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Claude of France (14 October 1499 – 20 July 1524), Queen Consort
Queen consort

A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning Monarch. Queens consort usually share their husbands' Royal and noble ranks and hold the feminine equivalent of their husbands' monarchical titles....
 of France and Duchess of Brittany
Duke of Brittany

The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the Armorican peninsula west of Mont-Saint-Michel and north of Nantes/Naoned, including Rennes/Roazhon and Vannes/Gwened....
 in her own right, was the eldest daughter of Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France

Louis XII , called "the Father of the People" was the thirty-fifth List of French monarchs of France and the sole monarch from the House of Valois Cadet branch of the House of Valois....
 and Anne, Duchess of Brittany
Anne of Brittany

Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II of Brittany and Margaret of Foix....
.

As the first wife of Francis I of France
Francis I of France

Francis I , was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547.Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch....
, she was the mother of Henry II
Henry II of France

Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
, and thus grandmother of the last three kings of the Valois line and also of Elisabeth, Queen consort of Spain
Elisabeth of Valois

?lisabeth of Valois was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici....
; Claude, Duchess consort of Lorraine
Claude of Valois

Claude of Valois was born at Fontainebleau on 12 November 1547 and died in Nancy on 21 February 1575. She was the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici....
; and Marguerite
Marguerite de Valois

Marguerite de Valois , "La Reine Margot" was List of Queens and Empresses of France of Kingdom of France and of Kingdom of Navarre during the late sixteenth century....
, the Queen consort of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France

Henry de Bourbon, , ruled as Henry III, List of Navarrese monarchs, from 1572 to 1610, and as Henry IV, List of French monarchs, from 1589 to 1610....
. She is also the maternal grandmother of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy

Charles Emmanuel I , , surnamed the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was also nicknamed Testa d' feu for his rashness and military attitudes....
.

use her mother, Anne, Duchess of Brittany, had no surviving sons, Claude became heiress to the Duchy of Brittany.






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Claude of France (14 October 1499 – 20 July 1524), Queen Consort
Queen consort

A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning Monarch. Queens consort usually share their husbands' Royal and noble ranks and hold the feminine equivalent of their husbands' monarchical titles....
 of France and Duchess of Brittany
Duke of Brittany

The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the Armorican peninsula west of Mont-Saint-Michel and north of Nantes/Naoned, including Rennes/Roazhon and Vannes/Gwened....
 in her own right, was the eldest daughter of Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France

Louis XII , called "the Father of the People" was the thirty-fifth List of French monarchs of France and the sole monarch from the House of Valois Cadet branch of the House of Valois....
 and Anne, Duchess of Brittany
Anne of Brittany

Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II of Brittany and Margaret of Foix....
.

As the first wife of Francis I of France
Francis I of France

Francis I , was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547.Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch....
, she was the mother of Henry II
Henry II of France

Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
, and thus grandmother of the last three kings of the Valois line and also of Elisabeth, Queen consort of Spain
Elisabeth of Valois

?lisabeth of Valois was the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici....
; Claude, Duchess consort of Lorraine
Claude of Valois

Claude of Valois was born at Fontainebleau on 12 November 1547 and died in Nancy on 21 February 1575. She was the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici....
; and Marguerite
Marguerite de Valois

Marguerite de Valois , "La Reine Margot" was List of Queens and Empresses of France of Kingdom of France and of Kingdom of Navarre during the late sixteenth century....
, the Queen consort of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France

Henry de Bourbon, , ruled as Henry III, List of Navarrese monarchs, from 1572 to 1610, and as Henry IV, List of French monarchs, from 1589 to 1610....
. She is also the maternal grandmother of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy

Charles Emmanuel I , , surnamed the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was also nicknamed Testa d' feu for his rashness and military attitudes....
.

Betrothals and marriage

Because her mother, Anne, Duchess of Brittany, had no surviving sons, Claude became heiress to the Duchy of Brittany. The crown of France, however, could pass only to and through male heirs, according to Salic Law
Salic law

Salic law was an important body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century....
. In 1504, Anne, eager to keep Brittany separate from the French crown, effected the Treaty of Blois
Treaty of Blois

The Treaty of Blois can refer to one of the four treaties signed in the French city of Blois in the early sixteenth century between the Spanish kingdoms and France:...
, which promised Claude's hand in marriage to the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556....
 with the promise of Brittany and the Duchy of Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy

The Duchy of Burgundy was a feudal territory once existing within the France in the Middle Ages. It roughly conforms to the modern Bourgogne. Existing between 843 and 1477, the Duchy was ruled by a succession of Duke of Burgundy, whose extinction with the death of Charles the Bold in 1477 led to the Duchy being absorbed into the French crown...
. The prospect of a reduced France surrounded on several sides was unacceptable to the Valois, and so the betrothal was soon canceled.

The French nobles argued against a betrothal to a foreigner, urging Louis XII to marry Claude to her cousin François, Duke of Angoulême
Francis I of France

Francis I , was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547.Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch....
, "who is at least all French," and was also the heir-presumptive to the French crown. In 1506, the child was betrothed to François. In 1514, when her mother died, Claude became Duchess of Brittany; and on 18 May 1514, at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye

ame=Saint-Germain-en-Laye|image =|caption=Ch?teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the town centre|map_size=270px|adjustable_map =St-Germain-en-Laye_map.png|...
, she married François.

