Pantheon of the Infantes – Chapel 9 at El Escorial.

Tomb of Eleanor of Austria; 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Eleanor Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Manuel I Of Portugal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_of_Portugal> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leonor De Austria. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_de_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. François I, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/François-i-king-of-france/> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Éléonore De Habsbourg. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89l%C3%A9onore_de_Habsbourg> [Accessed 15 June 2020].

Lola Montez, Mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Lola Montez, 1851; Credit – Wikipedia

Lola Montez was a dancer, courtesan, and a mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. She was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert on February 17, 1821, in Grange, County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland. At the time of her birth, all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Known as Eliza, she was the daughter of a Scotsman, Edward Gilbert, and Eliza Oliver from an Irish country noble family. Eliza’s paternal grandfather was Charles Silver Oliver, a High Sheriff of Cork and a member of Parliament for Kilmallock in County Limerick, Ireland. Eliza’s mother grew up at the family home, Castle Oliver. Eliza’s father was an Ensign in The King’s Own Scottish Borderers, a regiment of the British Army. Eliza’s parents met when her father’s regiment arrived in Grange, Ireland. When Eliza was two-years-old her father was posted to India and Eliza and her mother accompanied him. However, her father died from cholera shortly after arriving in India. Eliza and her mother remained in India and her mother married again to Lieutenant Patrick Craigie.

Eliza Gilbert, circa 1837; Credit – Wikipedia

When Eliza reached school age, she was sent to live with her stepfather’s father Captain John Craigie in Montrose, Scotland. At the age of ten, Eliza was sent to Sunderland, England to live with her stepfather’s sister Catherine Rae. Eliza attended a boarding school that Catherine Rae ran with her husband. She finished her education at a boarding school in Bath, England. To avoid a marriage with the much older judge Sir Abraham Lumley, she ran away with Lieutenant Thomas James. The couple married in 1837. Eliza’s husband was posted to India in 1838 and she accompanied him but the couple separated in 1842.

In 1842, Eliza returned to England and lived in London where she learned the Spanish language and Spanish dances. Using the stage name Maria de los Dolores Porrys y Montez, also known as Lola Montez, she pretended to be a Spanish dancer from Seville, Spain. In June 1843, her true identity was revealed when she was recognized as Mrs. Thomas James. Her career in England was hampered and she left for continental Europe. By this time she was certainly accepting favors from wealthy men in return for sex and was widely regarded as a courtesan.

Lola Montez, 1844; Credit – Wikipedia

Lola Montez traveled across Europe and caused scandals through her affairs and performances. She became famous for her Spider Dance, which involved her shaking imaginary tarantulas out of her clothes and stamping on them. She then raised her skirt so high that the audience could see that she wore no underwear. On September 3, 1843, Lola danced in front of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia at the Los Boleros de Cadiz in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia. Her guest appearance in Warsaw caused an uproar. Her dancing caused her to be expelled from Berlin, Warsaw, Reuss-Ebersdorf, and Baden-Baden. After performing in various European cities, Lola settled in Paris, where she was accepted by the Bohemian literary society of the time. She received more notoriety when her lover Alexandre Dujarrier (link in French), editor of the newspaper La Presse was shot to death in a duel in 1845. Heinrich LXXII, Prince Reuss of Lobenstein and Ebersdorf, the father and son writers Alexandre Dumas the Elder and Alexandre Dumas the Younger, and the composer Franz Liszt were among her lovers.

King Ludwig I of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 5, 1846, Lola arrived in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria. She applied for an engagement as a dancer at the Munich Hofbühne but her application was denied. Lola decided to appeal to King Ludwig I of Bavaria and met with him for the first time on October 7, 1846. Soon, she was making guest appearances at the Munich Court and National Theater and within a month, the 25-year-old Lola became the mistress of the 60-year-old Ludwig. The king changed his will to include payments to Lola and provided her with a luxurious residence where he often visited her. Their relationship quickly became known and was met with disapproval by the citizens of Bavaria.

Lola Montez painted for King Ludwig I of Bavaria by Joseph Karl Stieler for the Gallery of Beauties at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich; Credit – Wikipedia

King Ludwig I had a constant stream of mistresses, few of which were kept very private. His wife, born Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, often left Bavaria in defiance of her husband’s actions and maintained a massive amount of sympathy and support from the Bavarian people. When Ludwig’s relationship with Lola Montez began, Queen Therese refused to back down. She publicly chastised her husband and refused his request to grant Lola the Order of Therese.

