Kings and queens of France chronology. French kings and queens

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 survived 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, became big event, marked by extravagance and gift giving. 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 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.

Sudden miraculous cure for infertility is associated with 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 dramas and Verdi's 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 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 kingdoms 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, Henry 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. Ekaterina got busy state affairs, made political decisions, exercised control over the Royal Council. However, Catherine never ruled the entire country, which was in chaos and on the edge civil war. Many parts of France were virtually dominated by local nobles. Complex tasks, which Catherine found herself in front of, 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 did not forget about her youngest daughter Margaret, whom she saw as the bride of the again widowed Philip II of Spain. However, soon Catherine had plans to unite the Bourbons and Valois through the marriage of Margaret and Henry of Navarre. Margaret, however, encouraged the attention of Henry of Guise, son of the late Duke François of 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 fears that I never had. I never thought 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 most bloody events 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 church bell sounded and appeared conventional sign to the beginning of the murders of 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, "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 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 occurred, which very quickly got out of control, Catherine and anyone else, historian Nicola Sutherland called St. Bartholomew's Night in Paris and its subsequent development as "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, Bonaparte)

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 dynasty Bourbons.

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 on April 13, 1598 Edict of Nantes, which granted freedom of religion to Protestants, the Huguenot Wars ended soon after.

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 - “ 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.

WITH early childhood Margaret'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 the Second 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. By political reasons Charles IX and Catherine de' Medici resumed negotiations on 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.

The kings of France were directly involved in the development of this great country. Its history began in the first millennium BC. First on the territory modern state lived tribes of Celts, and on seashore there were a large number of Greek colonies. According to ancient sources, around this time, Julius Caesar managed to subjugate the territories inhabited by the Gauls. Great commander even gave the name to the conquered lands - Gallia Comata. After the fall of Rome, France was transformed into the state of the Goths, and they, in turn, were quickly supplanted by the Franks.

Historians' version

It is currently generally accepted that the future French arrived in the territory Western Europe from the Black Sea region. They began to inhabit the lands from the very banks of the Rhine. When Julian gave the Franks extensive land, with no less enthusiasm they began to develop the southern territories. By 420, most of the Franks had crossed the Rhine. Their leader was Pharamond.

The kings of France, whose list was still growing after Bonaparte, ruled under extremely difficult conditions. Thus, Napoleon II was overthrown a few days after ascending the throne, Louis Philippe was forced to immediately renounce his honorary title and become king of the French, but not of France. Napoleon III was captured in Prussia and deposed. The monarchs were supposed to be in power again, but Charles X, Henry V and Philip VII, who claimed the throne, could not agree with each other. The rulers' crowns were sold piecemeal in 1885. France became a republic.

Odette de Champdiver (1391-1425)
Favorite of King Charles VI the Mad.
An interesting option was when the wife, Queen Isabella of Bavaria, chose her husband’s favorite. The fact is that Charles VI’s schizophrenic symptoms began to recur more and more often, and the queen constantly became a victim of the unmotivated cruelty of her husband, who, in the dark of his mind, used his fists, and over time became more and more dangerous. Fearing for her life, the queen was looking for a woman who could replace her, turning into both a lover and a nurse to care for the sick.
Thus, at the age of 15, Odette became the mistress-nurse of the mad king and served him for 16 years. She was even nicknamed the “little queen.” Odette was the only one who could restrain attacks of rage, during which the king became dangerous to those around him and to himself; according to the recollections of contemporaries, one reproachful look, or in the worst case, the threat of falling out of love and leaving him was enough to stop the attack. In 1407, she gave birth to a daughter from the king, Margaret of Valois.

Immediately after the death of the king in 1423, Odette and her daughter returned to her homeland, Saint-Jean-de-Lonne, in Burgundy. She lost her royal pension, but the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, continued to support her for some time. in monetary terms, until her death in 1425. Two years later, King Charles VII officially recognized her daughter as his half-sister and married her to the rich man Jean de Arpedanne, lord of Belleville.
It turned out to be a bit long, I’ll try to make it shorter in future. So the portrait.

