Legendary queens of France. The beginning of the story
Queen Anne of France is a famous artist, a wise and educated representative of the Habsburg dynasty. Wife of the Ruler of France. The image of Anna of Austria was played by world stars in many films and films.
Childhood and youth
Born on September 22, 1601 into the Habsburg royal family. The father was the Spanish politician Philip III, who also occupied the throne of Portugal. Mother Margaret of Austria grew up in the royal family of Austria and tried to be an example for the royal court, adhering to the rules and regulations. The younger sister Maria stood out for her hard work, which was not welcomed in the family.
The father was constantly busy with government affairs, and although he was not able to bring the country out of poverty, he devoted very little time to his daughters. Mom, like all noble women, was busy with receptions and the palace, so she constantly sent girls to be raised by teachers of various crafts.
Anna of Austria tried to get the right education and live up to her status as an heiress; she attended sewing, dancing and writing classes. In addition, she liked to study European languages and Latin, read ancient books, and was interested in family and dynasty. Thanks to this, the palace began to consider her a wise and educated woman.
When the country, under the influence of numerous factors, found itself on the verge of war with France, the father took a wise step, deciding to marry his daughter to a representative of the enemy family. Thus, he avoided hostilities and battles on his domains.
Understanding the critical state of the family and the entire clan, the girl agrees to her dad’s numerous persuasion on her own terms. Over the years of living in her father's house, Anna of Austria became inseparable from her family; she was distinguished by exceptional ingenuity and cunning. The girl agreed, but only if the younger sister of her future husband marries her brother.
Personal life
At the age of fourteen, with luggage and a dowry, the young lady leaves her home and goes to France. On October 18, 1615, he got married according to an agreement between his father and representatives of the French authorities. Louis XIII becomes her legal husband, and she becomes the Queen of France.
The skills she acquired by attending numerous classes were very useful in life. She charmed her husband and the entire male half of the palace. Wise and restrained Anna of Austria did not succumb to the provocations of her enemies. But the king turned out to be completely unprepared for a serious relationship and family life. Therefore, the girl found joy in numerous betrayals.
The young husband did not allow such a loss, because she was still considered a girl of irresistible beauty and was a role model for fashionistas, the envy of her ill-wishers.
Every year she felt more and more coldness from her husband, responding in kind. Over time, having received endless trust and respect from the French, she began to pursue Spanish policy, which even herself was dissatisfied with. The cardinal knew that this would not end well, but he also tried to avoid intrigues where the girl was involved.
Throughout the marriage, the king's mother further aggravated the situation with gossip and endless hints that her daughter-in-law was behaving like an immoral girl. Although she, in turn, tried to please the old queen.
Despite numerous quarrels, the time had come to think about heirs, but, as it turned out, the man’s infertility had done its job. After 23 years of attempts and efforts, several pregnancies that ended in failure, 2 sons were born.
(1638) and Philippe d'Orleans (1640) were a copy of their mother. For eight years, raising her young sons, she alone coped with a large state. Mazarin became her faithful assistant.
The minister took all political affairs into his own hands. After his death, her eldest son ascended the throne. It was then that she moved away from the affairs of the country and, unable to withstand such a restriction of rights, decided to leave for a monastery called “Val-de-Grâce”.
At the age of 64, she died a terrible death, in agony from a serious disease of the chest and mammary glands. Cancer took her life on January 20, 1666. Many consider Anne of Austria an intriguer, while others say that she played an important role in the fate of Europe.
Another story from the queen’s biography has the right to life. According to the facts, the rich Duke of Buckingham, when he first saw Anne of Austria, fell in love at first sight and spent many years trying to win her recognition. The couple's mysterious meetings and dates were declassified. There is still no exact answer to the subject of their relationship, but the queen still found time to give him diamond pendants.
Memory
The relationship with her husband was later described in scripts and films. The directors tried to convey her image as clearly as possible down to the smallest detail. The novel “The Three Musketeers” became a striking plot solution. There Anna of Austria is described exactly as she was in life. The names of some nobility and even the background to the traitors, which were previously kept in strict confidence, surfaced. The film became popular and beloved by everyone not only because of the brilliant acting, but also because it was partly based on the events of the characters’ lives.
Colette Emmanuel played a role in the film called “The King Dances.” The film became famous for its acting, outfits and scenery. Filmed in 2000.
Dominique Blanc became famous in the television series “Versailles”, France-Canada, 2015
Cecile Bois embodied the image of Anne of Austria in the television film Richelieu, la pourpre et le sang, France, 2014
Later, a high-profile event was the book of the English writer Evelyn Anton called “The Love of a Cardinal,” where the exciting plot helped to refresh the readers’ memory of Anne of Austria.
A scandalous work was a painting called “The Queen’s Bedroom,” where the girl was presented in the role of a skilled cheater who continually received insatiable men in her chambers. Some readers and TV viewers condemned such actions, others refuted all the facts presented, but no one left her person without attention.
In films where the name of Anne of Austria was mentioned, the same young passionate girls were cast in her role, who created the impression of wise but cunning rulers.
Recognition came to her after death. The queen was so interested in readers and television viewers in France and Spain that she was mentioned in dozens of films and retellings.
The series "The Three Musketeers" was filmed by directors from all over the world. A dozen versions were reproduced only in France itself. Her role went to famous actresses of that time: Mary McLaren, Jeanne Declos, Margarita Moreno and other equally talented people.
In 1929, the film “The Iron Mask” was presented, where the passionate Darice Kenyon was cast in the role of the French queen. The original title of the film was “The Man in the Iron Mask”, directed by James Whale.
The queen did not escape her fame in the film “Cyrano and d'Artagnan” under the French title “Cyrano et d'Artagnan”. The film starred the brilliant Laura Venezuela.
1973 - “The Four Musketeers - Milady's Revenge”, 1974 - “Return of the Musketeers”, where the daughter, the British actress, was so imbued with the role that she conveyed every emotion of the girl.
OK. 1122 - 31 March 1204, Fontevraud
Alienora (Eleanor, Alienora) of Aquitaine - Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony (1137-1204), granddaughter of the first troubadour of Provence, William IX of Aquitaine, Countess de Poitiers (1137-1204), Queen of France (1137-1152), wife of the French king Louis VII, queen England (1154-1189), one of the richest and most influential women in Europe of the High Middle Ages. A woman of amazing beauty, Alienor was the muse of the French troubadour poet Bernard de Ventadorn; he dedicated a number of his cansons to her.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Parents - William X (1099-1137), Duke of Aquitaine, and Aenor de Chatellerault (1103-1130).
On a hot August evening in 1122, the Duchess of Aquitaine, Aenora, went into labor. The young couple was waiting for a son who would become the heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine. The excited husband was consoled by his court astrologer Bonifacius, assuring him that the baby sent by heaven would glorify and prolong his family, would rule two kingdoms and would distinguish himself during the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher. In addition, he assured that being born under the sign of Leo for the heir is great luck, for astrologers say that “the children of Leo are kind-hearted, generous and noble. They have three royal virtues - justice, sense of proportion and mercy, and therefore are born to command and patronize and resolve disputes. Generous and proud, the children of Leo are distinguished by a warm heart that never tires of loving, but they place loyalty and honor above all virtues..."