Because Lola’s only identification was a passport from the Principality of Reuss-Ebersdorf, King Ludwig I asked his cabinet to grant Lola Bavarian citizenship in 1847. The cabinet refused and all the cabinet ministers resigned. After a new cabinet was formed, Lola was granted Bavarian citizenship which caused riots in Munich. On August 25, 1847, Ludwig’s 61st birthday, Lola was created Countess of Landsfeld and was given a large annuity.

A caricature of Lola Montez wearing a crown and holding a whip in her left hand. Attached to a leash is King Ludwig I of Bavaria, depicted as a dog standing on its hind legs; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1848, because of the revolutionary fervor in Europe, Ludwig I’s reign was coming to an abrupt end. His relationship with Lola and the influence he allowed her to wield also played a role. Facing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes, Ludwig ordered the closure of the university. Shortly after, the crowds raided the armory on their way to storm the Munich Residenz, the palace in Munich. Ludwig’s brother Prince Karl Theodor managed to appease the protesters but the damage was done. Ludwig’s family and advisors turned against him and he was forced to sign the March Proclamation, giving substantial concessions toward a constitutional monarchy. Unwilling to rule this way, King Ludwig I abdicated on March 20, 1848, in favor of his son Maximilian II, King of Bavaria.

Lola fled to Switzerland where she hoped Ludwig would join her but he never did. The letters between Lola and Ludwig show that she lived in luxury with the money she had received from Ludwig. Lola continued writing to Ludwig and the letters show that she was mainly concerned with getting more money from him.

Lola returned to London in 1849 and appeared at Covent Garden. Although she had never divorced her first husband Thomas James, Lola married George Trafford Heald, a British Army officer. They fled from England to avoid a bigamy lawsuit. Lola and George lived in France and Spain but within two years, their relationship was falling apart and George reportedly drowned in 1851.

Cartoon of Lola Montez, circa 1852 By DC Johnston; Credit – Wikipedia

Lola set off to make a new start in the United States in 1851, where she was surprisingly successful for a while. In 1852, on Broadway, she played herself in a theater revue, Lola Montez in Bavaria. She toured the east coast until 1853 when she went to San Francisco where her performances created a sensation. In July 1853, Lola married Patrick Hull, a local newspaper reporter, and moved to Grass Valley, California but by August her marriage had failed. Lola remained in Grass Valley, California for nearly two years until she went on tour for two years in Australia where she mostly entertained in gold-mining towns. After she performed her Spider Dance at the Theatre Royal in Melbourne, the newspapers reported that her show was “utterly subversive to all ideas of public morality”  and her show began to suffer financial losses.

Upon returning to New York in 1857, Lola attempted a theatrical comeback that failed. She then arranged with Charles Chauncey Burr, an American journalist, author, and publisher, to deliver a series of lectures Burr had written in the United States and the United Kingdom which allowed her to earn a living.

By 1860, Lola was exhibiting the third stage effects of syphilis. During the summer of 1860, she had symptoms similar to a stroke. In December 1860, Lola developed pneumonia. She died on January 17, 1861, aged 39, in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. Lola Montez, born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where her tombstone says: “Mrs. Eliza Gilbert Died Jan. 17, 1861.” The reverse of her tombstone gives more biographical information.

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. 2020. Lola Montez. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Montez> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
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  • Findagrave.com. 2020. Lola Montez (1821-1861) – Find A Grave Memorial. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/726/lola-montez> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
  • Heichelbech, R., n.d. The Spider Dance That Captivated The World In The 1840S. [online] Dusty Old Thing. Available at: <https://dustyoldthing.com/lola-montez-spider-dance/> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
  • History-is-made-at-night.blogspot.com. 2009. Lola Montez And The Spider Dance. [online] Available at: <http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.com/2009/05/lola-montez-and-spider-dance.html> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
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Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, the first wife of François I, King of France, was born on October 13, 1499, in Romorantin-Lanthenay, France. Her father was King Louis XII of France who had succeeded his second cousin once removed, King Charles VIII, because Charles had no surviving sons to succeed him, nor any surviving daughters either. Louis XII was the great-grandson of King Charles V of France through his second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans, and the next in line of the throne after the line of Charles V’s eldest son and successor King Charles VI of France, represented by King Charles VIII, died out.