The King and Odette (Artist - François GUIZOT, France)

Agnes Sorel (1421-1450)
Favorite of Charles VII.
She came from a noble family and was a maid of honor to Isabella of Lorraine, Duchess of Anjou. Her beauty was noticed by Charles VII and he gave her the castle of Beauté-sur-Marne. Agnes gave birth to three daughters from the king, who received the title filles de France. She had enormous influence on the king, fought against his unworthy favorites and took care of replacing senior positions honored persons. But they say she was wasteful.
She is credited with introducing such innovations as the wearing of diamonds by uncrowned persons, the invention of a long train, and the wearing of very loose outfits that reveal one breast.
Being pregnant for the fourth time, Agnes died unexpectedly. It was assumed that she died of dysentery, but mercury poisoning was also not ruled out.

(Portrait by Jean Fouquet)

Françoise de Foix, Countess of Chateaubriand (1495-1537)

Second cousin of Queen Anne of Brittany, she was brought up at her court, knew Latin, Italian, and wrote poetry. In 1509 she married Jean de Laval-Montmorency, Count de Chateaubriand. The couple lived in Chateaubriand and had a daughter. But King Francis, having heard about Françoise’s beauty, ordered his husband to present her to the court. Against the Count's wishes, Françoise arrived at the royal court in 1516 or early 1517. The king made the countess's husband a company commander, and her elder brother, Viscount de Lautrec, became governor of the Duchy of Milan. Françoise became the king's mistress.
The rise of the de Foix family displeased Queen Louise of Savoy, the king's mother. The Queen Mother introduces her son to a new beauty and he becomes captivated. Two year goes by rivalry between the favorites, then Françoise gives in and returns home. And there her husband kills her.
Some researchers believe that after returning to her husband, she was locked in a room upholstered in black cloth, and after six months of imprisonment, the count opened her veins.

(Artist unknown, Louvre)

Anne de Pissleux, Duchess of Etampes (1508-1576)
Favorite of King Francis I.
The same lady who was introduced to Francis by his mother, Louise of Savoy. She was her maid of honor. To create a more comfortable position for the new favorite at court, Francis married her to Jean de Brosse, to whom he gave the title of Duke of Etampes. Different great mind, outstanding beauty and rare education for a woman, she had the king in mind great influence until his death. At the end of Francis' reign, she was at odds with Diane de Poitiers, the favorite of the heir to the throne. After the death of the king, Henry II removed Anne from Paris, having previously selected the diamonds donated by Francis for Diana de Poitiers.

(The artist is believed to be Corneille Lyon)

Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566)
Favorite of King Henry II.
At the age of thirteen, she was married to Louis de Brezé, Comte de Molvrier (whose mother was the fruit of the illicit love of Charles VII and Agnes Sorel). Her husband died on July 23, 1531, leaving Diana a widow at the age of 31. By the way, she mourned him until the end of her days.
She met the Dauphin (heir to the French throne) Henry in 1539. She is forty, he is only twenty years old. But Henry fell in love. Diana was beautiful and this beauty was not destined to fade. Brantome, who saw her shortly before her death, assured that she was still beautiful.
Possessing also a great mind, Diana in a short time acquired enormous influence over the Dauphin, and when he became king, over the whole country. When King Francis I died and Henry II ascended the throne, it was not Catherine de Medici, his wife, who became the real queen, but Diana. Even at the coronation, she took an honorable public place, while Catherine was on a distant podium.
Having come to power, Henry II allowed his beloved to exercise complete control over the affairs of the kingdom. As the historian Nogare notes, never in the history of the monarchy has any favorite been able to achieve such an absolute and effective influence on the king’s person, much less convince foreign sovereigns of her omnipotence. The ambassadors addressed their correspondence to her, and she corresponded with the Pope himself. The king did nothing without consulting her.
The "reign" of Diane de Poitiers ended in 1559 when Henry II was accidentally killed at a tournament by the Comte de Montgomery. The king was still alive when Queen Catherine de Medici, showing weakness, ordered Diana to leave Paris, first giving away all the jewelry given to her by Henry. Diane de Poitiers gave a very worthy answer: "... while I have a master, I want my enemies to know: even when the king is gone, I will not be afraid of anyone." Diana returned the jewelry box only the day after the death of Henry II. Diana de Poitiers retired to her castle of Anet, where she died in her sixty-seventh year.

