Catherine de Medici and King Henry II of France wanted to continue the Valois dynasty, but their line was extinguished with the death of their son, King Henry III in 1589. Not one of Catherine and Henry’s four sons left any surviving offspring to preserve the House of Valois, but their two elder daughters, Elisabeth and Claude ensured that their bloodline would continue to the present day.
Their elder children are not so well-known in contemporary culture, whereas their two surviving younger children did make an impression during the sixteenth century. Their daughter Marguerite de Valois inspired a popular film due to her scandalous lifestyle, and their younger son was the only man that Elizabeth I of England considered marrying.
Marguerite de Valois 'La Reine Margot'
The most famous of Catherine de Medici and King Henry's children was Marguerite, known as 'Margot', who was born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on the 14th May 1553, and grew up to be one of the most beautiful and fashionable women of 16th Century Europe. As a child Catherine offered her to Don Carlos of Spain, and to his cousin, King Sebastian of Portugal (1554-1578).
It was decided she would marry Henri de Bourbon (1553-1610), a son of a minor member of the French royal family, in a union which was hoped would unite the two branches of their extended family. Henry ruled as King Henry III of Navarre, a territory in northern Spain with a mostly Basque population. There was however a problem: Henry was a Protestant.
Shortly before the wedding Henri's mother, Jeanne d'Albret (1528-1572), died under suspicious circumstances, and it was believed that Catherine had her poisoned. Margot and Henri married at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on the 18th August 1572 and a huge number of Protestants swamped the city of Paris to see the ceremony.
The Saint Bartholomew Massacre broke out six days after the wedding. Catherine was believed to have instigated the riots and murder. Margot is valued for having saved the lives of various French Huguenots. Henri and Margot finally managed to escape to Navarre, but they never enjoyed the usual married life; they openly took lovers.
In 1582, Margot visited Paris but her brother, Henry III, was outraged by her behaviour and ejected her from the court. Margot was unpopular in both Navarre and her native France. She initiated a revolt against her brother and he had her imprisoned. In prison, she wrote many of her memoirs concerning the intrigues of her rival siblings.
In 1589, Henry of Navarre succeeded as King Henry IV of France but was forced to convert to Catholicism. The marriage between the two was dissolved. Margot then lived by the River Seine where she spent a great deal of time undertaking charitable work, and relaxing. She helped raise her ex-husband's children, and was greatly involved with the court. La Reine Margot, the last of Catherine de Medici and Henry II of France's children died in Paris on the 27th March 1615.
The Duke of Alençon
The youngest son, Hercule François, was born on the 18th March 1555. He began his life as a pretty child, and it was expected that he would up rather handsome, but he contracted smallpox at the age of eight and was left scarred for the rest of his life. Following the death of his eldest brother, King Francis II in 1560, he chose to drop his forename for his middle name in honour of his brother, and became known simply as Francis.
Like his sister Margot, Francis was a Protestant sympathiser. Catherine de Medici and his brother King Henry III did not trust his mentality, and he was forced to flee from Paris in 1575. During his period in exile he united with his brother-in-law, Henry of Navarre, and fought against Henry III until a truce was negotiated.
King Henry agreed to allow the Protestants to enjoy peace and they signed the Edict of Beaulieu in 1576. Many Protestants were given lands and titles, and Francis was granted the title Duke of Anjou, Berry and Touraine. In 1579, William, Prince of Orange (1533-1584), a Protestant ruler in the Netherlands, sought Francis’ assistance against King Philip II of Spain and the Duke of Parma during the Dutch declaration of independence, for which assistance Francis was credited with the title ‘Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands’.
Queen Elizabeth I of England and Francis, Duke of Anjou
In that same year he met Queen Elizabeth I of England and despite a twenty-one-year age difference between the two, it was widely affirmed that the couple would marry. He was her only suitor to court her in person, and he was the only man that she ever really did consider marrying; she referred to him affectionately as her ‘frog’.
Unfortunately, Francis was not popular in England. Firstly, the English viewed him as a Catholic. Catherine de Medici was far from popular in England. Elizabeth was forced to end their relationship and when Francis departed in 1581, Elizabeth was credited with having recited the poem On Monsieur’s Departure during which she said one of her most famous sayings:
My care is like my shadow in the sun, Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it ….
After his departure, Francis returned to the Netherlands where he spent the rest of his life serving the Protestant cause and Catherine utterly despised him, but arranged for him to be brought to Paris when he contracted malaria in 1584. The House of Valois were finally reconciled, and his death meant that the succession passed to Henry of Navarre.
Catherine and Henry also had twin daughters, Joan and Victoria born on the 24th June 1556. Joan was stillborn, and her limbs had to be horrifically broken inside of her mother's womb in order to encourage delivery, Victoria survived but died a month later in August.
Sources
- Catherine de Medici by Leonie Frieda, Wiedenfeld & Nicolson, 2004
- Elizabeth I by Jasper Ridley, Penguin Books Ltd, 2002
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