Claude’s mother was King Louis XII’s second wife Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Anne had been King Charles VIII’s wife and during her marriage to Charles VIII, she had three stillbirths, three children who died in infancy, and one son who died from measles at age three. Before he became king, Louis XII had been in a childless marriage to Jeanne of France, the sister of King Charles VIII. After he succeeded to the throne, Louis XII decided to annul his 22-year marriage to Jeanne and marry the younger Anne of Brittany in hopes of a male heir.

Claude’s father King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude’s mother Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France, at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

Claude was her parents’ first child. She received her name, somewhat unusual for a female, because her mother had made a pilgrimage to the burial site of Saint Claude of Besançon, a 7th-century French bishop who became a popular French saint, in the hope of having a living child after the sad pregnancy history of her first marriage. However, Anne’s poor obstetrical history persisted. Louis XII and Anne had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages. Claude and her sister Renée were their only surviving children. In fact, out of Anne’s total of sixteen pregnancies from her two marriages, Claude and Renée were her only surviving children. The lack of sons again created a succession problem because France followed the Salic Law which allowed only male succession.

Claude had one surviving sibling:

François I, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Because Louis XII and his first wife had no children, upon Louis XII’s accession to the French throne, four-year-old François, Count of Angoulême (the future King François I of France) became the heir presumptive to the French throne and remained the heir throughout Louis XII’s reign due to his lack of sons. François was a great-great-grandson of King Charles V of France through Charles V’s second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans whose descendants were members of the Orléans cadet branch of the ruling House of Valois.

Because her parents had no sons, Claude was the heir to her mother’s Duchess of Brittany. 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. Queen Anne did not want to leave her daughter without her Brittany inheritance and with the help of Cardinal Georges d’Amboise, separated the Duchy of Brittany from the French crown.

Engagement of François d’Angoulême and Claude de France by Guillaume II Le Roy , Chronicles of Louis XII; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1501, a marriage contract was signed between the two-year-old Claude and the fifteen-year-old future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. However, in 1505, Louis XII became very ill and fearing for his life, and not wishing to threaten the reign of François, his heir, he canceled the 1501 marriage contract in favor of the eventual marriage of Claude and François. A marriage with François would mean that the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown if François succeeded Louis XII.

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. Fourteen-year-old Claude succeeded her mother as Duchess of Brittany.

On May 18, 1514, François and Claude were married in the chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

They had seven children:

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany surrounded by her daughters (Charlotte, Madeleine, and Marguerite), her sister Renée (or her deceased older daughter Louise) and her husband’s second wife Eleanor of Austria, in Catherine de Medici’s Book of Hours, 1550; Credit – Wikipedia

After Anne of Brittany’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, in a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace in England and then in person in France on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, just three months after the wedding. He was succeeded by his son-in-law as King François I of France. François was crowned King of France on January 25, 1515, at Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral), the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France. Claude’s coronation took place on May 10, 1517, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris. Most likely the delay in Claude’s coronation was due to her first two pregnancies.

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany, aged 24, died on July 20, 1524, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. It is suspected that Claude had tuberculosis and contracted syphilis from her husband and certainly seven pregnancies in eight years weakened her health. Claude was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris.

In 1530, François married the widow of King Manuel I of Portugal, Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, co-sovereigns of the Kingdom of Castile, and the sister of Charles V, Emperor of Austria. François preferred his mistresses, ignored Eleanor, and the marriage was childless. François survived Claude by twenty-three years, dying on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet in Rambouillet, France at the age of 52 and was buried with Claude.

François and Claude’s tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution in October 1793. Archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir was able to save the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. The tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830).

Tomb of François and Claude; Credit – Par Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France Tomb of François 1er @ Basilique de Saint-Denis @ Saint-Denis, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52701972

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_of_France> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. François I, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/François-i-king-of-france/> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude De France (1499-1524). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_de_France_(1499-1524)> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Клод Французская. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 15 June 2020]. (Claude of France from Russian Wikipedia)

François I, King of France

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

François I, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

A contemporary of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King Henry VIII of England, François I, King of France was born on September 12, 1494, at the Château de Cognac in Cognac, Kingdom of France. He was the only son and the younger of the two children of Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy. François was a great-great-grandson of King Charles V of France through Charles V’s second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans whose descendants were members of the Orléans cadet branch of the ruling House of Valois. The Orléans branch came to the French throne in 1498 with the accession of King Louis XII, the great-grandson of King Charles V through his second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans after the line of Charles V’s eldest son and successor King Charles VI of France died out.