The Duke listened to the astrologer, spellbound. The night was stuffy, the torches were smoking in the castle... When the timid blush of the morning dawn appeared in the dark sky, it was announced that the duchess had given birth to a daughter.
Bonifacius, who predicted the birth of a glorious future ruler, was expelled in disgrace. For what could a woman expect at a time when even French queens were buried with their favorite spinning wheels... It’s a pity that the noble Duke could not read the lines of his contemporary, the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli, written a little earlier: “And the maiden is distinguished by intelligence and nobility, Children of Leo are equal each other, be it a lion cub or a lioness."
The girl, who looked like her mother with beautiful green eyes, was called “another Aenora”, in Latin, alia Aenora - Alienora. But from childhood she behaved in such a way that one could understand that she was born to be unique and unique.
Alienora was the only daughter of Duke William of Aquitaine, and if a loving father ever lamented that God did not send him a son, it was not for long. Since childhood, Eleanor was seriously interested in political and military issues. Graceful and graceful, she was known as an excellent horsewoman and an excellent archer.
Kinuko Craft
Her mother was given in marriage at the age of 16 to Duke Guillaume, but, having given birth to three children, she soon died. Her two sons did not live long, and then Guillaume himself, having only remarried, died right on Good Friday, April 9, 1137.
Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen consort of Henry II of England.1835
At the age of 15 - after the death of her father and brother - Alienor found herself the owner of the Duchy of Aquitaine, which occupied vast territories in southwestern France. The southern regions of France have always been richer and more cultured than the north: Aquitaine had powerful fortresses, rich vineyards and prosperous ports. The local residents did not consider themselves French: they had their own language, their own culture, largely adopted from ancient traditions, under Italian, Arab and Jewish influence.
Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In the 11th century the culture of troubadours arose here, and Eleanor herself and her beauty were more than once glorified in their poems. According to descriptions of contemporaries and available images, she was short, slender, with an elongated face, large dark eyes and thick copper-red hair, because of which the troubadours derived her name from the words aigle en or - “golden eagle”.
Louis VI of France
A beautiful legend associated with the name of the duchess has reached us. It was as if she, fifteen years old, loved the courageous knight Richard, whose marriage was opposed by the girl’s influential relatives, since they considered this union too unequal. One day, before the eyes of Eleanor, distraught with grief, a knight was killed, and she was married off to another.
According to the will of Alienora's father, the King of France, Louis VI, nicknamed "The Fat", was appointed as her guardian until she married. The king very quickly picked a groom - his son and heir, also Louis. On July 25, 1137, a wedding took place in Bordeaux, and the newlyweds went to Paris, upon arrival in which they learned about the death of Louis VI - Eleanor became Queen of France.
Louis VII
Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse,louis vii of France
Arriving in Paris, Eleanor was struck by the boredom and Puritan morals that reigned at the royal court. The husband turned out to be very pious, reserved and even cold. The country was ruled by two influential clerics - Odo and Bernard. The queen tried to break the inertia and stiffness of the Parisian nobility, which, of course, made herself serious enemies. She surrounded herself with admired poets and musicians and had fun as best she could. Louis, despite the difference in views, was forced to put up with his wife, since he fell in love with the obstinate woman at first sight.
The Queen was an outstanding, highly educated woman. In Paris, she attended lectures by famous philosophers, theologians, and jurists and was very upset that she was not allowed to take part in the debates of the audience.
In 1145, Alienora gave birth to a daughter for the king, and in 1147 she went with him on the Second Crusade, riding on horseback through Europe, Byzantium and Asia Minor captured by the Seljuk Turks. Louis VII did not achieve military success in the Holy Land, and the royal couple returned to France. In 1151 their second daughter was born. However, the following year, on March 21, they divorced; the formal reason for the divorce was stated to be that they were distantly related. The daughters remained with the king, and Alienor retained all her lands in Aquitaine.
Eleanor happily returned to her native Aquitaine, as if wanting to take revenge on the dull years, she organized grandiose celebrations in the luxurious palace. The woman was not very upset by losing her high title, but she gained freedom. Eleanor in every possible way encouraged the knightly traditions that cultivated an exalted attitude towards the lady and worship of her, and provided patronage to poets, musicians, and artists. Soon her courtyard became the most magnificent courtyard in Europe at that time.
Alienor
The fans were not forced to wait either. One of them - cheerful, talkative, passionate, in a word, the complete opposite of Eleanor's former husband - Henry Plantagenet - sparked a reciprocal feeling in the Duchess of Aquitaine. The only thing that embarrassed the beautiful lady was the youth of the applicant; after all, he was 19 years old. However, Henry seduced Eleanor with the throne of England, which was supposed to pass to him after the death of his uncle, King Stephen.
On May 18, 1152, she married Count Henry of Anjou, who on October 25, 1154 became King of England - Henry II Plantagenet.
Six months after the wedding, Eleanor gave birth to her first child, named Wilhelm after his grandfather. This event seemed to specifically coincide with the death of the English king, and on December 19, 1154, Eleanor received the second highest title.
Henry II Plantagenet
The vast Aquitanian lands - her dowry - which were four times larger than the Capetian possessions, became English.
The couple began their reign with great enthusiasm. Henry spent a lot of time correcting the legislation in the country and went down in history under the name of Henry the Lawgiver. He traveled a lot around the counties of England, was engaged in suppressing uprisings on the border with Wales, and was rarely at home. Eleanor was busy raising children, of whom she already had seven. The king and queen have noticeably cooled towards each other over the years.
Eleanor fell most in love with her third son, Richard. William died in infancy, and the queen’s mother often thought: what an injustice that the heir to the throne was not Richard, but his older brother Henry, a much paler personality.
When the children grew up, the king gave them counties and titles. At the insistence of his mother, Richard got the most delicious morsel - Aquitaine. Eleanor happily accompanied her pet to his homeland, and when she returned to England, she was horrified to learn that Henry, her husband, had taken a mistress.
Henry II was constantly unfaithful to his wife, and there is a legend that Eleanor poisoned his mistress, the beautiful Rosamund Clifford, by giving her a cup of poison. There is no evidence of this crime. What is known for certain is that Eleanor, having learned about her husband’s infidelity, left him for another city.
Fair Rosamund, par John William Waterhouse (1917)
According to a number of scientists, it is in the history of the marriage of Alienor of Aquitaine that one should look for the origins of the war, which became so common in the 19th century. name Centennial.
Eleanor of Aquitaine.XIV century
From her first marriage, Alienor of Aquitaine had two daughters, from her second - five sons, among whom was the knight king Richard the Lionheart.
