***THE YOUNGEST VALOIS PRINCESS***
I was born at the Royal Castle of Saint-Germain-En-Laye on May 14, 1553. My father was King Henri II of Valois-Angouleme and my mother was Queen Catherine de Medicis-de La Tour Auvergne. I was the last daughter the couple would have, my mother having brought 10 children into this world. The French Court under the Valois Angouleme dynasty was the most luxurious Court in Europe where lavish parties were often celebrated. I traveled regularly through all the Castles belonging to my family such as Blois, Chambord, Chaumont, Amboise, and Chenonceaux. There, I grew up with my brothers Francois, Charles, Hercules ; and my dear older sisters Elizabeth and Claude. Here is an image of the beautiful gardens at Chenonceaux :
My mother, Queen Catherine, was very involved in our education. She wanted us to become proper Renaissance Princes. It wasn't uncommon however, that Diane de Poitiers, my father's mistress, would also participate in our upbringing. I don't remember her very well, but I knew mother hated her with a passion. Consequently, I soon learned Latin, Greek, Astronomy, Astrology, Literature, Music and Dancing. I also learned a little bit of Alchemy and the arts of Magic in general since mother was very interested in the Occult. I lived a relatively sheltered existence, increasingly spending most of my time at the Castle of Amboise with the other Royal Children and my future sister in law, the young Mary Stuart. She was engaged to my older brother Francois, heir to the French throne. This peaceful existence, however, would dramatically change for ever in 1559.
***DESCENT INTO DARKNESS***
Many sumptuous wedding celebrations took place on occasion of the marriage between my sister Elizabeth and Philip II of Spain. This marriage was the result of the treaty of Cateau Cambresis that sought to bring peace between the Valois of France and the Habsburgs of Spain. My father Henri II decided to participate in one of the jousts that were part of the festivities. Nostradamus had predicted his death a few days earlier and my mother had a premonitory dream about his demise. Papa still decided to fight and he received a terrible injury on his eye. He died on July 10th 1559. This drawing represents that fateful day:
.
By that time, Protestantism had started to spread among the most powerful noble families of our Kingdom. The Bourbons, heirs to the French throne after the Valois, became the head of the new religion with the Prince of Conde and the Marshal Gaspard Coligny as its leaders. The Catholic party was lead by the Duke Francois de Guise and the Constable de Montmorency, my father's former favorite. The latter formed the "Catholic Triumvariat" that sought to counterbalance the power of the Bourbons as Princes of the Blood. In truth, both families wanted to use religion in order to gain the French Crown on their heads...
My oldest brother was crowned under the name of Francois II, his wife Mary Stuart became Queen Consort. He was too young to rule, so my mother Catherine became Regent along with Mary's Stuart's uncles Francois de Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine. Some believed that Antoine de Bourbon should have been elected Regent since he was the closest male heir to the throne after my brothers. Francois de Guise's arrogance didn't help matters and on March 1560 Protestant rebels headed towards the Castle of Amboise to kidnap the Royal Family, kill Guise, and place Antoine de Bourbon as head of State. The plot was discovered though Antoine's implication was never proved. All the rebels were caught, tortured and executed in front of the Royal Family and the whole Court. It wouldn't be the last time I'd witness such barbaric scenes. I was only 7 years old. Tragedy stroke our family again when Francois II died from an ear infection on December 5 1560.
My brother Charles became King Charles IX. Mother took the title of "Governess of France". This time she didn't share power with anyone: she sent Mary Stuart back to Scotland. After years of peace, Protestants in France felt encouraged to restart hostilities following the example of the Netherlands where Philip II's authority was rebelled against. And so two more bloody civil wars followed in which Montmorency and Antoine de Bourbon died during battle. Francois de Guise was killed by Poltrot de Meret. The Guise family accused Coligny of being behind this murder without proof. Coligny remained free but the Guises swore to take revenge one day. After the Tour of France we made in 1565, my brother Henri of Anjou had many military victories, such as Jarnac and Moncontour where he killed the rebellious Protestant Prince of Conde. He became a hero in the Catholic camp.After the long siege of La Rochelle, the Protestant leader Coligny and my mother Catherine signed the Peace Treaty of Saint Germain on august 8, 1570.
***MARRIAGE OF BLOOD***
This is a miniature of my parents in the middle and all my brothers and sisters:
Meanwhile, I became one of the most celebrated beauties of my time having porcelain skin and blond hair. During that time, my brother Henri and his favorite Louis du Guast spread false rumors about an affair between the new Duke of Guise, Henri, and I. Of course it was all a filthy fabrication. My brother, King Charles IX, took my side though my mother remained suspicious of me. By that time, Charles IX and I developed a great amount of hatred and jealousy against Henri since my mother clearly preferred him over us.
My mother had tried to arrange my marriage to Don Carlos of Spain -son of Philip II- and to king Sebastian of Portugal. Don Carlos had died in prison in 1568, and Sebastian of Portugal went off to fight in Africa. Mother then decided to marry me to my cousin Henri, the son of the King and Queen of Navarre: Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne d'Albret. He became the new King of Navarre after Antoine's death and the closest in line to the French throne after my brothers. That marriage was considered an abomination by Catholics and Protestants alike. His mother, Jeanne d'Albret, took an immediate disliking of me since I symbolized "Catholic excess" in her eyes. Her sudden death just before the wedding lead Protestants to accuse my mother and I of poisoning her, without any proof. There was no point in killing her since the wedding plans went on regardless. This engraving represents Henri and I as a couple:
***THE MASSACRE OF SAINT BARTHELEMY***
Henri and I married at the cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris in August 1572. The wedding night was a success, and it was proved I was a virgin in spite of all the rumors Du Guast had started a few years earlier. Meanwhile, thousands of Protestants came to the wedding which enraged the ultra Catholic Parisians. Among these was Gaspard de Coligny, the main Protestant leader after the death of Conde in hands of my brother Henry of Anjou. He became very close to my brother King Charles and almost convinced him to send troops to the Netherlands to help William of Orange with his fight against Philip II. Spain was the most powerful Kingdom in Christiandom so a war against Philip II meant certain disaster. My mother Catherine, the Duke Henri of Guise and my brother Henri of Anjou plotted Coligny's murder. Helas! he survived the bullet intended to kill him.
This angered all the Protestants in Paris. They talked about avenging Coligny and they went as far as threatening the Royal family. This time, Charles IX and my mother decided to murder the most important Protestant leaders since they represented a major menace to our Royal Integrity. Consequently, they slaughtered around 60 Protestant nobles considered to be the heads of the rebelion. These murders encouraged Parisians to massacre nearly 30000 men, women, and children of the Protestant faith. Coligny was killed on his bed: He couldn't escape death this time. I was terrified in the Louvre with my sister Claude and my mother Catherine. The latter was able to maintain her cold blood. Later on, a wounded man broke into my room looking for mercy. I begged for his life to be spared. This engraving represents that terrible massacre:
***MARGOT, REBEL AND CONSPIRATOR***
My husband Henri then became a prisoner at Court under the orders of my mother, Queen Catherine. She had managed for my brother Henri of Anjou to be elected King of Poland: Her longtime dream was to see a Crown on the heads of all of her children. Nevertheless, my sweet brother King Charles became ill with tuberculosis and died in 1574. I was devastated for he was very dear to me and that meant my enemy Henri of Anjou was crowned as Henri III. My husband Henri of Navarre became the new Protestant leader. People were tired of so many wars and massacres so a new faction was formed: "Les Politiques", which was composed by moderate Catholics and Protestants. The head of this new party was my younger brother, Hercule, Duke d'Alencon.
It was then that Alencon asked me to join them and plot against Henri III before he returned from Poland. My hatred of Henri III turned me into their ally. We plotted my husband's and kid brother's escape from Court with Leyrac de la Molle, and the Italian Duke Coconato. My mother discovered our plans and executed La Molle and Coconato. I denied my participation in this conspiracy but mother never trusted me again. So Henri III came back to France all triumphant from Poland. A new era had begun. Indeed,
Henri III's Court was the most decadent and opulent Europe had seen in centuries:
One of the first things Henri III did as King was to try to destroy the "Politiques" alliance. With the help of his favorite du Guast, he spread new false rumors about me having lovers. My husband didn't believe them: I was a devout and virtuous wife even though the King of Navarre was not too keen on taking baths. When his plans blundered, du Guast sent his whore Charlotte de Sauve to both my husband's and brother Alencon's bed. They both fell in love with that harlot which ended their friendship. I was extremely enraged over my husband's lack of respect towards me so I took Alencon's side.My immediate family always came before my husband. By 1576, Charlotte de Sauve became the Duke Henri de Guise's mistress which restored my husband's friendship with Alencon and I. We began plotting their escape again, and this time Alencon and Henri fled from Court disguised as women with my help which enraged Henri III. I tried to escape and join my brother but the King held me prisoner at Court.
Henri III had then become very influenced by his "Mignons", a group of handsome young men lead by Du Guast, Joyeuse, Epernon, etc. The Mignons received countless privileges and became very powerful. They even replaced my mother's influence over Henri III but she remained devoted to him. The "Mignons" constantly humiliated Alencon and other important Aristocrats. Many nobles began to hate Henri III and took sides with Alencon hoping he'd become King someday. I personally took advantage of being at Court and I became a spy for Alencon and my husband. I sent them vital information about Henri III's plans.
My life as hostage was quite hideous since that nasty du Guast became frankly insolent. He started calling me "whore" behind my back. I decided to get rid of him. I hired the services of the baron of Viteaux, a great swordsman. I paid him a good amount of money to kill that du Guast pig. He accomplished his mission wonderfully and without any suspicions of me being behind the murder. Henri III was of course extremely angry at me since he suspected I was behind the killing of his beloved friend. Yet, there was nothing he could do...other than take revenge one day.
***INTRIGUING FOR ALENCON IN THE LOW COUNTRIES, MY COURT IN NERAC. ***
My brother Alencon was asked to bring assistance to the rebel William of Orange in exchange of the Netherlands throne. As mentioned earlier, Orange lead a Protestant rebellion in the Low Countries against my brother in law Philip II of Spain. Alencon asked me to go to the Low Countries in order to do some lobbying for him and to see if helping Orange was worth it. So I pretended to be sick and I asked my brother Henri III to let me go to the therapeutic waters of Spa. There, I met and charmed many local nobles who were tired of Spanish tyrants. They swore to support my brother's campaign against the Spanish Governor of the Low Countries: The handsome Don Juan de Austria, bastard brother of Philip II. My brother Henri III found out about my double game and alerted the Spanish about my true intentions. I had to run away, escaping Spanish troops commanded by Don Juan. They had been ordered to arrest me.
Back in France, I was received by my darling brother Hercule, now Duke of Alencon-Anjou with the greatest expressions of love and respect. Surprisingly, Henri III wasn't angry at me. Indeed, many Protestant uprisings were taking place and Henri III wanted me to pacify my husband, the head of the Protestant party. Life at Court worsened dramatically during my absence: The "Mignons" seemed to be more powerful than ever. My mother's influence decreased even more and Alencon was constantly humiliated and insulted. I headed towards the South West with my mother where I was received effusively by my husband King Henri de Navarre. I convinced him to stop his war against Henri III, at least for the moment. This is a picture of the Royal Castle of Navarre in Nerac:
.
The ever green landscapes of Aquitaine were tarnished by the austerity of my Protestant Court. I was soon mistrusted for I remained a devout Catholic. I decided to change Nerac and under my reign it became one of the most cultured and elegant Royal Courts in Europe. I received writers like Montagine on daily basis and I inspired William Shakespeare to write "Love's Labor's Lost". But soon a new civil war began. I suggested Alencon as mediator between camps. Surprisingly, Alencon elaborated a treaty that satisfied both Catholics and Protestants. This treaty is famously remembered as "La Paix de Monsieur". He became more popular than ever. Henri III, dying of jealousy, accused me of provoking this war in order to further advance Alencon's career. He swore not to stop until he saw Alencon and I ruined.
Meanwhile, my husband took one mistress after another. For a Protestant King, he certainly wasn't too afraid of sin. His most popular whore, "La Fosseuse", became pregnant. I hadn't been able to produce an heir so the little slag planned to get the King of Navarre to divorce me and marry her instead if the child was male. Henri seemed to agree and he forced me to assist "La Fosseuse" during labor. Luckily, the child was a dead girl. Still, I decided to get rid of the harlot by accepting an invitation from Henri III to return to the French Court for a visit. I took "la Fosseuse" as lady in waiting with me to later send her back to her mother much to my husband's regret! Here is one of the many interior galleries at Blois:
***WAR AGAINST MY HUSBAND, WAR AGAINST MY BROTHER***
Around that time, I fell in love with Jacques de Harlay, lord of Champvallon. Why not? My husband cheated on me repeatedly, it was time I gave a chance to true love. Henri III found out about it and he wrongfully accused me of having had a child of Champvallon in front of the entire Court! That humiliation was the last drop: I was determined to destroy Henri III at all costs. And so I came back to my Kingdom of Navarre, feeling betrayed and humiliated. Henri's new whore, Corisande, had taken over the Navarre Court in my absence. Henri started to ignore me. To make matters worse, my beloved brother and ally Alencon died in 1584. Consequently, my husband became heir to the French throne since Henri III had no children thus far. The newly formed Catholic League wanted to crown its leader, Henri de Guise, as King: they didn't want a Protestant as Monarch. Soon talks started about abolishing the Salic law which means I'd have a chance of becoming Queen of France as the last member of the Valois family.
This encouraged me to leave my husband in 1585 and move to Agen. There, I rallied all Catholic lords and declared war on both my husband and my brother Henri III with the help of Guise and Philip II of Spain. Soon battles started with mixed results. I gave orders in the battle fields next to my faithful captain Aubiac. Time passed by and the plague hit Agen. War was taking longer than expected. The people of Agen were starving and the tough winter didn't help matters either. Encouraged by Henri III, they rebelled against me and I had to flee. After 6 days of nonstop horse back riding I arrived at my domains in Auvergne where I was arrested by the Marquis de Canillac, creature of Henri III. The brave and loyal Aubiac was executed and Henri III imprisoned me in the old Medieval fortress of Usson::
***CAPTIVITY IN A GOLDEN CAGE, THE RETURN OF "LA REINE MARGOT"***
So I stayed locked up in the Usson Citadel for nearly 20 years. There, I decided to turn my prison into one of the most important learning centers of the Kingdom. I became an author and I wrote my famous "Memoires" and "La ruelle mal assortie" along with many other poems and essays. During that time, the political situation in France deteriorated beyond repair. The Duke Henri de Guise planned to save me from my captivity when Henri III got him stabbed at Blois. Soon later my mother died in 1589 from pneumonia and a Catholic monk, Jacques Clement, stabbed Henri III to avenge Guise. And so that was the end of my once powerful family; I was the last Valois member alive. My husband Henri of Navarre became King of France renouncing the Protestant faith under the name of Henri IV. The time of the Bourbon family had begun.
I therefore became Queen of France, a Queen in prison. By 1593, Henri IV tried to negotiate the divorce with me. He wanted to marry his current harlot, Gabrielle D'Estrees, but I'd never let a whore take my place. So we remained married until 1599 when Gabrielle died. I was sterile so for the sake of France I gave him the divorce. He married Marie de Medicis. Our divorce settlement gave me a more than handsome yearly allowance, the right to be called "Queen" and "Royal Highness" and the title of Duchess of Valois. I made a a grandiose entrance in Paris in 1605. I also became close friends with Marie de Medicis. In 1610 Henri IV got murdered by the "red-headed giant" Ravaillac. Marie became Regent but she didn't change anything about the divorce settlements. She would bring the little Louis XIII visit me at my gorgeous Parisian home of Sens on regular basis. There, I held a brilliant Court where the Valois refinement was kept alive until my death in 1615: