Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg and Charlotte Helene von Schindel, Mistresses of Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg was born on May 4, 1679, probably at her father’s estate in Wattmannshagen, now in Lalendorf in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. She was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of Adam Otto von Vieregg and Anna Helene von Wolffersdorff. Her father was the Chamber President of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Prussian Minister of State and Privy Councilor. From 1698 to 1706, Elisabeth’s father was a Prussian envoy in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1699, Elisabeth became a lady-in-waiting to Princess Sophie Hedwig of Denmark and Norway, the sister of Crown Prince Frederik. She caught his attention, and Frederik gave Elisabeth a diamond ring as a gift. After succeeding to the throne as Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway in August 1699, he began a secret relationship with her despite having married Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow in 1695. Their relationship remained a secret until 1701 when a letter from Elisabeth’s father defending the relationship was made public.

On September 6, 1703, without divorcing his wife Queen Louise, Frederik IV made a bigamous marriage to Elisabeth. On the same day, Elisabeth was created Countess of Antvorskov and was given Antvorskov Castle, a Catholic monastery before the Protestant Reformation. In 1585, it became illegal to use the name Antvorskov Abbey to refer to the property, and so it was called Antvorskov Castle.

Antvorskov Castle, 1749; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 18, 1704, Elisabeth gave birth to a son, Frederik Gyldenløve. Following the practice of his predecessors, Frederik IV gave his illegitimate children the surname Gyldenløve, which means Golden Lion. After giving birth, Elisabeth developed complications and died on June 27, 1704, aged 25. She was greatly mourned by Frederik IV, who gave her a lavish funeral and commanded that the bells of three churches should ring for two hours. Elisabeth was buried at the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her son lived for only nine months and was buried with Elisabeth.

Church of Our Saviour in Copenhagen, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

*********************

Charlotte Helene von Schindel

After the death of Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg in 1704, Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway began an affair with her lady-in-waiting, Charlotte Helene von Schindel. Charlotte was born in 1690, the only daughter and the youngest of the three children of Wiglas von Schindel and Anna Helene von Horn. Charlotte’s father was a Hofmester, a senior official, at the Danish royal court. Her mother was responsible for the upbringing of Frederik IV’s son by Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg, Frederik Gyldenløve, who died when he was nine months old.

In 1709, Frederik again wanted to make a bigamous marriage but received strong opposition from Lutheran church leaders who told him that the law against bigamy also applied to kings. Charlotte and Frederik had a daughter in 1710 who died shortly before her first birthday. After the birth of her daughter, Charlotte was created Countess of Frederiksholm and received two estates Frederik had bought for her, Næsbyholm Castle in Næsby, Denmark, and Bavelse, a manor in Bavelse Sogn, Denmark.

Charlotte’s relationship with Frederik IV ended in 1711 when he entered into a relationship with Anna Sophie Reventlow, who became Frederik’s mistress, bigamous wife, second legal wife, and Queen of Denmark. Charlotte was ordered to leave the Danish court and live at her estates. She claimed to be pregnant with Frederik’s child, but the pregnancy claim turned out to be false. As Countess of Frederiksholm, Charlotte had an active social life, and she had a relationship with Major-General Ernst Gotschalck von Bülow, the governor of Antvorskov Castle with whom she had a son, Frederik August Gotschalck von Bülow.

When King Frederik IV heard about the child, he ordered von Bülow to marry Charlotte. The wedding took place at the Antvorskov Castle Church on February 9, 1716. After the marriage, Frederik IV took away Charlotte’s estates, awarded her an annual pension, and ordered the couple to leave Denmark. They settled in Holstein in the Duchy of Holstein (now in Germany), where they lived until von Bülow died in 1721.

After her husband’s death, Charlotte lived with her sister in Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, now located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. She also lived in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (now in Germany) before settling in Flensburg, Denmark (now in Germany) in 1750. Despite her annual pension, Charlotte died in poverty on April 6, 1752, aged 62.

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

Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
Sv.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, Royal Mistress and Confidante of King Louis XV of France

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Madame de Pompadour was the official mistress of King Louis XV of France from 1745 until 1750, and continued to serve as one of the King’s closest confidantes until she died in 1764.

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour source: Wikipedia

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born to François Poisson and Madeleine de la Motte on December 29, 1721. However, it is possible that her biological father was either financier Jean Pâris de Monmartel or tax collector Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem. Tournehem became her guardian in 1725 after François Poisson was forced to leave France because of unpaid debts, punishable by death. Poisson was cleared eight years later and allowed to return to France.