(Artist unknown)

Marie Touchet (1549-1638)
Favorite of Charles IX.
From Orleans. Beautiful, educated, meek. Retained the king's love until his death. She never tried to get rich and acquire political influence. She gave birth to two sons from the king. One died in infancy, the other, Charles of Valois, received the title of Duke of Angoulême. In 1578, Touchet married François de Balzac d'Entregues, governor of Orleans. From this marriage she had two daughters, one of whom, the Marquise de Verneuil, became the favorite of Henry IV.

(Artist - François Quesnel)

Charlotte de Sauves, de Bon-Samblance(1551—1617)
Favorite of Henry of Navarre. In the first marriage - the wife of the Secretary of State Baron de Sauve, in the second marriage - the Marquise de Noirmoutier. She was a member of the “flying squad” of Catherine de Medici’s ladies-in-waiting. During the years of struggle with Diane de Poitiers, the Queen Mother well studied the extent of the impact female beauty into politics and used her ladies-in-waiting to seduce the noblest men of the kingdom in order to obtain the information the Queen Mother needed.
Soon after her wedding to Margaret of Valois, the Queen Mother sent Charlotte to Henry of Navarre to have an affair with him. Their relationship lasted 5 years - until 1577. In 1583, Charlotte was removed from the court, but already in next year married the Marquis de Noirmoutier from the de La Tremouille family and returned to Paris. In 1586, her son was born. After the accession of Henry of Navarre to French throne lived with her husband on estates.

(Artist unknown)

Gabriel d'Estrée (1573-1599)

Since 1590, she was the mistress of King Henry IV, who for the sake of appearance married her to d’Amerval de Liancourt. The beautiful and witty Gabrielle had enormous influence on the king, who even intended to divorce Margaret of Valois and elevate Gabrielle to the throne. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter from Henry. She died from fruit poisoning. I. They say this was done by Medici supporters, wanting to marry the king to their protégé.

(Artist unknown)

Catherine Henrietta de Balzac d'Entragues (1579—1633)
Favorite of Henry of Navarre.
Daughter of François de Balzac d'Entragues, governor of Orleans, and Marie Touchet, former mistress of King Charles IX. The king saw Henrietta six days after the death of his favorite Gabrielle d'Estrais and was so struck by her beauty that he forgot about his loss. She gave birth to the king two children (son and daughter). Constantly and openly conflicted with Henry's second wife, Maria de Medici. She then began to cheat on Henry and prepare conspiracy after conspiracy, wanting to make her son the heir to the throne. There were many revelations and trials, Catherine's relatives. were deprived of estates and heads, but she was only exiled. Her son became Bishop of Metz.

(Artist unknown)

Olympia Mancini (1637-1608)
Favorite Louis XIV, one of the first.
Niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She led a very stormy life at court. Young Louis was so in love that there was serious talk of marriage. But the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, could not allow such a wedding to take place. And young Olympia, who had gained too much power over the king, was ordered to leave Paris. She was quickly married to the Count de Soissons, and seven children were born in the marriage, including the famous Generalissimo Eugene of Savoy. Olympia was involved in the famous case of the “Versailles poisoners.” She was accused of poisoning her own husband, as well as the Queen of Spain, Marie Louise of Orleans. And although she maintained that she was innocent and had been compromised, she had to leave France. She died in Brussels.

(portrait by Pierre Mignard)

Maria Mancini (1639-1715)
Favorite of Louis XIV.
Also the niece of Cardinal Mazarin. And it also almost came to a wedding. But the Queen Mother did not consent to this marriage and Louis was quickly engaged to the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, soon forgetting about Mancini.
Maria in 1661 marries Prince Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, Grand Constable of Naples, gives birth to three sons and leaves her husband. Traveling. After the death of her husband, she returns to Italy.