Eleanor did not forgive her husband for his infidelity and turned all her sons against their father. Family hatred reached the point that Richard, young Henry and Geoffrey entered into an alliance with Eleanor's ex-husband Louis against their father. Poor Henry II spent the rest of his life in constant struggle with his disobedient sons, paying for his adultery. He died a complete ruin in 1189.
Since young Henry had also already left this land, Richard ascended the throne, as Eleanor wanted it. No wonder the mother admired her son so much. The new king was an exceptionally brave and talented warrior. In memory of the numerous victories he won over the Turks, he received the nickname Richard the Lionheart.
Richard I the Lionheart
Richard I pardons his brother Prince John at the behest of their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.1864
Supporting the claims of her eldest sons, Eleanor, together with them, raised a rebellion in Poitou against Henry II. The strife lasted about two years. Henry gained the upper hand, Eleanor was captured and spent the next 16 years in captivity.
Philip II August sending an envoy (left), and the envoy being received by Henry II of England and his Queen Eleanor
In 1189, Richard returned his mother's freedom. Of all the sons, Richard was her favorite, he grew up mainly in her domain and was brought up in the courtly culture of her court.
At the end of the third crusade, he suffered a setback: Richard was captured by the Austrian emperor, who demanded a huge ransom for him. The mother immediately paid the required amount. Five years later, in 1199, Richard was killed in Normandy.
Eleanor's last son, John, became the official king of England. He was a cruel, stupid man whom the queen did not like, and he paid her back in kind.
After Richard's death, she was actively involved in arranging dynastic marriages for her numerous offspring, and married her granddaughter Blanca of Castile to Louis VIII in order to reconcile the reigning houses of France and England. Towards the end of her life, Alienora went to France and spent her last years in the Benedictine Abbey of Fontevraud, where she died at the age of 82, having outlived eight of her ten children.
Troubadour poet Bernard de Ventadorn
Among historians, Alienor of Aquitaine is often called the grandmother of medieval Europe.
Wedding - Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Marriages and children
Louis VII the Young (1120-1180) (from July 25, 1137, Bordeaux - marriage annulled March 21, 1152)
Maria of France (1145-1198), in 1190-1197 regent of the county of Champagne.; husband: (from 1164) Henry I the Generous, Count of Champagne and Troyes.
Alice of France (1151-1195); husband: Thibault V the Good, Count of Blois and Chartres.
Henry II Plantagenet (1133-1189) (from 18 May 1152, Poitiers, France)
William (1152-1156)
Henry the Young King (1155-1183)
Matilda (1156-1189); husband: Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria
Richard I (IV) the Lionheart (1157-1199; wife: Berengaria of Navarre (1165/1170 - 23 December 1230)
Godfrey II (1158-1186)
Eleanor of England (1162-1214); husband: Alfonso VIII of Castile
Joan of England (1165-1199)
John I the Landless (1167-1216)
***
Kings and Queens of France
In the Luxembourg Gardens of Paris there is an interesting Avenue of Queens. Grand dames of past centuries watch the tourists. The early Middle Ages (before the 10th century) are especially rich in fairy tales and legends. Now it is difficult to judge what exactly happened in those distant times.
We won’t know the details, but we can say for sure that these ladies began the history of young France.
Saint Clotilde
Clotilde (465-545)
This queen's name translates to "Famed in Battle." Saint Clotilde is the patron of brides, parents, adopted children and widows.
Cortilda became the wife of the Frankish king Clovis. The queen was a Christian and the king a pagan. As usual with kings, Clovis went to war in order to expand his domain. According to legend, when the king saw the superiority of the enemy army, he prayed to the “god of Clotilde” and vowed to convert to Christianity if he won. Clovis's army was victorious, and the king fulfilled his oath.
As the ancient legend says, before the battle Clotilde presented her husband with a shield with three lilies - a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Since then, lilies have become the coat of arms of the royal family.
The words of the chroniclers about Queen Clotilde:
“As for Queen Chrodehild, she led such a life that she earned honor and respect from everyone. She constantly gave out alms, spent her nights in prayer, her behavior was always impeccable and decent in everything. She took care of the property for the churches and the necessary things for the monasteries and for all other holy places, and she gave it all away generously and willingly, so that at that time they thought that she diligently served God not as a queen, but as a servant devoted to Him, whom neither royal power, neither worldly vanity, nor wealth led to a fall, but humility raised us to grace.”
After the death of King Clovis, the royal children began their "game of thrones" for the throne. The eldest son Chlodomer died in the battle with the Burgundians. Then the two younger brothers Chlothar and Childebert killed his young sons-heirs. Soon the brothers themselves did not share power; each gathered his own army for the decisive battle.
According to legend, the queen prayed for the brothers to reconcile. At this moment, a storm arose between the two armies, ready for battle. The brothers, seeing this miracle, made peace.
A contemporary of Queen Clotilde was the prophetess Genevieve, the patroness of Paris.
Saint Genevieve, patroness of Paris
Genevieve (423-512)
Genevieve became the patroness of the city during her lifetime. In 451, when Attila's troops were approaching Paris, she predicted the defeat of the enemy. They didn’t believe the prophetess and even wanted to stone her. However, Genevieve's words came true; Attila did not enter Paris.
Soon the free city was surrounded by the troops of the Frankish king Clovis I. Genevieve managed to transport twelve ships with grain to the besieged city. Alas, Paris was powerless against Clovis's army. Thanks to Genevieve's intercession, the townspeople managed to avoid the victor's reprisals. She was able to persuade the monarch to release the prisoners.
King Clovis listened to the wise words of the prophetess.
Saint Genevieve and Queen Clotilde
During her lifetime, Genevieve showed people miracles. According to the chronicler, she once resurrected a dead girl.
“Saint Genevieve saved Paris from fire and invasions,” wrote Nicholas Roerich.
Saint Bathilda
Bathilde (630-680)
Queen Bathilda was from England. Bathilda was kidnapped by pirates who sold her into French slavery. Bathilda served in a rich house, where King Clovis II himself came to visit. Chroniclers say that the king fell in love and married Bathilda.
King Clovis II was not popular among the people.
"... committed to abomination, depraved, seduced women, was distinguished by gluttony and drunkenness. History does not report anything worthy about his end and death..." - chroniclers describe the king.
Queen Bathilda, on the other hand, is described as kind and pious. She forbade the sale of Christians into slavery; for this goodwill she was canonized by her descendants.
Although there is an eerie legend about the harsh educational measures that the queen applied to her disobedient sons. King Clovis, going to war, appointed his wife as regent for his eldest sons. Soon the sons decided to rule themselves and did not listen to the will of their mother. Then the queen ordered their legs to be broken, put in a boat and sent down the river. The harsh Middle Ages.
The princes remained alive, the boat moored at the Jumièges Monastery. The young men found their refuge there. The queen made peace with her disobedient sons, but the princes decided not to return to court. Bathilde became the patron of the Jumièges Monastery.