Tournehem arranged for Jeanne to receive the best possible education at a convent in Poissy, but due to her ill health – believed to be whooping cough – she returned to Paris just four years later, where she continued her education at home. According to rumor, her mother consulted a fortune teller who foretold that Jeanne would “reign over the heart of a King”. This led to her nickname “Reinette” (little queen).

In 1741, Tournehem arranged for Jeanne to marry his nephew Charles Guillaume Le Normant d’Étoiles. As part of the alliance, he made d’Étoiles his sole heir, and gifted Jeanne with a large estate at Étoiles, adjacent to one of the royal hunting grounds. The couple had two children:

Charles Guillaume Louis d’Étoiles (1741) – died in infancy
Alexandrine Le Normant d’Étoiles (1744) – died in childhood

Jeanne’s marriage gained her access to Parisian high society, and soon she was one of the prominent hostesses at her home at Étoiles. By 1742, King Louis XV had been made aware of her, and soon she began to pursue him. After crossing paths several times, Jeanne was invited to a masked ball in February 1745. At the ball, King Louis XV publicly declared his affection for her, and by the following month, she was his mistress. Jeanne was given apartments directly about the King’s at the Palace of Versailles and was officially separated from her husband two months later. To allow her to be present at court, King Louis XV purchased the Marquisate of Pompadour and gifted the estate and a coat of arms to Jeanne. She was now the Marquise de Pompadour. Later that year, she made her formal entry to court and quickly ingratiated herself with Queen Marie, determined to establish good relationships with the royal family.

King Louis XV of France. source: Wikipedia

Perhaps closer to King Louis XV than anyone else, Jeanne exerted significant influence on him in both personal and political matters. Louis relied greatly on her advice and support, and in turn, was immensely generous in his gifts to her.

Most prominent among King Louis XV’s gifts were the properties and estates that Jeanne received. In 1746, the King purchased the estate of Crécy, and that same year gave her a large area within the Park of Versailles where a beautiful house and gardens were built for her. In 1748, the King gave her a large estate in Meudon where she had the Château de Bellevue built over the next two years. During this time, the nearby Château de La Celle was added to her growing list of properties, providing her with someplace nearby to live while overseeing the construction of Bellevue.

By 1750, her physical relationship with King Louis XV ended. However, unlike other mistresses who were cast off, Jeanne remained at his side, continuing to be his closest advisor and confidante. She exposed King Louis XV to the arts and culture, promoting festivals and theatrical performances, and consistently inviting new artists and artisans to the French court. Despite their romantic relationship being over, the King’s gifts continued to show his deep affection and respect for Jeanne.

At the end of 1753, King Louis XV purchased the Hotel d’Evreux in Paris to provide Jeanne with a residence in the city. The property would become known as the Elysée Palace and now serves as the official residence of the President of France. However, Jeanne spent most of her time at the Palace of Versailles or visiting her daughter, and avoided Paris as much as possible. Public sentiment in the city was never in her favor, as most French people resented that she was a commoner enjoying the company of their King.

In 1756, Jeanne was appointed Lady of the Palace to the Queen, the highest possible position at the French court. In 1760, King Louis XV purchased the Marquisate of Menars, and Jeanne was created Marquise de Menars. Three years later, King Louis XV elevated Menars to a duchy, making Jeanne the Duchess de Menars.

Madame de Pompadour.source: Wikipedia

After having been at the French court for twenty years, Jeanne’s constant ill health began to take its toll on her. She contracted tuberculosis and became gravely ill. During this time, King Louis XV personally cared for her, but with no success. On April 15, 1764, in her apartments at the Palace of Versailles, Madame de Pompadour died at the age of 42. Per her wishes, she was buried in the chapel of the Convent of the Capuchins in Paris, alongside her mother and daughter. Jeanne left many of her properties to King Louis XV, with some inherited by her brother.

Sophie Amalie Moth, Mistress of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Sophie Amalie Moth; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Amalie Moth was a longtime mistress of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway. She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 28, 1654, one of the eight children and the youngest of the four daughters of Paul Moth and Ida Burenneus. Sophie Amalie’s father, Paul Moth (link in German), was a physician. In 1651, due to some well-placed contacts, Paul Moth received a call to the court of King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway in Copenhagen, Denmark. Shortly thereafter, he became the personal physician of King Frederik III. He also supervised the education of King Frederik III’s heir, Crown Prince Christian, the future King Christian V of Denmark and Norway. Sophie Amalie grew up at the Danish court with her siblings.