(Artist - Jacob Ferdinand Voet)

Louise-Françoise de Labeaume-Leblanc, Duchesse de La Vallière (1644-1710)
Favorite of Louis XIV.
She was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Henrietta Stuart. Despite the fact that she was not very beautiful and had a slight limp, she managed to charm the king. The relationship continued for several years. Louise had four children from the king, two of whom survived (a daughter and a son). Then, after the rise of the Marquise de Montespan, Lavaliere retired from the court and took monastic vows at the Carmelite monastery in Paris.

(Artist - J. Nocret)

Françoise Athenaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan (1641-1707)
Favorite of Louis XIV.
Lady-in-waiting to Queen Maria Theresa. In 1663 she married Louis Henri de Pardayan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan. She gave birth to a son and a daughter. She had intelligence and charm, and in 1667 she attracted the attention of the king. In 1669 she gave birth to a son for the king, who died three years later, but the other six, including Louis-Auguste de Bourbon and Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, were legitimized by the king in different years without mentioning the mother's name. The children were raised by the future Marquise de Maintenon.
The Marquise de Montespan was involved in the poison case and was suspected of wanting to poison the king. She was acquitted, but she lost confidence and in 1691 she retired to the monastery of San Joseph.

(The artist is unknown to me)

Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (1635-1719)
Favorite and later morganatic wife of Louis XIV.
Granddaughter of the Huguenot leader Theodore Agrippa d'Aubigné. The family was subjected to repression for a long time and lived in poverty. In 1650 Françoise was married to famous poet Scarrona. Scarron was much older than his wife and his arm was paralyzed, but later Françoise recalled the years of marriage as the best time of her life. Ten years later, her husband and left without money, Françoise accepted Madame de Montespan's invitation to raise her children from Louis XIV. The king appreciated her love for children, conscientiousness, and so, drew attention to the already middle-aged, inconspicuous widow. Madame Scarron was smart, thanks to her husband she moved in the environment intellectual elite Paris and, unlike most other court ladies, had a very broad outlook. The king often talked with her for a long time. In 1675, the king elevated her to the Marquise of Maintenon.
In 1683 the queen died, and Louis's affections turned to Maintenon. In the same year, the marquise was secretly married to the king. Only Archbishop de Chanvallon and the king's personal confessor were present at the ceremony. The pomp and freedom of the court gave way to modesty and piety. After the death of Louis XIV, Maintenon retired to Saint-Cyr, where she died three years later.

(Artist - Pierre Mignard)

Angelique de Fontanges (1661-1681)
Favorite of Louis XIV.
Maid of honor to Charlotte Elisabeth of Bavaria, daughter-in-law of the king. Angelica attracted the attention of the king and in 1678 became his mistress. At the end of 1679, she gave birth to a stillborn child from the king and never recovered after that. In 1680, Louis gave her the title of Duchess de Fontanges, which, according to the custom of that time, meant the end of official relations with the king. Abandoned and seriously ill, Angelique retired to the Port-Royal monastery, where she died (possibly from pleurisy).

(Artist - Louis le Grand)

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764)
Favorite of Louis XV.
Antoinette married Lenormand d'Etiol at the age of 19 and shone in society. Louis XV met her by chance and in 1745 Antoinette became his favorite. Her husband, who was threatened with the Bastille, calmed down and received plum. For twenty years, until her death, Pompadour played a prominent role not only in France, which was entirely in her hands, but also in Europe. She directed the foreign and domestic policies of France, delving into all the details of state life, patronizing science and art. They say that the depraved king soon lost interest in her, but he was also not interested in ruling the country, so he entrusted the country to this woman, and she introduced young beauties to the court.