After the death of her husband, Bathilda ruled as regent for the young Clothar III. The Queen enjoyed influence, but political opponents did not sleep. After her son came of age, Bathilda had to leave the court.
Bertrada of Laon
Berthe de Laon (720-783)
Mother of King Charlemagne.
The Queen was nicknamed "Bertha Big Foot" due to a foot defect. And her husband's name was King Pepin the Short.
There is a fairytale legend associated with this queen. When Bertrada was 15 years old, she was engaged to King Pepin, who was 20 years old.
Bertrada and her retinue went to her future husband. The conspirators planned to kill the princess, marry the maid - their accomplice - to the king, and then deal with the king. Bertrada persuaded the executioner to let her go to the village. No one will believe her that she is a princess anyway.
The king did not like the deceitful bride; he sensed something was wrong.
One day the king went hunting and passed by a village. He noticed a girl who invited him to enter the house to rest. Over a good conversation, she told him about her misadventures - her name is Princess Bertrada, she fled from the conspirators who wanted to kill her. Now there is an impostor in the palace, whose comrades want to kill the king.
Thus justice prevailed. Bertrada became queen and the conspirators were executed.
To be continued...
April 13, 1519, Florence - January 5, 1589, Blois
Catherine de' Medici or Catherine Maria Romola di Lorenzo de' Medici, queen and regent of France, wife of Henry II, king of France from the Angoulême line of the Valois dynasty.
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine's parents - Lorenzo II, di Piero, de' Medici, Duke of Urbino (September 12, 1492 - May 4, 1519) and Madeleine de la Tour, Countess of Auvergne (c. 1500 - April 28, 1519) were married as a sign of the alliance between King Francis I of France and by Pope Leo X, Lorenzo's uncle, against Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg.
Lorenzo II, di Piero, de' Medici, Duke of Urbino
Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne
The young couple was very happy about the birth of their daughter; according to the chronicler, they “were as pleased as if it were a son.” But, unfortunately, their joy was not destined to last long: Catherine’s parents died in the first month of her life - her mother on the 15th day after giving birth (at the age of nineteen), and her father outlived his wife by only six days, leaving the newborn as an inheritance Duchy of Urbino and County of Auvergne.
Portrait of Catherine de Medici as a child
After this, the newborn was cared for by her grandmother Alfonsina Orsini until her death in 1520.
Catherine was raised by her aunt, Clarissa Strozzi, along with her children, whom Catherine loved as siblings all her life. One of them, Pietro Strozzi, rose to the rank of marshal's baton in the French service.
The death of Pope Leo X in 1521 led to a break in Medici power on the Holy See until Cardinal Giulio de' Medici became Clement VII in 1523. In 1527, the Medici in Florence were overthrown, and Catherine became a hostage. Clement had to recognize and crown Charles Habsburg as Holy Roman Emperor in exchange for his help in recapturing Florence and freeing the young duchess.
G. Medici, Pope Clement VII
In October 1529, the troops of Charles V besieged Florence. During the siege, there were calls and threats to kill Catherine and hang her on the city gates or send her to a brothel to dishonor her. Although the city resisted the siege, on August 12, 1530, famine and plague forced Florence to surrender. Clement met Catherine in Rome with tears in his eyes. It was then that he began to search for a groom for her, considering many options, but when in 1531 the French king Francis I proposed the candidacy of his second son Henry, Clement immediately jumped at this chance: the young Duke of Orleans was the most profitable match for his niece Catherine
Catherine de' Medici
At the age of 14, Catherine became the bride of the French Prince Henry de Valois, the future King of France Henry II. Her dowry amounted to 130,000 ducats and extensive possessions that included Pisa, Livorno and Parma.
Catherine could not be called beautiful. At the time of her arrival in Rome, one Venetian ambassador described her as "red-haired, short and thin, but with expressive eyes" - a typical appearance of the Medici family. But Catherine was able to impress the sophisticated French court, spoiled by luxury, by turning to the help of one of the most famous Florentine craftsmen, who made high-heeled shoes for the young bride. Her appearance at the French court caused a sensation. The wedding, which took place in Marseilles on October 28, 1533, was a major event marked by extravagance and the distribution of gifts. Europe has not seen such a gathering of the highest clergy for a long time. Pope Clement VII himself attended the ceremony, accompanied by many cardinals. The fourteen-year-old couple left the celebration at midnight to attend to their wedding duties. After the wedding, 34 days of continuous feasts and balls followed. At the wedding feast, Italian chefs first introduced the French court to a new dessert made from fruit and ice - this was the first ice cream.
On September 25, 1534, Clement VII died unexpectedly. Paul III, who replaced him, dissolved the alliance with France and refused to pay Catherine's dowry. Catherine's political value suddenly disappeared, thereby worsening her position in an unfamiliar country. King Francis complained that “the girl came to me completely naked.”
Catherine, born in merchant Florence, where her parents were not concerned with giving their offspring a comprehensive education, had a very difficult time at the sophisticated French court. She felt like an ignorant person who did not know how to elegantly construct phrases and made many mistakes in her letters. We must not forget that French was not her native language, she spoke with an accent, and although she spoke quite clearly, the ladies of the court contemptuously pretended that they did not understand her well. Catherine was isolated from society and suffered from loneliness and hostility from the French, who arrogantly called her “Italian” and “merchant’s wife.”
Catherine de' Medici
In 1536, the eighteen-year-old Dauphin Francis unexpectedly died and Catherine's husband became heir to the French throne. Now Catherine had to worry about the future of the throne. The death of his brother-in-law marked the beginning of speculation about the involvement of the Florentine woman in his poisoning for the quick accession of “Catherine the Poisoner” to the French throne. According to the official version, the Dauphin died of a cold; nevertheless, the courtier, the Italian Count of Montecuccoli, who gave him a cup of cold water, inflamed by gambling, was executed.
The birth of an illegitimate child to her husband in 1537 confirmed rumors about Catherine’s infertility. Many advised the king to annul the marriage. Under pressure from her husband, who wanted to consolidate her position with the birth of an heir, Catherine was treated for a long time and in vain by various magicians and healers with one single goal - to get pregnant. Every possible means was used to achieve successful conception, including drinking mule urine and wearing cow dung and deer antlers on the lower abdomen.
Finally, on January 20, 1544, Catherine gave birth to a son. The boy was named Francis in honor of the reigning king (he even shed tears of happiness when he learned about this). After her first pregnancy, Catherine seemed to no longer have problems conceiving. With the birth of several more heirs, Catherine strengthened her position at the French court. The long-term future of the Valois dynasty seemed assured.
The sudden miraculous cure for infertility is associated with the famous doctor, alchemist, astrologer and fortuneteller Michel Nostradamus, one of the few who was part of Catherine’s close circle of confidants.
Heinrich often played with children and was even present at their births. In 1556, during her next birth, surgeons saved Catherine from death by breaking off the legs of one of the twins, Jeanne, who lay dead in her mother’s womb for six hours. However, the second girl, Victoria, was destined to live only six weeks. In connection with this birth, which was very difficult and almost caused the death of Catherine, doctors advised the royal couple not to think about having new children anymore; After this advice, Henry stopped visiting his wife's bedroom, spending all his free time with his favorite Diane de Poitiers.