King Christian V of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1667, Crown Prince Christian married Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, and between 1671 and 1687, the couple had seven children. Upon his father’s death in 1670, Crown Prince Christian succeeded him as Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway. Sophie Amalie’s relationship with King Christian V, arranged by her mother, began shortly after he became king.

Immediately, news of the relationship was spread throughout the Danish court. Although Christian V’s adultery was an embarrassing situation for his wife, Queen Charlotte Amalie always made the most of her position as queen, both in her public life and her private interactions with her husband. Sophie Amalie was also wise enough to treat Queen Charlotte Amalie with respect. She lived discreetly at court and never exerted influence besides asking for favors for relatives, especially her brother Matthias Moth, who took advantage of the connection.

In 1677, Sophie Amalie was recognized as Christian’s official mistress and was created Countess of Samsøe. Between 1672 and 1682, Christian V and Sophie Amalie had six children, all publicly acknowledged. Following the practice of his grandfather and father, Christian also gave his illegitimate children the surname Gyldenløve, which means Golden Love. All the children also had Christian or Christiane among their names in honor of their royal father. The current Danish noble family of the Danneskiold-Samsøe descends from the eldest son of Sophie Amalie and King Christian V.

Christian Gyldenløve, eldest son of Sophie Amalie and Christian V; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian V and Sophie Amalie had six children:

Christiane Gyldenløve (link in Danish) (1672 – 1689), married Count Frederik Ahlefeldt (link in Danish), no children, died at age 17
Christian Gyldenløve (1674 – 1703), married (1) Countess Charlotte Amalie of Danneskiold-Samsøe, daughter of an illegitimate son of King Frederik III, had two daughters (2) Dorothea Krag, had two sons
Sophie Christiane Gyldenløve (1675 – 1684)
Anna Christiane Gyldenløve (1676 – 1689)
Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve (1678 – 1719), Danish Navy Admiral and Governor of Iceland
A daughter (1682 – 1684)

Sophie Amalie and her children were financially secure because of the funds received from King Christian V. King Christian V was an active participant in the children’s upbringing, education, and marriage negotiations. When his sons by Sophia Amalie reached the age of five or six, they were sent to be raised by King Christian V’s illegitimate half-brother Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Count of Laurvig.

Sophie Amalie was able to purchase properties with the funds she had received, ensuring the financial security of Sophie Amalie and her children. In 1682, Sophia Amalie received several properties in Gottorp from Christian V. After the death of naval hero Niels Jue in 1697, Sophia Amalie was given Thott Mansion, the mansion that Christian V had built for Juel. However, she immediately passed Thott Mansion on to her eldest son Christian Gyldenløve.

Jomfruens Egede; Credit – Af NPSE – Eget arbejde, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5789075

After the death of King Christian V in 1699, Sophie Amalie left the Danish court and retired to Jomfruens Egede, an estate she had purchased in 1674 in Fakse on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Twenty years later, Sophie Amalie died on January 17, 1719, aged 64, at her home, Jomfruens Egede. She was first buried at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1734, Sophia Amalie and her eldest son Christian Gyldenløve were reinterred at Saint Peter’s Church in Copenhagen, Denmark.

St. Peter’s Church in Copenhagen; Credit – By Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56793710

Works Cited

Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophie Amalie Moth. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_Moth> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon. n.d. Sophie Amalie Moth (1654 – 1719). [online] Available at: <https://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/1457/origin/170/> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophie Amalie Moth. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_Moth> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophie Amalie Moth. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_Moth> [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, Lover of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, the lover of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover (the wife of the future King George I of Great Britain and the mother of King George II of Great Britain) disappeared from the Leineschloss in the Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, and was never seen again. Born on March 4, 1665, in Stade, then part of the Swedish province of Bremen-Verden-Wildeshausen, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, Philip Christoph was the second of the two sons and the youngest of the four children of Count Kurt Christoph von Königsmarck and Maria Christina von Wrangel. Despite their German name and coming from an old Brandenburg noble family, the family considered themselves Swedish.