François had one older sister:

François’ parents playing chess, circa 1496-1498; Credit – Wikipedia

During the winter of 1495, François’s father had a serious fall while out riding and he died from his injuries on January 1, 1496. 16-month-old François became Count of Angoulême and François’s mother was left a 19-year-old widow with two young children.

At the time of François’s birth, 24-year-old Charles VIII was King of France. Charles VIII had married Anne, Duchess of Brittany in 1491 and there were expectations that they would provide a male heir to the French throne as France followed the Salic Law which allowed only male succession. In 1498, Charles VIII violently hit his head on a stone lintel of a low door and died without a male heir. His wife Anne of Brittany had given birth to seven children but none survived.

King Charles VIII was succeeded by his second cousin once removed Louis II, Duke of Orléans as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII’s father Charles I, Duke of Orléans was the grandson of King Charles V of France through his second son, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. King Louis XII also had succession issues. His 22-year marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France had produced no children. Therefore, in 1498, four-year-old François, Count of Angoulême became the heir presumptive to the French throne. Louis XII had his marriage to Jeanne of France annulled and married Charles VII’s widow Anne, Duchess of Brittany, hoping the marriage would produce a male heir.

François’ mother Louise of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

Meanwhile, François’ mother Louise of Savoy, who never remarried, began the work that would secure each of her children a promising future. After her husband’s death, Louise and her two children Marguerite and François initially remained at the Château de Cognac. Upon the accession of King Louis XII to the throne of France, she moved her family to Louis XII’s court and Louise’s main goal was to prepare her son to become King of France. Louise was quite aware of court politics and diplomacy and was interested in the flourishing of the arts and sciences during the Renaissance. With the help of her Italian confessor Cristoforo Numai of Forli, Louise ensured that Marguerite and François were educated in the spirit of the Renaissance. She commissioned books specifically for them and she taught them Italian and Spanish.

Meanwhile, King Louis XII and his second wife Anne of Brittany failed to produce a male heir. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages. They did have two daughters who survived to adulthood, Claude (1499 – 1524) and Renée (1510 – 1574), but because of the Salic Law neither could succeed their father. On January 9, 1514, 36-year-old Anne, Duchess of Brittany, the only woman to have been Queen of France twice, weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, died from a kidney stone attack.

Anne’s elder daughter Claude succeeded her as Duchess of Brittany. Claude had previously been contracted to marry the future Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. However, in 1505, Louis XII had become very ill and fearing for his life and not wishing to threaten the reign of François, his only heir, he canceled the marriage contract in favor of the eventual marriage of Claude and François. A marriage with François would mean that the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown.

Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany surrounded by her daughters (Charlotte, Madeleine, and Marguerite), her sister Renée (or her deceased older daughter Louise) and her husband’s second wife Eleanor of Austria, in Catherine de Medici’s Book of Hours, 1550; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 18, 1514, François and Claude were married in the chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. They had seven children:

After Anne of Brittany’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, in a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace in England and then in person in France on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, just three months after the wedding. As Louis XII had no sons, he was succeeded by his son-in-law as King François I of France. François was crowned King of France on January 25, 1515, at Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral), the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France. Claude’s coronation took place on May 10, 1517, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris. Most likely the delay in Claude’s coronation was due to her first two pregnancies.

Some accomplishments and events during the reign of François I, King of France:

François at the deathbed of Leonardo da Vinci; Credit – Wikipedia

Patron of the arts: The magnificent art collection of the French kings began. It can still be seen at the Musée du Louvre, which occupies most of the former Louvre Palace. Among the artists François patronized were Andrea del Sarto and Leonardo da Vinci. da Vinci lived in France during the last years of his life. He brought with him many of his greatest works, including the Mona Lisa and these works remained in France after his death.