Diane de Poitiers
Back in 1538, the thirty-nine-year-old beautiful widow Diana captivated the nineteen-year-old heir to the throne, Henry of Orleans, which over time allowed her to become an extremely influential person, as well as (in the opinion of many) the true ruler of the state. In 1547, Henry spent a third of every day with Diana. Having become king, he gave his beloved the castle of Chenonceau. This showed everyone that Diana had completely taken the place of Catherine, who, in turn, was forced to endure her husband’s beloved. She, like a real Medici, even managed to overcome herself, humble her pride, and win over her husband’s influential favorite. Diana was very pleased that Henry was married to a woman who preferred not to interfere and turned a blind eye to everything.
Henry II, (François Clouet, c. 1553)
On March 31, 1547, Francis I died and Henry II ascended the throne. Catherine became Queen of France. The coronation took place in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in June 1549.
During the reign of her husband, Catherine had only minimal influence on the administration of the kingdom. Even in Henry's absence, her power was very limited. In early April 1559, Henry II signed the peace treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, ending the long wars between France, Italy and England. The agreement was strengthened by the engagement of Catherine and Henry's fourteen-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to thirty-two-year-old Philip II of Spain.
Challenging the prediction of the astrologer Luca Gorico, who advised him to refrain from tournaments, paying attention specifically to the king’s forty-year-old age, Henry decided to participate in the competition. On June 30 or July 1, 1559, he took part in a duel with the lieutenant of his Scots guard, Earl Gabriel de Montgomery. Montgomery's split spear passed through the slot of the king's helmet. Through Henry's eye, the tree entered the brain, mortally wounding the monarch. The king was taken to the castle de Tournel, where the remaining fragments of the ill-fated spear were removed from his face. The best doctors in the kingdom fought for Henry's life. Catherine was at her husband’s bedside all the time, and Diana did not appear, probably for fear of being sent away by the queen. From time to time, Heinrich even felt well enough to dictate letters and listen to music, but he soon became blind and lost his speech.
Henry II died on July 10, 1559. From that day on, Catherine chose as her emblem a broken spear with the inscription “Lacrymae hinc, hinc dolor” (“from this all my tears and my pain”) and until the end of her days she wore black clothes as a sign of mourning. She was the first to wear black mourning. Before this, in medieval France, mourning was white.
Despite everything, Catherine adored her husband. “I loved him so much...” she wrote to her daughter Elizabeth after Henry’s death. Catherine de Medici mourned for her husband for thirty years and went down in French history under the name “The Black Queen.”
Francis II (1544–1560), King of France from 1559.
Her eldest son, fifteen-year-old Francis II, became the King of France. Catherine took up state affairs, made political decisions, and exercised control over the Royal Council. However, Catherine never ruled the entire country, which was in chaos and on the brink of civil war. Many parts of France were virtually dominated by local nobles. The complex tasks that Catherine faced were confusing and to some extent difficult for her to understand. She called on religious leaders on both sides to engage in dialogue to resolve their doctrinal differences. Despite her optimism, the "Conference of Poissy" ended in failure on October 13, 1561, dissolving itself without the queen's permission. Catherine's point of view on religious issues was naive because she saw the religious schism from a political perspective. “She underestimated the power of religious conviction, imagining that all would be well if only she could persuade both parties to agree.”
Francis II died in Orleans shortly before his 17th birthday from a brain abscess caused by an ear infection. He had no children, and his 10-year-old brother Charles IX ascended the throne.
On August 17, 1563, Catherine de Medici's second son, Charles IX, was declared an adult. He was never able to govern the state on his own and showed minimal interest in state affairs. Karl was also prone to hysterics, which over time turned into outbursts of rage. He suffered from shortness of breath, a symptom of tuberculosis, which ultimately brought him to his grave.
Charles IX, portrait of Francois Clouet
Through dynastic marriages, Catherine sought to expand and strengthen the interests of the House of Valois. In 1570, Charles was married to the daughter of Emperor Maximilian II, Elizabeth. Catherine tried to marry one of her younger sons to Elizabeth of England.
She also did not forget about her youngest daughter Margarita, whom she saw as the bride of the again widowed Philip II of Spain. However, Catherine soon had plans to unite the Bourbons and Valois through the marriage of Margaret and Henry of Navarre. Margaret, however, encouraged the attention of Henry de Guise, son of the late Duke François de Guise. When Catherine and Karl found out about this, Margarita received a good thrashing.
The escaped Henry of Guise hastily married Catherine of Cleves, which restored the favor of the French court towards him. Perhaps it was this incident that caused the split between Catherine and Giza.
Between 1571 and 1573, Catherine persistently tried to win over the mother of Henry of Navarre, Queen Jeanne. When, in another letter, Catherine expressed a desire to see her children, while promising not to harm them, Jeanne d'Albret replied: “Forgive me if, reading this, I want to laugh, because you want to free me from a fear that I never had. I never even thought about the fact that, as they say, you eat small children.” Ultimately, Joan agreed to a marriage between her son Henry and Margaret, with the condition that Henry would continue to adhere to the Huguenot faith. Shortly after arriving in Paris to prepare for the wedding, forty-four-year-old Jeanne fell ill and died.
The Huguenots immediately accused Catherine of killing Joan with poisoned gloves. The wedding of Henry of Navarre and Margaret of Valois took place on August 18, 1572 at Notre Dame Cathedral.
Three days later, one of the Huguenot leaders, Admiral Gaspard Coligny, on his way from the Louvre, was wounded in the arm by a shot from the window of a nearby building. The smoking arquebus was left in the window, but the shooter managed to escape. Coligny was carried to his apartment, where the surgeon Ambroise Paré removed the bullet from his elbow and amputated one of his fingers. Catherine was said to have reacted to this incident without emotion. She visited Coligny and tearfully promised to find and punish her attacker. Many historians blamed Catherine for the attack on Coligny. Others point to the de Guise family or to the Spanish-papal conspiracy that tried to end Coligny's influence on the king.
Catherine de' Medici, (portrait of Francois Clouet).
Catherine wore a widow's cap or French hood, a wide black blouse with an accentuated bodice and huge winged sleeves. “There was a long black robe flowing over it all.”
Catherine de' Medici died in Blois on January 5, 1589, at the age of sixty-nine. An autopsy revealed a terrible general condition of the lungs with a purulent abscess on the left side. According to modern researchers, the possible cause of death of Catherine de Medici was pleurisy. “Those who were close to her believed that her life was shortened by frustration because of the actions of her son,” believed one of the chroniclers. Since Paris was held by enemies of the crown at that time, they decided to bury Catherine in Blois. She was later reburied in the Parisian Abbey of Saint-Denis. In 1793, during the French Revolution, a revolutionary crowd threw her remains, as well as the remains of all French kings and queens, into a common grave.