Philip Christoph had three siblings:

Karl Johann von Königsmarck (1659 – 1686), unmarried, served in the Swedish Army, died during the Morean War
Maria Aurora von Königsmarck (1662 – 1728), official mistress of Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland
Amalia Wilhelmina von Königsmarck (1663 – 1740), married Count Carl Gustaf Lewenhaupt, had one son

Philip Christoph’s father Count Kurt Christoph von Königsmarck was a Major General in the Swedish Army and served as Deputy Governor of the Swedish possessions in Germany. In 1671, he left the Swedish Army to serve in the army of Willem III, Prince of Orange (the future King William III of England), participating in the Dutch campaign against the French. On October 10, 1673, when Philip Christoph was eight years old, his father was killed at the age of 39 at the Siege of Bonn by friendly fire from an accidental cannon shot.

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck at an early age; Credit – Wikipedia

During his childhood, Philip Christoph served as a page at the court of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Celle. Celle was a small principality, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. There he became friends with Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Georg Wilhelm’s only child, who was a year younger than Philip Christoph. At the age of 16, Sophia Dorothea married her first cousin, 22-year-old Georg Ludwig, Electoral Prince of Hanover and Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the eldest son of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate, commonly referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover. Electress Sophia of Hanover’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. It was through this descent and the exclusion of Catholics from the British throne, that Sophia Dorothea’s husband Georg Ludwig became King George I of Great Britain when Queen Anne, the last ruler of the House of Stuart, died. However, Sophia Dorothea of Celle was never Queen of Great Britain but she is an ancestor of the British Royal family (and other European royal families) through her son King George II of Great Britain.

After spending some time wandering through Europe, Philip Christoph found himself a wealthy man as the heir of his uncle and elder brother who had both died in battle. In 1688, Philip Christoph went to Hanover where he entered into the service of Sophia Dorothea’s father-in-law Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He participated in a campaign against France and became colonel of Ernst August’s bodyguard. Philip Christoph was regularly present at social events at the court of Hanover.

Sophia Dorothea, Electoral Princess of Hanover in 1686; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophia Dorothea and Georg Ludwig (called George hereafter) was happy at first, but soon both George and Sophia Dorothea found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Melusine von der Schulenburg, and Sophia Dorothea fell in love with her childhood friend Philip Christoph von Königsmarck. Their affair started around March 1692. Despite warnings, from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and Philip Christoph wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. In 1694, Countess Clara Elisabeth von Platen, the mistress of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, tried to marry her daughter to Philip Christoph Königsmark but he declined. Because of this insult by Königsmark, Clara Elisabeth revealed his affair with Sophia Dorothea to Elector Ernst August.

On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, 29-year-old Philip Christoph von Königsmarck disappeared from the Leineschloss in Hanover and was never seen again. It was widely believed he was secretly murdered that same day. Officially, Philip Christoph von Königsmarck is still a missing person. His disappearance became a state affair and news of his disappearance spread throughout the royal courts of Europe and the general public. Bones were found at Leineschloss Castle during a 2016 renovation project, however, tests proved that some of the bones were from animals and the human bones came from at least five different skeletons. None of the remains have been proven to belong to Philip Christoph von Königsmarck.

Sophia Dorothea with her two children; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 28, 1694, a tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Sophia Dorothea had been moved to the Castle of Ahlden in her father’s Principality of Celle. She did not know that Königsmarck had disappeared and hoped to be reunited with him. Finally, Sophia Dorothea was told about the terms of the marriage dissolution. Because she was considered the guilty party, she was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her two children (the 11-year-old future King George II of Great Britain and the 7-year-old future Queen Sophia Dorothea in Prussia, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm I in Prussia), and would be kept as a prisoner at the Castle of Ahlden for the remainder of her life. The Castle of Ahlden had a guard unit of 40 soldiers with five to ten soldiers guarding the castle around the clock. Sophia Dorothea had a household consisting of two maids of honor, several maids, and other staff for the household and kitchen, who were all chosen for their loyalty to Hanover.

Castle of Ahlden; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Sophia Dorothea spent 32 years in captivity, she received an income that allowed her to live in the style of a princess and she was able to go for drives in her coach with an escort. Her father refused to visit her, but her mother did make visits, and unsuccessfully tried to obtain her release by asking Queen Anne of Great Britain for help. Sophia Dorothea apparently drowned her sorrows in the pleasure of eating, and became quite obese, increasingly suffering from fevers and indigestion. She suffered a stroke in August 1726 and never again left her bed. Sophia Dorothea refused medical attention and food, and died on November 13, 1726, at the age of 60. Her former husband, now King George I of Great Britain, would not allow mourning at the British court and was furious when he learned that his daughter had ordered court mourning in Prussia.