(Artist - François Boucher)

Marie Jeanne Becu, Countess Du Barry (1743—1793)
Favorite of Louis XV.
They write that in her youth Marie was a prostitute and had a relationship with the executioner Henri Sanson, at whose hands she died on the scaffold during the Great french revolution. Then she was a milliner, and later settled in the house of Count DuBarry. Louis XV brought her closer to him, arranged her marriage with the brother of Count DuBarry, and introduced her to court in 1769.
After the death of Louis XV, she was arrested and imprisoned in a convent, but soon returned to her castle in Marly, where she continued to live in great pomp. The people hated Du Barry and during the revolution she was put on trial and guillotined.

"The State is Me"

Louis XIV (1638-1715)
received at birth the name Louis-Dieudonné (“God-given”, French Louis-Dieudonné), also known as the “Sun King” (French. Louis XIV Le Roi Soleil), also Louis the Great (French: Louis le Grand) - king of France and Navarre king of France from the Bourbon dynasty, reign (1643-1715)

Louis, who lived through the wars of the Fronde in his childhood, became a staunch supporter of the principle absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings (he is credited with the expression “The State is me!”), he combined the strengthening of his power with a successful selection statesmen to key political positions. The reign of Louis was a time of significant consolidation of the unity of France, its military power, political weight and intellectual prestige, and the flowering of culture; it went down in history as the Great Century.

Louis was born on Sunday, September 5, 1638 in the new palace of Saint-Germain-au-Laye. Previously, for twenty-two years, his parents' marriage had been fruitless and, it seemed, would remain so in the future. Therefore, contemporaries greeted the news of the birth of the long-awaited heir with expressions of lively joy. The common people saw this as a sign God's Grace and called the newborn Dauphin God-given.

Louis XIV ascended the throne in May 1643, when he was not yet five years old, therefore, according to his father’s will, the regency was transferred to Anne of Austria, but in fact all affairs were managed by her favorite Cardinal Mazarin.

Giulio Raimondo Maz(z)arino

Louis's childhood and adolescence were marked by the turbulent events of the civil war, known in history as the Fronde. In January 1649, the royal family, accompanied by several courtiers and ministers, fled to Saint-Germain from Paris in rebellion. Mazarin, against whom the discontent was mainly directed, had to seek refuge even further - in Brussels. Only in 1652, with great difficulty, was it possible to establish inner world. But in subsequent years, until his death, Mazarin firmly held the reins of power in his hands. In foreign policy he also achieved important successes.

Signing of the Iberian Peace

In November 1659, the Peace of the Pyrenees was signed with Spain, ending twenty-four years of hostilities between the two kingdoms. The agreement was sealed by the marriage of the French king with his cousin, the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa. This marriage turned out to be the last act of the all-powerful Mazarin.

Marriage of King Louis IV and Maria Theresa of Austria

In March 1661 he died. Until his death, despite the fact that the king had long been considered an adult, the cardinal remained the rightful ruler of the state, and Louis obediently followed his instructions in everything.

But as soon as Mazarin died, the king hastened to free himself from all guardianship. He abolished the position of first minister and, having convened the Council of State, announced in an imperative tone that from now on he had decided to be his first minister himself and did not want anyone to sign even the most insignificant ordinance on his behalf.

Very few at this time were familiar with the real character of Louis. This young king, who was only 22 years old, had until then attracted attention only for his penchant for ostentation and love affairs. It seemed that he was created exclusively for idleness and pleasure. But it took very little time to be convinced otherwise. As a child, Louis received a very poor upbringing - he was barely taught to read and write. However, he was naturally gifted common sense, a remarkable ability to understand the essence of things and a strong determination to maintain his royalty. According to the Venetian envoy, “nature itself tried to make Louis XIV the kind of person who, by his personal qualities, was destined to become the king of the nation.”

He was tall and very handsome. There was something courageous or heroic in all his movements. He possessed the ability, very important for a king, to express himself briefly but clearly, and to say no more and no less than what was necessary.

All his life he was diligently engaged in government affairs, from which neither entertainment nor old age could tear him away. “They reign through work and for work,” Louis loved to repeat, “and to desire one without the other would be ingratitude and disrespect for the Lord.” Unfortunately, his innate greatness and industriousness served as a cover for the most shameless selfishness. Not a single French king had previously been distinguished by such monstrous pride and selfishness, not a single European monarch He clearly did not exalt himself above those around him and did not smoke the incense of his own greatness with such pleasure. This is clearly visible in everything that concerned Louis: in his court and public life, in his domestic and foreign policies, in his love interests and in his buildings.