Eight months after Catherine's death, everything she had strived for and dreamed of during her life came to naught when the religious fanatic monk Jacques Clement stabbed to death her beloved son and the last Valois, Henry III.
It is interesting to note that of all 10 children of Catherine, only Margarita lived a fairly long life - 62 years. Heinrich did not live to see 40, and the rest of the children did not even live to see 30.
Some modern historians forgive Catherine de Medici for not always humane solutions to problems during her reign. Professor R.D. Knecht points out that the justification for her ruthless policies can be found in her own letters. Catherine de Medici's policies can be seen as a series of desperate attempts to keep the monarchy and the Valois dynasty on the throne at any cost. It can be argued that without Catherine, her sons would never have retained power, which is why the period of their reign is often called “the years of Catherine de Medici.”
During her life, Catherine inadvertently had enormous influence in fashion, once forcing the ban on thick bodices in 1550. The ban applied to all visitors to the royal court. For nearly 350 years after this, women wore laced corsets made from whalebone or metal to narrow their waists as much as possible. With her passions, manners and taste, love for art, splendor and luxury, Catherine was a true Medici. Her collection consisted of 476 paintings, mainly portraits, and is currently part of the Louvre collection. She was also one of the "influential people in culinary history." Her banquets at the Palace of Fontainebleau in 1564 were renowned for their splendor. Catherine was particularly knowledgeable in architecture: the Valois chapel at Saint-Denis, the addition to the Chateau de Chenonceau near Blois, etc. She discussed the plan and decoration of her Tuileries Palace. The popularity of ballet in France is also associated with Catherine de Medici, who brought this type of performing art with her from Italy.
Her contemporary, the famous French humanist, thinker Jean Bodin wrote about her royal rule: “If the sovereign is weak and evil, then he creates tyranny, if he is cruel, he will organize a massacre, if he is dissolved, he will set up a brothel, if he is greedy, he will skin his subjects, if indomitable - will suck blood and brain. But the most terrible danger is the intellectual unfitness of the sovereign.” This is how he, a contemporary, described his ruler, believing that excessive cruelty of sovereigns is not a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness and “intellectual unfitness” - words that have gone down in history and can be applied to many rulers.
Henry II (French Henri II, March 31, 1519, Saint-Germain Palace - July 10, 1559, Tournelle Hotel, Paris) - King of France from March 31, 1547, second son of Francis I from his marriage to Claude, daughter of Louis XII, from the Angoulême line Valois dynasty.
heir to the throne
At birth he received the title of Duke of Orleans. In 1526-1529. Henry was with his older brother Dauphin Francis instead of his father at the court of King Charles V of Spain as a hostage. In 1533 Henry married Catherine de Medici. In 1536 he became heir to the throne, Dauphin and Duke of Brittany after the death of his elder brother.
Reign
During his reign, he persecuted the growing Protestantism in the country with fire and sword. He continued the war with England after the death of his father and ended it in 1550 with the return of Boulogne.
Death
To celebrate his daughter's wedding and the conclusion of the Peace of Cateau-Cambresia, Henry organized a 3-day knight's tournament. On the evening of the second day, Henry entered into battle with Count Montgomery, and the Count's spear broke on the enemy's shell; Splinters of the spear pierced the king's forehead and also hit his eye. A few days later, on July 10, 1559, Henry died from this wound, despite the help provided by the best doctors of the time, including the anatomist Vesalius. Contrary to his will, before his death he was not able to see his favorite Diane de Poitiers.
Nostradamus's quatrain, which deals with the death of the “old lion” in a duel with the “young” one, who will “gouge out his eyes,” later gained fame as a prediction of the death of Henry II, which came true during Nostradamus’s lifetime. However, neither Nostradamus himself nor his contemporaries connected the quatrain with this event.
Catherine de Medici (French: Catherine de Médicis) or Catherine Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici (Italian: Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de" Medici) (April 13, 1519, Florence - January 5, 1589, Blois), queen and regent of France, wife of Henry II, King of France from the Angoulême line of the Valois dynasty.
Childhood
Catherine's parents - Lorenzo II, di Piero, de' Medici, Duke of Urbino (September 12, 1492 - May 4, 1519) and Madeleine de la Tour, Countess of Auvergne (c. 1500 - April 28, 1519) were married as a sign of the alliance between King Francis I of France and by Pope Leo X, Lorenzo's uncle, against Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg.
The young couple was very happy about the birth of their daughter; according to the chronicler, they “were as pleased as if it were a son.” But, unfortunately, their joy was not destined to last long: Catherine’s parents died in the first month of her life - her mother on the 15th day after giving birth (at the age of nineteen), and her father outlived his wife by only six days, leaving the newborn as an inheritance Duchy of Urbino and County of Auvergne. After this, the newborn was cared for by her grandmother Alfonsina Orsini until her death in 1520.
Wedding
At the age of 14, Catherine became the bride of the French Prince Henry de Valois, the future King of France Henry II. Her dowry amounted to 130,000 ducats and extensive possessions that included Pisa, Livorno and Parma.
Catherine could not be called beautiful. At the time of her arrival in Rome, one Venetian ambassador described her as "red-haired, short and thin, but with expressive eyes" - a typical appearance of the Medici family. But Catherine was able to impress the sophisticated French court, spoiled by luxury, by turning to the help of one of the most famous Florentine craftsmen, who made high-heeled shoes for the young bride. Her appearance at the French court caused a sensation. The wedding, which took place in Marseilles on October 28, 1533, was a major event marked by extravagance and the distribution of gifts. Europe has not seen such a gathering of the highest clergy for a long time. Pope Clement VII himself attended the ceremony, accompanied by many cardinals. The fourteen-year-old couple left the celebration at midnight to attend to their wedding duties. After the wedding, 34 days of continuous feasts and balls followed. At the wedding feast, Italian chefs first introduced the French court to a new dessert made from fruit and ice - this was the first ice cream.
Birth of children
The birth of an illegitimate child to her husband in 1537 confirmed rumors about Catherine’s infertility. Many advised the king to annul the marriage. Under pressure from her husband, who wanted to consolidate her position with the birth of an heir, Catherine was treated for a long time and in vain by various magicians and healers with one single goal - to get pregnant. Every possible means was used to achieve successful conception, including drinking mule urine and wearing cow dung and deer antlers on the lower abdomen.
Finally, on January 20, 1544, Catherine gave birth to a son. The boy was named Francis in honor of the reigning king (he even shed tears of happiness when he learned about this). After her first pregnancy, Catherine seemed to no longer have problems conceiving. With the birth of several more heirs, Catherine strengthened her position at the French court.
The sudden miraculous cure for infertility is associated with the famous doctor, alchemist, astrologer and fortuneteller Michel Nostradamus - one of the few who was part of Catherine’s close circle of confidants.