Court life


Claude, the pawn of so much dynastic maneuvering, was short in stature and afflicted with scoliosis
Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's Vertebral column is curved from side to side, shaped like a "s", and may also be rotated....
, which gave her a hunched back. She was eclipsed at court by her mother-in-law, Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy

File:Louise de Savoie.jpgLouise of Savoy was the mother of Francis I of France.Louise of Savoy was born at Pont-d'Ain, the eldest daughter of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and his first wife, Margaret of Bourbon ....
, and her sister-in-law, the literary Marguerite, Queen Consort of Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre

Marguerite de Navarre , also known as Marguerite of Angouleme and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of King Henry II of Navarre....
.

When François became King in 1515, two of Claude's ladies-in-waiting were the English sisters Mary
Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn was a member of the English Boleyn family, which enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. Mary was the sister of Queen consort Anne Boleyn; some historians claim she was the younger sister, but her children believed Mary was the elder sister, as do most historians today....
 and Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was List of English consorts as the Wives of Henry VIII of Henry VIII of England. She was also Earl of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the English Reformation....
, and another was Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers

Diane de Poitiers was a noblewoman and a fixture at the courts of Francis I of France and Henry II of France of France. She became notorious as the latter's favorite mistress, though she was 20 years his senior....
. Mary became the king's mistress before returning home in about 1519. Anne served as Claude's official translator whenever there were English visitors, such as in 1520. Anne was also a temporary companion to Claude's younger sister, Renée
Renée of France

Ren?e of France , also known as Ren?e de France and Renata di Francia....
. Anne Boleyn returned to England in 1521, where she eventually became the Queen Consort of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
. Diane de Poitiers was a principal inspiration of the School of Fontainebleau
School of Fontainebleau

The Ecole de Fontainebleau refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late French Renaissance centered around the royal Ch?teau de Fontainebleau....
 of the French Renaissance, and became the lifelong mistress of François' son and successor, Henri II.

Claude's life was spent in an endless round of annual pregnancies. Her husband had many mistresses, but was usually relatively discreet. Claude imposed a strict moral code on her own household, which only a few chose to flout.

Children

Buch2 659
Claude and Francis I had seven children:
  • Louise, Princess of France (August 19, 1515 - September 21, 1517) - died young.
  • Charlotte, Princess of France
    Charlotte de Valois

    Charlotte of Valois was a French people princess, the second daughter of Francis I of France and Claude de France. At one point Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor was bound by the Treaty of Noyon to marry her....
     (October 23, 1516 - September 8, 1524) - died young.
  • Francis, Dauphin of France (February 28, 1518 - August 10, 1536) - died young.
  • Henry II, King of France
    Henry II of France

    Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
     (March 31, 1519 - July 10, 1559) - married Catherine de' Medici
    Catherine de' Medici

    Catherine de' Medici was born in Florence, as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Her parents, Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, both died within weeks of her birth....
    . Had issue.
  • Madeleine, Princess of France (August 10, 1520 - July 2, 1537) - married James V of Scotland
    James V of Scotland

    James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his premature death at the age of thirty, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss....
    . No issue
  • Charles of Valois, Duke of Orleans
    Charles de Valois, Duc d'Orléans

    Charles d'Angouleme, Duc d'Orleans, was the 3rd son of King Francis I of France and Claude de France, daughter of Louis XII of France....
     (January 22, 1522 - September 9, 1545) - Died young. Had no issue.
  • Marguerite of France
    Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry

    Marguerite of France was the daughter of King Francis I of France and Claude, Duchess of Brittany....
     (June 5, 1523 - September 14, 1574) - married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
    Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy

    Emmanuel Philibert was Duke of Savoy Savoy from 1553 to 1580.Born in Chamb?ry, Emmanuel Philibert was the only child of Charles III, Duke of Savoy and Beatrice of Portugal to reach adulthood....
     in 1559. Had issue.


Death and later events


Claude died in 1524, when she was only twenty-four. She was initially succeeded as ruler of Brittany by her eldest son, the Dauphin François, who became Duke François III, with Claude's widower King François I as guardian. After the Dauphin's untimely death in 1536, Claude's second son, Henry, Duke of Orleans
Henry II of France

Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
, became Dauphin and Duke of Brittany. He later became King of France as Henry II.

Claude's widowed husband himself remarried several years after Claude's death, to Eleanor of Habsburg, the sister of Emperor Charles V. The atmosphere at court became considerably more debauched, and there were rumours that King François's death in 1547 was due to syphilis
Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The route of transmission of syphilis is almost always through sexual contact, although there are examples of congenital syphilis via transmission from mother to child in utero....
.

"Reine Claude" plum

Claude is remembered in a classic small plum, the size of a walnut, pale green with a glaucous bloom. It is still called "Reine Claude" (literally, "Queen Claude,") in France and is known in England as a "greengage
Greengage

The Greengage is an edible drupe fruit, a cultivar of the plum. It was developed in France from a green-fruited wild plum originally found in Asia Minor....
."

Ancestors