All previous royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his person. From the first days of his reign, he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a new palace, more consistent with his greatness. For a long time he did not know which of the royal castles to turn into a palace. Finally, in 1662, his choice fell on Versailles (under Louis XIII it was a small hunting castle). However, more than fifty years passed before the new magnificent palace was ready in its main parts. The construction of the ensemble cost approximately 400 million francs and annually absorbed 12-14% of all government spending. For two decades, while construction was underway, the royal court did not have a permanent residence: until 1666 it was located mainly in the Louvre, then, in 1666-1671 - in the Tuileries, over the next ten years - alternately in Saint-Germain-au -Lay and Versailles under construction. Finally, in 1682, Versailles became the permanent seat of the court and government. After this, until his death, Louis visited Paris only 16 times for short visits.

When Louis finally settled in Versailles, he ordered the minting of a medal with the following inscription: “The Royal Palace is open for public entertainment.”

Réception du Grand Condé à Versailles - The Grand Condé welcomes Louis XIV on the Staircase at Versailles

In his youth, Louis was distinguished by an ardent disposition and was very much indifferent to pretty women. Despite the beauty of the young queen, he was not for one minute in love with his wife and was constantly looking for amorous entertainment on the side. In his marriage to Maria Theresa (1638-1683), Infanta of Spain, the king had 6 children.

Maria Theresa of Spain (1638-1683)

Two Queens of France Anne d"Autriche with her niece and daughter-in-law, Marie-Thérèse d"Espagne

Louis the Great Dauphin (1661-1711) is the only surviving legitimate child of Louis XIV from Maria Theresa of Spain, his heir (Dauphin of France). He died four years before his father's death and did not reign.

Louis le Grand Dauphin (1661—1711)

The Family of the Grand Dauphin

Portrait Ludwig des XIV. und seiner Erben

The king also had many extramarital affairs and illegitimate children.

Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc(French Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc, duchesse de la Vallière et de Vaujours (1644-1710)) - Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours, favorite of Louis XIV.

Louise-Francoise de la Baume le Blanc, Duchesse de la Valliere and de Vaujours (1644-1710)

From the king, Louise de La Vallière gave birth to four children, two of whom lived to adulthood.

• Maria Anna de Bourbon (1666 - 1739) - Mademoiselle de Blois.
• Louis de Bourbon (1667-1683), Comte de Vermandois.

_________________________________

The king's new hobby was the Marquise de Montespan. Possessing a clear and practical mind, she knew well what she needed, and was preparing to sell her caresses very expensively. Françoise Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart(French Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1640-1707), known as Marquise de Montespan(French Marquise de Montespan) - official favorite King of France Louis XIV.

The king's relationship with the Marquise de Montespan lasted sixteen years. During this time, Louis had many other novels, more or less serious... While the king gave himself up to sensual pleasures, the Marquise of Montespan remained for many years uncrowned queen France.

In fact, King Louis and the Marquise de Montespan had seven children. Mature age reached four (the king gave them all the surname Bourbon):

• Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine (1670-1736)

• Louise-Françoise de Bourbon (1673–1743), Mademoiselle de Nantes

• Françoise-Marie de Bourbon (1677–1749), Mademoiselle de Blois

Louise-Françoise de Bourbon and Françoise-Marie de Bourbon

• Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of Toulouse (1678-1737)

Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon (1674–1681), Mademoiselle de Tours, died at the age of 7

Marie-Angelique de Scoray de Roussil, Duchess of Fontanges(French Marie Angélique de Scorailles de Roussille, duchesse de Fontanges (1661 - 1681) one of the many lovers of the French king Louis XIV.

Duchesse de Fontanges

When Louis began to cool down to love adventures, a woman of a completely different type took possession of his heart. Francoise d'Aubigné (1635—1719), Marquise de Maintenon—she was a governess for his side children for a long time, then the official favorite of the king.