Henry often played with children and was even present at their birth. In 1556, during her next birth, surgeons saved Catherine from death by breaking off the legs of one of the twins, Jeanne, who lay dead in her mother’s womb for six hours. However, the second girl, Victoria, was destined to live only six weeks. In connection with this birth, which was very difficult and almost caused the death of Catherine, doctors advised the royal couple not to think about having new children anymore; After this advice, Henry stopped visiting his wife's bedroom, spending all his free time with his favorite Diane de Poitiers.
Family and children
Henry II had 10 children from his marriage to Catherine de Medici, including:
1. Francis II (1544-1560), King of France from 1559
2. Elizabeth (1545-1568). She was first engaged to the Spanish heir to the throne, Don Carlos, but then married to his father, Philip II. This complex collision served as the basis for many famous works, including Schiller's drama and Verdi's opera Don Carlos.
3. Claude (1547-1575), wife of the Duke of Lorraine Charles III.
4. Charles IX (1550-1574), king of France from 1560
5. Henry III (1551-1589), king of Poland in 1573-1574. and King of France from 1574
6. Margaret (1553-1615), “Queen Margot”, from 1572 the wife of the leader of the French Protestants, the future Henry IV. Their wedding became a prelude to St. Bartholomew's Night. Divorced 1599
7. Francis (1554-1584), Duke of Alençon, then of Anjou. His sudden death meant the extinction of the Valois dynasty.
8. Victoria (died at the age of a month) and stillborn Jeanne (1556) - twin sisters, the last children of Catherine de Medici; After a difficult birth that almost cost her life, doctors forbade her to have children.
Queen of France
On March 31, 1547, Francis I died and Henry II ascended the throne. Catherine became Queen of France. The coronation took place in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in June 1549.
During the reign of her husband, Catherine had only minimal influence on the administration of the kingdom. Even in Henry's absence, her power was very limited. In early April 1559, Henry II signed the peace treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, ending the long wars between France, Italy and England. The agreement was strengthened by the engagement of Catherine and Henry's fourteen-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to thirty-two-year-old Philip II of Spain.
Death of Henry II
Challenging the prediction of the astrologer Luca Gorico, who advised him to refrain from tournaments, paying attention specifically to the king’s forty-year-old age, Henry decided to participate in the competition. On June 30 or July 1, 1559, he took part in a duel with the lieutenant of his Scots guard, Earl Gabriel de Montgomery. Montgomery's split spear passed through the slot of the king's helmet. Through Henry's eye, the tree entered the brain, mortally wounding the monarch. The king was taken to the castle de Tournel, where the remaining fragments of the ill-fated spear were removed from his face. The best doctors in the kingdom fought for Henry's life. Catherine was at her husband’s bedside all the time, and Diana did not appear, probably for fear of being sent away by the queen. From time to time, Heinrich even felt well enough to dictate letters and listen to music, but he soon became blind and lost his speech.
Black Queen
Henry II died on July 10, 1559. From that day on, Catherine chose as her emblem a broken spear with the inscription “Lacrymae hinc, hinc dolor” (“from this all my tears and my pain”) and until the end of her days she wore black clothes as a sign of mourning. She was the first to wear black mourning. Before this, in medieval France, mourning was white.
Despite everything, Catherine adored her husband. “I loved him so much...” she wrote to her daughter Elizabeth after Henry’s death. Catherine de Medici mourned for her husband for thirty years and went down in French history under the name “The Black Queen.”
Regency
Her eldest son, fifteen-year-old Francis II, became the King of France. Catherine took up state affairs, made political decisions, and exercised control over the Royal Council. However, Catherine never ruled the entire country, which was in chaos and on the brink of civil war. Many parts of France were virtually dominated by local nobles. The complex tasks that Catherine faced were confusing and to some extent difficult for her to understand. She called on religious leaders on both sides to engage in dialogue to resolve their doctrinal differences. Despite her optimism, the "Conference of Poissy" ended in failure on October 13, 1561, dissolving itself without the queen's permission. Catherine's point of view on religious issues was naive because she saw the religious schism from a political perspective. “She underestimated the power of religious conviction, imagining that all would be well if only she could persuade both parties to agree.”
Queen Mother
Charles IX
On August 17, 1563, Catherine de Medici's second son, Charles IX, was declared an adult. He was never able to govern the state on his own and showed minimal interest in state affairs. Karl was also prone to hysterics, which over time turned into outbursts of rage. He suffered from shortness of breath - a sign of tuberculosis, which ultimately brought him to the grave.
Dynastic marriages
Through dynastic marriages, Catherine sought to expand and strengthen the interests of the House of Valois. In 1570, Charles was married to the daughter of Emperor Maximilian II, Elizabeth. Catherine tried to marry one of her younger sons to Elizabeth of England.
She also did not forget about her youngest daughter Margarita, whom she saw as the bride of the again widowed Philip II of Spain. However, Catherine soon had plans to unite the Bourbons and Valois through the marriage of Margaret and Henry of Navarre. Margaret, however, encouraged the attention of Henry de Guise, son of the late Duke François de Guise. When Catherine and Karl found out about this, Margarita received a good thrashing.
The escaped Henry of Guise hastily married Catherine of Cleves, which restored the favor of the French court towards him. Perhaps it was this incident that caused the split between Catherine and Giza.
Between 1571 and 1573, Catherine persistently tried to win over the mother of Henry of Navarre, Queen Jeanne. When, in another letter, Catherine expressed a desire to see her children, while promising not to harm them, Jeanne d'Albret replied: “Forgive me if, reading this, I want to laugh, because you want to free me from a fear that I never had. I never even thought about the fact that, as they say, you eat small children.” Ultimately, Joan agreed to a marriage between her son Henry and Margaret, with the condition that Henry would continue to adhere to the Huguenot faith. Shortly after arriving in Paris to prepare for the wedding, forty-four-year-old Jeanne fell ill and died.
Catherine was accused of killing Jeanne using poisoned gloves. The wedding of Henry of Navarre and Margaret of Valois took place on August 18, 1572 at Notre Dame Cathedral.
Three days later, one of the Huguenot leaders, Admiral Gaspard Coligny, on his way from the Louvre, was wounded in the arm by a shot from the window of a nearby building. A smoking arquebus was left in the window, but the shooter managed to escape. Coligny was carried to his apartment, where surgeon Ambroise Paré removed the bullet from his elbow and amputated one of his fingers. Catherine was said to have reacted to this incident without emotion. She visited Coligny and tearfully promised to find and punish her attacker. Many historians blamed Catherine for the attack on Coligny. Others point to the de Guise family or to a Spanish-papal conspiracy that tried to end Coligny's influence over the king.
St. Bartholomew's Night
The name of Catherine de Medici is associated with one of the bloodiest events in the history of France - St. Bartholomew's Night. The massacre, which began two days later, tarnished Catherine's reputation indelibly. There is no doubt that she was behind the decision on August 23, when Charles IX ordered: “Then kill them all, kill them all!”