Because the guards at the Castle of Ahlden had no funeral or burial instructions, Sophia Dorothea’s remains were placed in a lead coffin and stored in the castle cellar. In January 1727, orders came from London to bury the remains without any ceremony in the cemetery of Ahlden. However, this was impossible because of weeks of heavy rains and the coffin remained in the castle cellar. Finally, in May 1727, Sophia Dorothea was buried in the middle of the night beside her parents at the Stadtkirche St. Marien (link in German) in Celle. Her former husband King George I died four weeks later after receiving a deathbed letter from Sophia Dorothea cursing him, and their son acceded to the British throne as King George II.

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Kurt Christoph Von Königsmarck. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Christoph_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck> [Accessed 9 May 2020].
De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Philipp Christoph Von Königsmarck. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Christoph_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck> [Accessed 9 May 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Philip Christoph Von Königsmarck. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Christoph_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck> [Accessed 9 May 2020].
Flantzer, Susan, 2015. Sophia Dorothea Of Celle, Electoral Princess Of Hanover. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sophia-dorothea-of-celle-electoral-princess-of-hanover/> [Accessed 9 May 2020].
Sv.wikipedia.org. 2020. Philip Christoph Königsmarck. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Christoph_K%C3%B6nigsmarck> [Accessed 9 May 2020].
Van der Kiste, John, 2013. The Georgian Princesses. New York: History Press.

Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont was the wife of Henri III, King of France. Born on April 30, 1553, at the Château de Nomeny in Nomeny, Duchy of Bar, now in France, Louise was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Nicolas of Lorraine, Count of Vaudémont and Duke of Mercœur and his first wife Marguerite d’Egmont. Louise’s father was the second son of Antoine, Duke of Lorraine and Renée de Bourbon. Her mother was the daughter of daughter of Count Jean IV of Egmont and Françoise of Luxembourg.

Louise had three elder siblings who all died in infancy:

Marguerite (born 1550)
Catherine (born 1551)
Henri, Count of Chaligny (born 1552)

Shortly before Louise’s first birthday, her mother died on March 10, 1554. In 1555, Louise’s father made a second marriage to Jeanne of Savoy-Nemours, daughter of Philippe, Duke of Nemours and Charlotte d’Orléans-Longueville.

From her father’s second marriage to Jeanne of Savoy-Nemours, Louise had six half-siblings:

Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur (1558 – 1602), married Marie de Luxembourg, Duchesse de Penthièvre, had one son and one daughter
Charles of Lorraine, Cardinal de Vaudémont, Bishop of Toul and of Verdun (1561 – 1587)
Jean of Lorraine (born 1563), died young
Marguerite of Lorraine (1564 – 1625), married (1) Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, Duke of Joyeuse, no children (2) François of Luxemburg, Duke of Piney
Claude of Lorraine (born 1566), died young
François of Lorraine, Marquis of Chaussin (1567 – 1596), unmarried

Louise’s stepmother Jeanne of Savoy-Nemours was attentive to her and ensured she received a solid classical education. However, Jeanne did not live long enough to see her stepdaughter become Queen of France as she died at the Château de Nomeny in 1568. In 1569, Louise’s father made a third marriage to Catherine of Lorraine-Aumale, daughter of Claude II of Lorraine, Duke of d’Aumale and Louise de Brézé.

From her father’s third marriage to Catherine of Lorraine-Aumale, Louise had five half-siblings:

Henri of Lorraine, Marquis of Mouy and Count of Chaligny (1570 – 1600), married Claude de Mouy, had three sons and one daughter
Christine of Lorraine (born 1571), died young
Antoine of Lorraine, Abbot of Beaulieu and Bishop of Toul (1572 – 1587)
Louise of Lorraine (born 1575), died young
Eric of Lorraine, Bishop of Verdun (1576 – 1623)

Catherine of Lorraine-Aumale, Louise’s second stepmother, was nineteen years old, only three years older than Louise, when she married Louise’s 45-year-old father. Catherine may have been frustrated that she had to marry a man twenty-six years older than her and leave the French court for the small town of Nomeny. She acted cruelly toward Louise and the children of her husband’s second marriage which may have been the result of her frustration.

Louise’s husband Henri III, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1573, Polish nobles chose Henri, Duke of Anjou, the son of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici, as the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Henri, Duke of Anjou’s father had died as a result of a jousting accident, and his brother François II, King of France, had died from an abscess. At this time, Henri, Duke of Anjou’s brother Charles IX sat upon the throne of France and his only child was a daughter who could not succeed her father. Therefore, Henri, Duke of Anjou was the heir presumptive to the French throne.