Marquise de Maintenon

From 1683, after the removal of the Marquise de Montespan and the death of Queen Maria Theresa, Madame de Maintenon acquired unlimited influence over the king. Their rapprochement ended in a secret marriage in January 1684. Approving all the orders of Louis, Madame de Maintenon, on occasion, gave him advice and guided him. The king had the deepest respect and trust for the marquise; under her influence he became very religious, abandoned all love affairs and began to lead a more moral lifestyle.

Family tragedy and the question of a successor

The family life of the elderly king at the end of his life presented a far from rosy picture. On April 13, 1711, Louis le Grand Dauphin (French: Louis le Grand Dauphin), November 1, 1661—April 14, 1711) died - the only surviving legitimate child of Louis XIV from Maria Theresa of Spain, his heir (Dauphin of France). He died four years before his father's death and did not reign.

In February 1712 he was followed by the Dauphin's eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, and on March 8 of the same year by the latter's eldest son, the young Duke of Breton. On March 4, 1714, he fell from his horse and died a few days later. younger brother Duke of Burgundy, Duke of Berry, so that, in addition to Philip V of Spain, the Bourbons had only one heir left - the four-year-old great-grandson of the king, the second son of the Duke of Burgundy (later Louis XV).

The history of the nickname Sun King

In France, the sun was a symbol royalty and personally the king and until Louis XIV. The luminary became the personification of the monarch in poetry, solemn odes and court ballets. The first mentions of solar emblems date back to the reign of Henry III, the grandfather and father of Louis XIV used it, but only under him did solar symbolism become truly widespread.

At the age of twelve (1651), Louis XIV made his debut in the so-called “ballets de cour” - court ballets, which were staged annually during the carnival.

The Baroque carnival is not just a holiday and entertainment, but an opportunity to play in an “upside-down world.” For example, the king became a jester, an artist or a buffoon for several hours, while at the same time the jester could well afford to appear in the guise of a king. In one of the ballet productions, which was called “Ballet of the Night,” young Louis had the opportunity to appear before his subjects for the first time in the image of the Rising Sun (1653), and then Apollo, the Sun God (1654).

When Louis XIV began to rule independently (1661), the genre of court ballet was put at the service of state interests, helping the king not only create his representative image, but also manage court society (as well as other arts). The roles in these productions were shared only by the king and his friend, the Comte de Saint-Aignan. Princes of the blood and courtiers, dancing next to their sovereign, depicted different elements, planets and other creatures and phenomena subject to the Sun. Louis himself continues to appear before his subjects in the form of the Sun, Apollo and other gods and heroes of Antiquity. The king left the stage only in 1670.

But the emergence of the nickname of the Sun King was preceded by another important cultural event Baroque era - Carousel of the Tuileries 1662. This is a festive carnival cavalcade, which is something between a sports festival (in the Middle Ages these were tournaments) and a masquerade. In the 17th century, Carousel was called “equestrian ballet”, since this action was more reminiscent of a performance with music, rich costumes and a fairly consistent script. At the Carousel of 1662, given in honor of the birth of the first-born of the royal couple, Louis XIV pranced in front of the audience on a horse dressed as a Roman emperor. In his hand the king had a golden shield with the image of the Sun. This symbolized that this luminary protects the king and with him the whole of France.

According to the historian of the French Baroque F. Bossan, “it was on the Grand Carousel of 1662 that, in a way, the Sun King was born. His name was given not by politics or the victories of his armies, but by equestrian ballet.”

The reign of Louis XIV lasted 72 years and 110 days.

Queens of France

WARRIOR OF THE QUEEN At dawn next day The dragoons lined up in two long rows in the castle courtyard from the stone grand staircase to the drawbridge, ready to accompany the royal couple to Presto. It was said that the king received some important news at dawn,

Sea Queens Tea Races In 1866, the pages of newspapers around the world were full of messages that did not leave a single sailor indifferent. Moreover, there was, perhaps, not a single English family in which the same topic of concern to everyone was not discussed at breakfast: