Diane de France was the natural (illegitimate) daughter of
Henry IIHenry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
, King of France, and his
PiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
ese mistress
Filippa DuciFilippa Duci , dame de Couy, was a Piedmontese courtesan.-Life:...
. Some sources claim that she was the daughter of
Diane de PoitiersDiane de Poitiers was a French noblewoman and a prominent courtier at the courts of kings Francis I and his son, Henry II of France. She became notorious as the latter's favourite mistress...
.
Diane was born in Paris during 1538 and was formally legitimised in 1547. She was married in 1553 to
Orazio Farnese, Duke of CastroOrazio Farnese, Duke of Castro was the second duke of Castro. He is also notable as the husband of Diane de France....
, but was later widowed in the same year after Orazio was killed in battle. Diane's second marriage was to
Francis de MontmorencyFrançois, Duc de Montmorency was the eldest son of the first Duc de Montmorency, Anne.He was Duke of Montmorency, Count of Dammartin, Baron of Chateaubriant and Lord of L'Isle-Adam. Grand Master of France and Peer of France....
in 1559, who was the eldest son of
Anne, Constable of FranceAnne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France.-Early life:...
. Diane was widowed for a second time in 1579, after helping her to make her husband a leader of the
politiquePolitique is a term that was used during the sixteenth and seventeenth century Wars of Religion, to describe moderates of both religious faiths who held that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could save France from total collapse. It frequently included a pejorative connotation of moral...
s, a moderate Roman Catholic group in France.
Diane became of
favouriteA favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
of
Henry III, King of FranceHenry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
, who made her Duchess of Angoulême in
appanageAn apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
(during her lifetime only) during 1582. Diane also enjoyed much respect at the court of
Henry IV, King of FranceHenry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and superintended the education of his son
Louis XIII, King of FranceLouis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
.
Diane died on 11 January 1619 in Paris. Her surviving letters reveal her as a woman of great courage and tolerance.