The train of thought was clear, Catherine and her advisers expected a Huguenot uprising after the assassination attempt on Coligny, so they decided to strike first and destroy the Huguenot leaders who came to Paris for the wedding of Margaret of Valois and Henry of Navarre. The St. Bartholomew massacre began in the first hours of August 24, 1572.
The king's guards burst into Coligny's bedroom, killed him and threw his body out of the window. At the same time, the sound of the church bell was a conventional sign for the beginning of the murders of the Huguenot leaders, most of whom died in their own beds. The king's newly minted son-in-law, Henry of Navarre, was faced with a choice between death, life imprisonment and conversion to Catholicism. He decided to become a Catholic, after which he was asked to stay in the room for his own safety. All the Huguenots inside and outside the Louvre were killed, and those who managed to escape into the street were shot by the royal riflemen who were waiting for them. The Parisian massacre continued for almost a week, spreading across many provinces of France, where indiscriminate killings continued. According to historian Jules Michel, "St. Bartholomew's Night was not a night, but a whole season." This massacre delighted Catholic Europe, and Catherine enjoyed the praise. On September 29, when Henry of Bourbon knelt before the altar like a good Catholic, she turned to the ambassadors and laughed. From this time on, the “black legend” of Catherine, the evil Italian queen, began.
"Bartholomew's Night" (on the night of August 24 1572) (c) Édouard Debat-Ponsan. 1880
Huguenot writers branded Catherine as a treacherous Italian who followed Machiavelli's advice to "kill all enemies with one blow." Despite accusations from contemporaries of planning a massacre, some historians do not entirely agree with this. There is no hard evidence that the killings were pre-planned. Many view the massacre as a "surgical strike" that got out of control. Whatever the reasons for the bloodshed that quickly spiraled out of Catherine's and everyone else's control, historian Nicola Sutherland has called St. Bartholomew's Night in Paris and its subsequent development "one of the most controversial events in modern history."
Kings and Emperors of France (987-1870)
Bourbons (1589-1792)
Henry IV - Louis XIII - Louis XIV - Louis XV - Louis XVI -
Napoleon I (First Empire, Bonapartes) - Louis XVIII (Restoration, Bourbons) - Charles X (Restoration, Bourbons) - Louis Philippe I (July Monarchy, House of Orleans) - Napoleon III (Second Empire, Bonapartes)
29th King of France
Henry IV of Bourbon (Henry of Navarre, Henry the Great, French Henri IV, Henri le Grand, Henri de Navarre; December 13, 1553, Pau, Bearn - killed May 14, 1610, Paris) - leader of the Huguenots at the end of the Wars of Religion in France, king of Navarre from 1572 (as Henry III), King of France from 1589, founder of the French royal Bourbon dynasty.
Henry IV's accession to the throne was ordered by Henry III, who, being mortally wounded, ordered his supporters to swear allegiance to the Navarrese monarch, but he was able to become king of France only after a long struggle. In order to neutralize his rivals, on July 25, 1593, Henry of Navarre converted to Catholicism and entered Paris on March 22, 1594 (on this occasion, Henry IV is credited with the saying “Paris is worth a mass”). In 1595, the Pope granted Henry absolution, lifting his excommunication from the church and the declaration of a heretic. To end interfaith hostility, Henry IV signed the Edict of Nantes on April 13, 1598, which granted freedom of religion to Protestants, and soon after this the Huguenot Wars ended.
The activities of Henry IV, who strove for the welfare and peace of his subjects, largely corresponded to the needs of the people, in whose memory Henry of Navarre remained as le bon roi Henri - “The Good King Henri”. ("Once Upon a Time There Was Henri the Fourth")
Family
* 1st wife: (18 August 1572, divorced 1599) Margaret of France, known as Queen Margot (1553-1615), Queen of Navarre. There were no children.
* 2nd wife: (December 17, 1600) Marie de Medici (1572-1642), Queen of France. Had 6 children:
The heir to the throne is Louis XIII the Just (1601-1643), king of France.
In addition, Henry IV had 11 recognized illegitimate children, of whom the most famous is César de Bourbon (1594-1665), duc de Vendôme et de Beaufort, who started a side line.
Marguerite de Valois
Margaret was the youngest, third daughter and seventh child of the French king Henry II and Catherine de Medici. The French throne was occupied in turn by her brothers Francis II (1559-1560), Charles IX (1560-1574) and Henry III (1574-1589).
From an early age, the girl was distinguished by her charm, independent disposition and sharp mind, and she received an excellent education: she knew Latin, Greek, philosophy and literature, and she herself had a good command of the pen.
From early childhood, Margarita's hand was the subject of bargaining: first she was offered as a wife to Henry de Bourbon, Prince of Béarn and heir to the kingdom of Navarre, then to Don Carlos, son of Philip II of Spain, then to the Portuguese King Sebastian. However, the intransigent position of the French court in the negotiations and rumors about Margaret's behavior led to the failure of both the Spanish and Portuguese negotiations. For political reasons, Charles IX and Catherine de' Medici resumed negotiations for the marriage of Margaret and Henry de Bourbon.
In 1570, her stormy romance began with the Duke of Guise - the de facto head of the Catholics of France and later a contender for the throne, but King Charles IX and Catherine de Medici forbade her to think about this marriage, which would strengthen Guise and upset the balance between Catholics and Protestants. Apparently, Guise and Margarita retained feelings for each other until the end of their lives, which is confirmed by the queen’s secret correspondence.
In order to consolidate another ephemeral peace between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) of France, on August 18, 1572, Margaret was married to one of the Huguenot leaders, Henry de Bourbon, King of Navarre, her second cousin, the Prince of the Blood. Her wedding, celebrated with great pomp, ended with St. Bartholomew's Night, or the "Parisian bloody wedding" (August 24). Apparently, Catherine de Medici kept her daughter completely in the dark about the impending massacre in the Louvre and even counted on her death in order to gain an additional argument in the fight against the Huguenots and their leaders. Miraculously surviving the beating and maintaining composure, Margarita saved the lives of several Huguenot nobles and, most importantly, her husband, Henry of Navarre, by refusing to file a divorce from him, as her relatives insisted.
After Henry IV's accession to the throne, Pope Clement VIII dissolved his childless marriage to Margaret (December 30, 1599).
The list of favorites of the kings of France offered here is more a list of royal adventures than a list of official favorites of the French kings. Although from the end of the Middle Ages until the French Revolution, it was common for French kings connected by political marriages to occasionally take on one or more ladies with the official rank of royal favorite. Many of them, such as Madame de Pompadour, had great influence on the life of the royal court or on the king himself, like Diane de Poitiers on Henry II or Gabriel d'Estrées on Henry IV. Louis XIV even had a secret marriage with one of his mistresses - Madame de Maintenon.
Women for whom kings burned with passionate love were not always elevated to the rank of official favorites. This title was rarely used. The French kings who were especially distinguished by the number and degree of influence of their favorites were Henry IV, Louis XIV and Louis XV.