Claude of Valois
Encyclopedia
Claude of Valois was born at Fontainebleau
on 12 November 1547 and died in Nancy on 21 February 1575. She was the second daughter of King Henry II of France
and Catherine de' Medici
.
, and sister-in-law Mary, Queen of Scots.
She was married at the age of 11 to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
on 19 January 1559. Claude was victim of the unhealthy traits that Catherine appeared to pass on to her children (with the exception of Marguerite) and suffered from a hunchback and club foot.
This very discreet princess was the favourite daughter of her mother. She often left Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, in order to live near her mother in the heart of France. Catherine de' Medici also liked to visit her daughter in Lorraine. Against her mother's wishes, though, Claude did try to warn her younger sister Marguerite de Valois
of the danger she would face as the new wife of the Huguenot
King of Navarre
on the night of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
.
Claude died in childbirth in 1575.
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
on 12 November 1547 and died in Nancy on 21 February 1575. She was the second daughter of King Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
and Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
.
Biography
Claude was raised alongside her sister Elisabeth, future Queen of SpainElisabeth of Valois
Elisabeth of Valois was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.-Early life:She was born in the Château de Fontainebleau...
, and sister-in-law Mary, Queen of Scots.
She was married at the age of 11 to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Charles III , known as the Great, was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death.-History:He was the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark...
on 19 January 1559. Claude was victim of the unhealthy traits that Catherine appeared to pass on to her children (with the exception of Marguerite) and suffered from a hunchback and club foot.
This very discreet princess was the favourite daughter of her mother. She often left Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, in order to live near her mother in the heart of France. Catherine de' Medici also liked to visit her daughter in Lorraine. Against her mother's wishes, though, Claude did try to warn her younger sister Marguerite de Valois
Marguerite de Valois
Margaret of Valois was Queen of France and of Navarre during the late sixteenth century...
of the danger she would face as the new wife of the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
King of Navarre
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
on the night of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
.
Claude died in childbirth in 1575.
Children
Claude and her husband had nine children:- Henry II, Duke of LorraineHenry II, Duke of LorraineHenry II was Duke of Lorraine from 1608 until his death. His two daughters were Duchesses of Lorraine by marriage. He was also the brother-in-law of King Henry IV of France.-History and Family:...
, 1563–1624 - Christine of LorraineChristina, Grand Duchess of TuscanyChristina of Lorraine or Chretienne de Lorraine was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Grand Duchess of Tuscany by marriage...
, 16 August 1565 – 19 December 1637. Married Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of TuscanyFerdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of TuscanyFerdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.-Biography:...
. - Charles, 1567–1607, Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Metz (1578–1607), Bishop of Strasbourg (1604–1607)
- Antoinette, 1568-1610. Married Jean-Guillaume, Duke of Julich-Cleves-BergJohn William, Duke of Julich-Cleves-BergJohn William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.His parents were William the Rich, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and Maria of Austria , a daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. He grew up and was educated in Xanten. John William became...
- Anne, 1569-1676.
- Francis II, Duke of LorraineFrancis II, Duke of LorraineFrancis II , was the son of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Claude of Valois. He was Duke of Lorraine briefly in 1624, quickly abdicating in favour of his son.-Biography:...
, 1572-1632. - Catherine of Lorraine (1573–1648), Abesse de Remiremont
- Elisabeth of Lorraine, 1574-1635. Married Maximilian I, Elector of BavariaMaximilian I, Elector of BavariaMaximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria , called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War ....
. - Claude, 1575-1576.