Jane Popincourt
Encyclopedia
Jane Popincourt was a French maid-of-honour
at the royal court of Louis XII
and later of Francis I
. For around twelve years, she had a position at the English court, first in the reign of Henry VII
, as a distinguished tutor engaged to teach French to the princesses Margaret
and Mary; and later in 1509, on the accession of Henry VIII
, she was appointed a maid-of-honour to his wife, Catherine of Aragon
. In 1514, there were rumors that Jane had become the King's mistress.
During the Battle of the Spurs in 1513, the King's troops captured a number of French nobles, notably Louis d'Orléans, duke of Longueville. It is unknown if the Duke had met Jane at the French court, but as her countryman they seem to have been introduced upon his arrival at the English court and they soon began a liaison. Although he was technically a hostage, he was used as an supplementary ambassador in arranging the marriage of Mary Tudor and Louis XIII, and was treated with respect as such. This damaged the reputation of Jane, who was probably then in her mid-to-late twenties, an age by which a woman would have been expected to be married. When the Duke returned to France in 1514, Jane remained at the English court and appears to have begun a brief affair with Henry VIII. However, she seems to have wanted to return home. It has also been speculated that she was no longer welcome at the English court. She was listed as an attendant to Henry's sister, Princess Mary, who was about to become the queen of France. When Louis XII saw her name, he is said to have preferred that she be incinerated, and would not permit such an immoral woman to attend to his new wife.
Jane remained in England until 1516, when she returned to France. She is said to have reignited her affair with the Duke and received a parting gift of £100 from Henry.
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
at the royal court of Louis XII
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
and later of Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. For around twelve years, she had a position at the English court, first in the reign of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, as a distinguished tutor engaged to teach French to the princesses Margaret
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
and Mary; and later in 1509, on the accession of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, she was appointed a maid-of-honour to his wife, Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
. In 1514, there were rumors that Jane had become the King's mistress.
During the Battle of the Spurs in 1513, the King's troops captured a number of French nobles, notably Louis d'Orléans, duke of Longueville. It is unknown if the Duke had met Jane at the French court, but as her countryman they seem to have been introduced upon his arrival at the English court and they soon began a liaison. Although he was technically a hostage, he was used as an supplementary ambassador in arranging the marriage of Mary Tudor and Louis XIII, and was treated with respect as such. This damaged the reputation of Jane, who was probably then in her mid-to-late twenties, an age by which a woman would have been expected to be married. When the Duke returned to France in 1514, Jane remained at the English court and appears to have begun a brief affair with Henry VIII. However, she seems to have wanted to return home. It has also been speculated that she was no longer welcome at the English court. She was listed as an attendant to Henry's sister, Princess Mary, who was about to become the queen of France. When Louis XII saw her name, he is said to have preferred that she be incinerated, and would not permit such an immoral woman to attend to his new wife.
Jane remained in England until 1516, when she returned to France. She is said to have reignited her affair with the Duke and received a parting gift of £100 from Henry.
Further reading
- The Mistresses of Henry VIII by Kelly Hart
- The Pleasure Palace (Secrets of the Tudor Court) by Kate Emerson is a fictional portrayal of Jane Popincourt