Construction: François focused on both new construction and renovations. Among his projects was the renovation of the Louvre Palace from a medieval fortress into a Renaissance palace and the building of a new City Hall (the Hôtel de Ville) for Paris.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold, circa 1545; Credit – Wikipedia

Foreign Policy: François continued with the Italian Wars (1494 – 1559). As Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also King of Spain) of the House of Habsburg gained power and land, France was surrounded by Habsburg land. François unsuccessfully attempted to gain the support of King Henry VIII of England at a summit and a tournament called the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Instead, François allied with the Muslim Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a controversial move for a Christian king. France became the first European country to establish formal relations with the Ottoman Empire.

Exploration: In 1524, François financed the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazzano to North America. On this expedition, Verrazzano was the first documented European to visit the present site of New York City (where the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is named after him) and claimed Newfoundland in present-day Canada for the French crown. In 1534, François sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in the present-day Canadian province of Quebec.

Religion: The Reformation began during the reign of the Roman Catholic François. Initially tolerant of the Reformation and its effect upon France, François’ attitude toward Protestants changed from tolerance to persecution with the issue of the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1540.

François’ wife Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany, aged 24, died on July 20, 1524, at the Château de Blois. It is suspected that Claude had tuberculosis and contracted syphilis from her husband and certainly seven pregnancies in eight years weakened her health.

François with his second wife Eleanor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1529, the Treaty of Cambrai was signed ending the Seventh Italian War, also known as the War of the League of Cognac, fought between Charles V’s Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Spain and François I’s Kingdom of France and his allies. To seal the treaty, François I agreed to marry Charles V’s sister Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile, the widow of King Manuel I of Portugal. Eleanor was the daughter of Philip of Austria and Joanna of Castile, co-sovereigns of the Kingdom of Castile. François and Eleanor were married on July 4, 1530, and Eleanor was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis on May 31, 1531.

Eleanor was ignored by François who preferred his mistresses. Needless to say, Eleanor and François had no children. However, Eleanor was useful as an intermediary between France and her brother’s Holy Roman Empire.  She took an active role in the care and education of François’ two youngest daughters Madeleine and Marguerite. Eleanor played her role as Queen of France on official occasions such as the marriage of François’ heir, the future King Henri II, and Catherine de Medici in 1533.

There is suspicion that François suffered from syphilis and primary documents say he had some urinary tract issues. François I, King of France died on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet, aged 52, after a reign of thirty-two years. According to the report of his autopsy, the cause of his death was sepsis associated with severe kidney failure due to nephritis. He was succeeded by his only surviving son Henri II who became King of France on his 28th birthday.

François was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris with his first wife Claude of France. François and Claude’s tomb was desecrated during the French Revolution in October 1793. Archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir was able to save the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. It was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830).

Tomb of Francois and Claude; Credit – Par Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France Tomb of François 1er @ Basilique de Saint-Denis @ Saint-Denis, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52701972

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Francis I Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_France> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise Of Savoy. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_of_Savoy> [Accessed 13 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].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Claude Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_of_France> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
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  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. François Ier (Roi De France). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Ier_(roi_de_France)> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise De Savoie. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_Savoie> [Accessed 13 June 2020].

Charles VIII, King of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Charles VIII, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VIII of France was born at the Château d’Amboise in France on June 30, 1470. He was the seventh of the eight children and the fourth and the only surviving son of the five sons of King Louis XI of France and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. Out of his parents’ eight children, only Charles and his sisters Anne and Jeanne survived childhood. Charles’ father had no children from his first marriage to Margaret of Scotland, daughter of James I, King of Scots.

King Louis XI of France; Credit- Wikipedia

Since Charles was his father’s only surviving son and was often ill, his father Louis XI was more concerned with his health than his education. Accordingly, Charles’ education was less rigorous than it normally would have been. The study of Latin was eliminated although Louis XI had first studied Latin at the age of six. Charles was given a humanist tutor Guillaume Tardif. Tardif ordered simplified treatises written for Charles and read them to him. One such treatise was on the Wars of Roses which was occurring at the time in England.

In 1475, the Treaty of Picquigny between King Edward IV and the Kingdom of England and King Louis XI and the Kingdom of France ended the Hundred Years War. One of the agreements was that five-year-old Charles would marry nine-year Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV of England. That arrangement did not come to fruition and Elizabeth of York eventually married King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch.

Next, Louis XI tried to make two Burgundian marriages for his only son Charles. After the death of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1477, Louis XI had plans to take over the guardianship of Charles the Bold’s only child Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. He planned to marry his seven-year-old son Charles to the twenty-year-old Mary and reunite Burgundy with France. However, Mary was of legal age, the sovereign ruler of the Duchy of Burgundy, and decided to marry Archduke Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Archduchess Margaret of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1482, 25-year-old Mary, Duchess of Burgundy died of internal injuries following a severe fall from her horse. France and Burgundy had been at war over land and Mary’s widower decided to settle the situation. The Treaty of Arras ended the dispute. Mary’s two-year-old daughter Archduchess Margaret of Austria would marry Louis XI’s son Charles. The Imperial County of Burgundy, west of the Duchy of Burgundy, would come to the French crown as part of Margaret’s dowry. Charles and Margaret were betrothed in 1483 and Margaret’s guardianship was transferred to King Louis XI of France. She was to be raised in France as a fille de France (daughter of France) and prepared for her future role as Queen of France. However, within months of the betrothal, King Louis XI died and his thirteen-year-old son became King Charles VIII of France.  The coronation of King Charles VIII took place on May 30, 1484, in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims, France, the traditional site for the coronation of the Kings of France.

Under Louis XI’s will, his daughter Anne and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon ruled as regents until 1491. Margaret of Austria remained in France where she continued to be educated and prepared for her future role as Charles’ wife and Queen of France. However, the sudden death of François II, Duke of Brittany as a result of a fall from his horse, on September 9, 1488, changed the situation. François II had only two surviving children, both daughters, and the elder daughter succeeded him as Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Fearing for the independence of her duchy against the might of France, Anne arranged a marriage for herself with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right.

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

Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, the regents of France, refused to allow a marriage between Anne of Brittany and Maximilian of Austria because it would put the Habsburgs, Maxililian’s family, on two French borders. A month before Anne of Brittany’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. Likewise, Margaret of Austria was also jilted and she resented the House of Valois for the rest of her life. However, Margaret became one of the greatest government administrators, political negotiators, and patrons of her time. She served her nephew Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands.

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

Anne, Duchess of Brittany 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

French troops under Charles VIII entering Florence, November 17, 1494, by Francesco Granacci; Credit – Wikipedia

The main event of Charles VIII’s reign was the Italian War of 1494–1498 fought against the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and an alliance of Italian powers led by Pope Alexander VI. Charles made a series of concessions to neighboring monarchs and conquered Italy without much opposition. However, a coalition of armies ultimately drove out Charles’ army.

On March 20, 1498, Queen Anne had given birth to a daughter at the Château d’Amboise, who died on the day of her birth. To distract her from her sadness, on April 7, 1498, Charles decided to take Anne to watch a game of jeu de paume (real tennis). As they were walking to the tennis court at the Château d’Amboise, Charles violently hit his head on a stone lintel of a low door. He stumbled but did not lose consciousness and proceeded to the tennis court where he watched the game. At around two o’clock in the afternoon, Charles suddenly collapsed, fell into a coma, and died nine hours later at the age of 27. Modern medical experts suspect that Charles died from a head trauma that led to a stroke with a subdural hematoma and neurological damage.

King Charles VIII had a grand funeral with the services lasting until May 1, 1498, when the tomb was closed. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France but his heart was buried at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Cléry in Cléry-Saint-André, France so he could be near his parents. His tomb at the Basilica of Saint-Denis was one of the most beautiful tombs there. It was made of gilded bronze and enamel and was quite large. The enameled statue of Charles VIII showed him praying, wearing a blue robe with fleur-de-lis (lily flowers). At the four corners were bronze angels and around the base were female figures in medallions. During the French Revolution, Charles’ tomb was destroyed and the materials melted down.

Tomb of Charles VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

Because King Charles VIII had no surviving sons (nor daughters), he was succeeded by his second cousin once removed Louis II, Duke of Orléans as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII’s father Charles I, Duke of Orléans was the grandson of King Charles V of France through his second son, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. In 1476, the future Louis XII had married Jeanne of France, daughter of King Louis XI of France and sister of King Charles VIII. Charles VIII’s widow Anne returned to her Duchy of Brittany after his death 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. Once more, Anne of Brittany, had the Treaty of Verger used against her as Louis XII, as King of France, had to consent to her marriage. She was forced to agree to marry King Louis XII.