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 so Louise and her family attended the celebrations. A beautiful, tall, blonde 20-year-old young woman, Louise of Lorraine, caught Henri’s attention and she 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 Henri, Duke of Anjou succeeded him as Henri III, King of France. In mid-June 1574, upon learning of the death of his brother, 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 as King of France, he would have more power.

Once 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 cut short the matrimonial machinations of his mother. 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.

Queen Louise of France; 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 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. However, Louise and Henri did not give up on having children. They 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

During the reigns of his brothers, Henri had been 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 1584, Henri’s youngest brother and heir presumptive Hercule François, Duke of Anjou died. The Protestant Huguenot King Henri III of Navarre, who was married to King Henri III of France’s sister Margeurite, 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 had founded the Catholic League to fight against the possibility of Henri of Navarre succeeding to the French throne.

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 hoped that getting rid of the Guises would restore his authority with the French people. Instead, it caused 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.

Jacques Clément assassinating 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. 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. 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.

Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri III. King of France

After the assassination of Henri III in 1589, Louise became permanently depressed, always dressed in white, the traditional mourning color of French queens, and was nicknamed the “White Queen.” She lived in the Loire Valley of France at the Château de Chenonceau which she received as an inheritance from her mother-in-law Catherine de’Medici. The walls of her bed-chamber were all black and the décor were all symbols of mourning. She worked to rehabilitate the memory of her husband, who had been excommunicated after the assassination of the Cardinal of Guise. On January 29, 1601, Louise died at the Château de Moulins at the age of 47.

Rediscovery of the coffin of Queen Louise at the Capuchin Poor Clares convent, Paris in 1806; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise’s remains have rested in several places. The order of Capuchin Poor Clares was introduced in France by Louise. In her will, she left instructions and funds for her half-brother Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine to build a convent in Bourges in the French Loire Valley that would be her burial site but he died soon after Louise. Eventually, a Capuchin Poor Clares convent was built with the funds but in Paris, instead of in Bourges, and Louise’s remains were buried there in 1605. The Capuchin Poor Clares convent then occupied half of the current Place Vendôme. During the French Revolution, the nuns of the convent were driven out. In the early 1800s, the Rue de la Paix was constructed in the area of the convent, requiring its destruction. In 1806, Louise’s tomb was discovered during the destruction of the convent and her remains were buried at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. On January 16, 1817, her remains were transferred to her final resting place, in the crypt at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the traditional burial place of the French royal family.

Louise’s tomb at the Basilica of Saint-Denis; Credit – Wikipedia

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. (2020). Henry III of France. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France [Accessed 20 Jun. 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise Of Lorraine. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 21 June 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Nicolas, Duke Of Mercœur. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas,_Duke_of_Merc%C5%93ur> [Accessed 21 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 21 June 2020].
Fr.wikipedia.org. (2020). Assassinat d’Henri III. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassinat_d%27Henri_III [Accessed 20 Jun. 2020].
Fr.wikipedia.org. (2020). Henri III (roi de France). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_III_(roi_de_France) [Accessed 20 Jun. 2020].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louise De Lorraine-Vaudémont. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_Lorraine-Vaud%C3%A9mont> [Accessed 21 June 2020].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Rue De La Paix (Paris). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_de_la_Paix_(Paris)#Couvent_des_Capucines> [Accessed 21 June 2020].
Mehl, Scott. (2016). King Henri IV of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henri-iv-of-france/ [Accessed 20 Jun. 2020].

Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth, Archduchess of Austria was the wife of Charles IX, King of France. She was born in Vienna, Austria on July 5, 1554, the second of the six daughters and the fifth of the fifteen children of first cousins Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia and Hungary (younger brother of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain) and Princess Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. Her maternal grandparents were Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, and Isabella of Portugal. King Philip II of Spain was Elisabeth’s maternal uncle.

