Marguerite of Valois
Birth of Marguerite of Valois~Duchess of Savoy & Berry .
She was the youngest daughter and child of King François I and Queen Claude de Valois.
In 1533, Catherine de’ Medici arrived at the French court to marry Marguerite’s brother Henri. It was the beginning of a long friendship between the two women. They spent many hours together, and long after Marguerite left the French court, she and Catherine exchanged letters.
In 1538, Marguerite’s father arranged a betrothal for her, with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles’ son Philip, the future King Philip II of Spain.However, the political tide soon turned and François and Charles were at odds once again, the agreement was dropped and Marguerite’s marriage never materialized.
In March of 1547, Marguerite’s father was very ill. She visited him on his deathbed and held his hand.
He was so overcome with emotion, he turned to the side and was unable to speak.
He urged her brother Henri to take care of his sister and to marry her to a man befitting of her status.
King François died on 31st March 1547.
On 29th April 1550, her brother King Henri, ennobled Marguerite with the title of Duchess of Berry, a title she held for the rest of her life. The title also gave her material and financial independence.
Marguerite was very proud of her status as a daughter of France, and wanted to marry a king at best and a sovereign at the very least.
Just before her thirty-sixth birthday, King Henri arranged a marriage for Marguerite as part of the terms in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, between Spain and France.The husband selected for her was Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and Prince of Piedmont.
The official marriage contract was signed on the 27th June, and the next day, a round of celebratory tournaments began. It would be the last time tournaments were held at the court of France.
On June 30, King Henri was tilting in the lists and boasted he wanted to make another run.
He took one last run against the Count of Montgomery whose lance slipped.
It struck Henri in his helmet at a point just beneath the visor.
The lance entered his right eye and penetrated his brain as the lance point shattered into pieces.
The king suffered a slow and painful death. He was still conscious and was fearful the Duke of Savoy would avoid marrying his sister.
He ordered the wedding take place immediately.
The marriage took place in a solemn and subdued ceremony at midnight on the 9th July, in the small church of Saint Paul’s near Tournelles Palace, where Henri lay dying.
Marguerite comforted Catherine de’ Medici through the days Henri was dying.Henri died on 10th July 1550.
As she mourned the death of her brother, Marguerite’s new husband departed to reconquer lost territory.
Marguerite stayed in Paris to attend to her sister-in-law and her nephews.
She finally left to join her husband in Nice on the 18th November, and from there they moved on to settle in Savoy and Piedmont.
Marguerite and her husband had only one surviving child, Charles Emmanuel I ~ Duke of Savoy, who was born in January 1562, when Margaret was 38 years of age.During her marriage, Marguerite lived in various cities in both Savoy and Piedmont. .
Marguerite died on the 14th September 1574 at the age of fifty-one. Her death was greatly mourned as she was beloved by the Savoy people.
She was buried in the Abbey of Hautecombe, the mausoleum of the House of Savoy.
Her grave was desecrated during the French Revolution, but her tomb was later restored.
Her husband was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Giovanni Battista in Turin.
https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/.../marguerite-of.../.
https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders.
16th C portrait of Marguerite~Studio of François Clouet
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