King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Louis XII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. Louis XII never did get his male heir. Anne and Louis had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages but they did have two daughters who survived to adulthood. Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, twice Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514. 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 – without a male heir.

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles VIII Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VIII_of_France> [Accessed 11 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].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Anne, Duchess Of Brittany, Queen Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anne-duchess-of-brittany-queen-of-france/> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles VIII (Roi De France). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VIII_(roi_de_France)> [Accessed 11 June 2020].
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  • 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].

Diane de Poitiers, Mistress of King Henri II of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Diane de Poitiers was the royal mistress of King Henri II of France from around 1534 until the King’s death in 1559. During that time, she was considered by most to be the most powerful and influential woman in France, far surpassing the King’s wife, the former Catherine de’ Medici.

Diane de Poitiers – source: Wikipedia

Diane de Poitiers was born on January 9, 1500 at the Château de Saint-Vallier in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. She was the second child, and eldest daughter, of Jean de Poitiers, Vicomte d’Estoile and Seigneur of Saint-Vallier and his wife, Jeanne de Batarnay.

Following her mother’s death in 1506, Diane was raised in the court of Princess Anne of France (Anne de Beaujeu), the daughter of King Louis XI and sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she had served as regent from 1483-1491 when he reached his majority). During this time, Diane received an education typical for young girls in the aristocracy at that time – studying languages, music, several languages, and proper etiquette. She also became a skilled huntress – something she enjoyed well into her later years.

In 1515, Princess Anne arranged for Diane to marry Louis de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier and Seigneur d’Anet, who was nearly 40 years older than her. He was a grandson of King Charles VII of France and served as a courtier to King François I. The couple had two daughters:

During her marriage, Diane became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Claude of France (mother of Henri II) and later served in the same role to Louise of Savoy (grandmother of Henri II) and Queen Eléanore of France (stepmother of Henri II). Along with her position at court, Diane also became known for her financial independence – something rarely seen for a woman in those times. Widowed in 1531, Diane went to court to retain her husband’s estates and titles in her own right, and not be required to submit them to a male relative as was expected. Impressed by her acumen, King François issued Letters Patent allowing Diane to retain everything until ownership could be established, allowing her to establish complete financial independence.

King Henri II. source: Wikipedia

Through her presence at court, Diane became known to the young Prince Henri. Eighteen years older than the young prince, she made quite an impression on him despite his young age. Despite his marriage in 1533 to Catherine de’ Medici – Diane’s second cousin – the young Prince was smitten with Diane. From their correspondence, it is believed that Diane became his mistress sometime around 1534.

For the next 25 years, Diane de Poitiers would be the King’s closest companion, and many felt she was the most powerful woman in France at the time. Her influence on the King was without match, and he relied heavily on her advice in all official decisions. Such was her position that when foreign royals and leaders would send gifts to the Queen, they would also send gifts to Diane.

Château de Chenonceau. photo: CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=604946

The King, too, showered Diane with gifts. She was created Duchess of Valentinois in 1548, and Duchess d’Étampes in 1553, and was given custody of the French Crown Jewels. He also had the Château d’Anet rebuilt for her (on the site of her late husband’s former château, which was left to her), and gave her the Château de Chenonceau, despite his wife’s desire that she have it for herself.

Diane’s influence and power would come to a complete halt in 1559 after King Henri was critically injured in a jousting tournament. Queen Catherine quickly took control, refusing to allow Diane to see the ailing King, despite his requests for her. After suffering for ten days, the King died on July 10, 1559, of sepsis from his wounds. The Queen quickly took steps to eliminate Diane from the existence she had enjoyed for so many years. She was forced to return the Crown Jewels, give up the Château de Chenonceau in exchange for the Château de Chaumont, and sent into exile. After a brief stay at Chaumont, Diane returned to d’Anet where she lived a relatively quiet life for the next six years.

Tomb of Diane de Poitiers. Photo: Par Binche — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16697082

In poor health for several years after suffering a fall while out riding, Diane de Poitiers died at the Château d’Anet on April 25, 1566, at the age of 66. Per her wishes, her daughter Louise had a funeral chapel built on the grounds of the château which would serve as Diane’s resting place. However, during the French Revolution, her grave was opened and her remains were thrown into a mass grave. In 2009, her remains were rediscovered and returned to her original tomb at d’Anet the following year.

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.