Elisabeth had four older siblings and ten younger siblings but only seven survived to adulthood:

Archduchess Anna of Austria (1549 – 1580), married her maternal uncle King Philip II of Spain (fourth wife), had five children
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (1551 – 1552), died in early childhood
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (1552 – 1612), unmarried
Archduke Ernst of Austria, Governor of the Low Countries (1553 – 1595), unmarried
Archduchess Marie of Austria (1555 – 1556), died in infancy
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (1557 – 1619), married his first cousin Anna of Austria-Tyrol, no children
Archduke Maximilian of Austria (1558 – 1618), unmarried
Archduke Albert of Austria, Governor of the Low Countries (1559 – 1621), married his first cousin Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, no children
Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (1561 – 1578), unmarried, died at age 17
Archduke Friedrich of Austria (1562 – 1563), died in infancy
Archduchess Marie of Austria (born and died 1564), died in infancy
Archduke Charles of Austria (1565 – 1566), died in infancy
Archduchess Margaret of Austria (1567 – 1633), became a nun under the name of Sister Margaret of the Cross as a Poor Clare nun in the Monastery of Santa Clara de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, Spain
Archduchess Eleanor of Austria (1568 – 1580), died in childhood

Elisabeth lived with her older sister Anna and her younger brother Matthias in the newly built Stallburg, part of the Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna, Austria. Elisabeth’s brothers were educated by the Flemish writer and diplomat Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. The intelligent Elisabeth joined her brothers in their studies and was an excellent student. Elisabeth’s mother supervised her religious education.

In 1559, when Elisabeth was five years old, a marriage with Charles, Duke of Orléans, the second surviving son of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici, was suggested. By 1562, when a French delegation came to Austria to suggest the marriage again, the potential bridegroom had become Charles IX, King of France. His father Henri II, King of France had died as a result of a jousting accident, and his brother François II, King of France, had died from an abscess. The French delegation was not entitled to make an offer but Elisabeth’s grandfather Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I appeared interested. Despite the possibility of a French marriage, Elisabeth was taught German, Spanish, Latin, and Italian – but not French. In 1569, when marriage plans for Elisabeth with King Frederik II of Denmark and King Sebastian of Portugal failed, Elisabeth’s father, now Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Catherine de Medici, the mother of Charles IX, King of France, agreed to a marriage between their children.

Charles IX, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Nineteen-year-old Charles and fifteen-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 a proxy for Charles. On November 4, 1569, Elisabeth and her entourage left for 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 near Paris, 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.

Elisabeth as Queen of France, circa 1574; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth had difficulties learning French and adapting to the more risqué French court so she devoted herself to embroidery, reading, and charitable and pious works. Her dame d’atour (lady of honor), Marguerite de La Marck-Arenberg, Countess of Arenberg often served as her translator. Elisabeth’s mother-in-law Catherine de’Medici was the power behind the throne, and was eager to keep Elisabeth out of politics so she entrusted her with as few duties and tasks as possible. One of Elisabeth’s few friends was her sister-in-law Marguerite of Valois. Elisabeth and Marguerite corresponded with each other for the rest of their lives. Elisabeth’s former teacher Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq had accompanied her to France and became the lord chamberlain of her household.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her strong opposition to the Protestant French Huguenots, Elisabeth was horrified when she received news of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre that began during the night of August 23-24, 1572. When Elisabeth asked if her husband knew about the massacre, she was told that he was the initiator, although on the advice of his mother, Catherine de Medici. Elisabeth exclaimed, “Oh, my God! What is this? Who are these counselors who gave him such advice? My God, I ask of you to forgive him.” Then she asked for her book of hours and began to pray.

Princess Marie Elisabeth of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Two months after the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Elisabeth gave birth to her only child, a daughter Princess Marie Elisabeth, on October 27, 1572, at the Louvre Palace in Paris. There was disappointment that Marie Elisabeth was not the much-needed male heir.

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. Elisabeth quietly supported him and prayed for his recovery. On May 30, 1574, Charles IX, King of France died at the age of 23, without his wife being present, at his mother’s insistence. Charles IX was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis and his brother succeeded him as King Henri III. Elisabeth’s father Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II suggested that she marry her deceased husband’s brother and successor Henri III, but both Elisabeth and Henri refused.

Funeral of Charles IX; Credit – Wikipedia

Widowed at the age of 20, Elisabeth was determined to return to Vienna. Having provided no male heirs to the French throne, her future life at the French court alongside her mother-in-law Catherine de Medici was a dismal prospect. Henri III gave Elisabeth the County of La Marche as her dower lands and the title Duchess of Berry. In addition, she received the Duchies of Auvergne and Bourbon. Her former teacher and lord chamberlain Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq stayed in France to manage her properties.

Elisabeth was unable to take her daughter with her to Vienna. As a Fille de France (Daughter of France), Marie Elisabeth had to be raised in France. On August 28, 1575, Elisabeth visited her daughter for the last time at the Château d’Amboise in the Loire Valley where Marie Elisabeth was being raised, and on December 5, 1575, Elisabeth left Paris for Vienna.

Elisabeth in widow’s clothes, circa 1580; Credit – Wikipedia

In Vienna, Elisabeth first lived at her childhood home, the Stallburg, part of the Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna, Austria. On October 12, 1576, her father died and her brother Rudolf II succeeded him as Holy Roman Emperor. Her greatest tragedy came on April 2, 1578, when her five-and-half-year-old daughter Marie Elisabeth died. Marie Elisabeth was buried in a vault of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, next to her father. After her sister Anna, the fourth wife of King Philip II of Spain, died in 1580, Philip II proposed marriage to Elisabeth. She replied to his offer with the famous phrase: “The Queens of France do not remarry” (Les Reines de France ne se remarient point.), once said by Blanche of Navarre, widow of King Philippe VI of France.

The convent Elisabeth founded; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1580, Elisabeth bought some land near the Stallburg in Vienna and founded the Convent of Poor Clares Mary, Queen of Angels, also known as the Queen’s Monastery, and retired there. Elisabeth devoted the rest of her life to the practice of piety, caring for the poor, and nursing the sick.

On January 22, 1592, Elisabeth died of pleurisy at the age of 37. She was buried under a simple marble slab in the choir of the church of the convent she founded. In 1782, the convent was dissolved by Holy Emperor Joseph II under his reform policies and converted to the Lutheran City Church, the first Evangelical Lutheran church in Vienna. By order of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, Elisabeth’s remains were transferred to the Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Elisabeth’s final resting place; Credit – By Bwag – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66345452

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Von Österreich (1554–1592). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_von_%C3%96sterreich_(1554%E2%80%931592)> [Accessed 20 June 2020].
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. Charles IX, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-ix-king-of-france/> [Accessed 20 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].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Élisabeth D’autriche (1554-1592). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_d%27Autriche_(1554-1592)> [Accessed 20 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.

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:

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
Henri III, King of France (1551 – 1589), married Louise of Lorraine, no children
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

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.

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

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

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:

François II, King of France (1544 – 1560), married Mary, Queen of Scots, no children
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
Henri III, King of France (1551 – 1589), married Louise of Lorraine, no children
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

Elisabeth’s brother François & 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 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 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. In early 1568, Carlos was imprisoned in his rooms by his father, Philip, after participating in a plot to murder him. Carlos died after six months, probably as a 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 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 and into the king’s right eye, his temple, and his 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 quite pleased with her husband. At first, Elisabeth found it very difficult in Spain. She missed France and her family 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 & Philip’s 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:

Stillborn son (1560)
Miscarried twin daughters (1564)
Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566 – 1633), married Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, no children
Infanta Catherine Michelle (1567 – 1597), married Carlo Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, had ten children
Premature daughter Juana (born and died October 3, 1568)

In May 1568, Elisabeth’s health suffered. A fifth pregnancy caused severe vomiting and dizziness, which the doctors tried to relieve by bleeding. The bleeding 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 all 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 premature daughter. 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 all 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.

Elisabeth’s tomb of at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial 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, 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)

Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France

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, was the only son of Piero de’ Medici and Alfonsina Orsini, and 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 maintain his authority.

Catherine’s mother, Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne, was the 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. 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, four years before Catherine’s birth, 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. He 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, so five-year-old Catherine de’Medici inherited wealth from her father and 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 who was the brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was elected Pope Clement VII and took over the responsibility of Catherine’s care. 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 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 to marry her to Henri, Duke of Orléans (the future King Henri II), the second son of King François I of France. 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.

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
Henri III, King of France (1551 – 1589), married Louise of Lorraine, no children
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

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 because he suffered dizziness 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 and showed little interest in governing, 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; 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 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 from pleurisy on January 5, 1589, aged 69, at the Château de Blois in the Loire Valley of France. 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

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].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lorenzo De’ Medici, Duke Of Urbino. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_de%27_Medici,_Duke_of_Urbino> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Madeleine De La Tour D’auvergne. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_de_La_Tour_d%27Auvergne> [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, 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

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:

Marie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin (1663-1675)
Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Duke d’Antin (1664-1736)

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:

Louise-Françoise (1669-1672)
Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine (1670-1736)
Louis César, Count of Vexin (1672-1683)
Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1673-1743)
Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon (1674-1681)
Françoise Marie de Bourbon (1677-1749)
Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse (1678-1737)

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.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: