Diane de Poitiers

Diane de Poitiers (September 3, 1499 - April 25, 1566) was a fixture at the courts of several French kings, and became notorious as the mistress of King Henri II.

Related Topics:
September 3 - 1499 - April 25 - 1566 - French - Henri II

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She was born the daughter of Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier in the château de Saint-Vallier, in the town of Saint-Vallier, Drôme, in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. Married to Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet, a grandson of King Charles VII, who served the court of King François I, she gained the title of Duchesse de Valentinois.

Related Topics:
Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier - Saint-Vallier - Drôme - Rhône-Alpes - France - Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet - King Charles VII - King François I

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She returned to the court after becoming a widow and, at age 35, became the mistress of the then 16-year-old Henri d'Orléans, later to be King Henri II. Although King Henri II fulfilled his duty by marrying the noble foreigner Catherine de' Medici, Diane de Poitiers would remain his lifelong true love. They had one daughter born in 1538 Diane, Duchess d'Angoulême (1538-1619) who married François, Duke of Montmorency.

Related Topics:
King Henri II - Catherine de' Medici

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A beautiful woman who maintained her looks well into her fifties, Diane possessed an extreme intellect and a political astuteness to the point that the King trusted her to write many of his official letters and to even sign them jointly with the one name: HenriDiane. She was in fact, the "brains behind the throne", and even in charge of the royal children's education. Her position in the Court of the King was such that when Pope Paul III sent the new Queen Catherine the "Golden Rose", he did not forget to present the royal mistress with a pearl necklace.

Related Topics:
Pope Paul III - Golden Rose

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The king's total adoration for Diane caused a great deal of jealousy on the part of Queen Catherine, particularly when Henri entrusted Diane with the Crown Jewels of France, had the Château d'Anet built for her, and gave her the beautiful Château Chenonceau that Catherine had wanted for herself.

Related Topics:
Château d'Anet - Château Chenonceau

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In 1559, when Henri was critically wounded in a jousting tournament, Catherine de' Medici took control, restricting access to him. Although the king called out repeatedly for Diane, she was never summoned, and on his death, she was also not invited to the funeral. Immediately thereafter, Catherine de' Medici banished Diane from Chenonceau to the Château de Chaumont. She stayed there only a short time and lived out her remaining years in her chateau in Anet, Eure-et-Loir where she died.

Related Topics:
1559 - Jousting - Tournament - Château de Chaumont - Anet - Eure-et-Loir

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In accordance with her wishes, and to provide a resting place for her, her daughter completed the funeral chapel built near the château.

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