Elisabeth of Valois

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Elisabeth of Valois

Élisabeth of Valois (April 2 1545 – October 3 1568) was the eldest daughter of Henry II 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....
and 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....
.

Biography
She was born in the Chateau of Fontainebleau. Her childhood was spent in the French royal nursery, where her father insisted she share her bedroom with her future sister-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots, who was about her same age. Even though Elisabeth had to give precedence to Mary, (since Mary was already a crowned Queen) the two would remain close friends for the rest of their lives.

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Élisabeth of Valois (April 2 1545 – October 3 1568) was the eldest daughter of Henry II 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....
and Catherine de' Medici

Catherine de' Medici

Biography

She was born in the Chateau of Fontainebleau. Her childhood was spent in the French royal nursery, where her father insisted she share her bedroom with her future sister-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots, who was about her same age. Even though Elisabeth had to give precedence to Mary, (since Mary was already a crowned Queen) the two would remain close friends for the rest of their lives. Elisabeth was described as being shy, timid and very much in awe of her formidable mother; although there is also evidence that Catherine was tender and loving toward Elisabeth. (This was certainly evident in her letters to Elisabeth.)

Elisabeth married Philip II of Spain

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
("Philip the Catholic"), son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

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....
and Isabella of Portugal

Isabella of Portugal

Isabella of Portugal was the daughter of Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon . By her marriage to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Isabella was also List of Holy Roman Empresses and German queens and Queen consort of Aragon and Crown of Castile....
in 1559. Originally married via proxy at Notre Dame (with the Duke of Alba standing in for Philip) prior to leaving France, the actual ceremony took place in Guadalajara, Spain upon her arrival. The marriage was a result of the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis (1559). His second wife, Mary I of England

Mary I of England

Mary I , was Queen of England and Monarchy of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI of England, to the English throne....
had recently died; making Elisabeth of Valois Philip's third wife.

Philip was completely enchanted by his 14 year old bride, and within a short period of time had given up his mistress. Despite the significant age difference, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. (In letters to her mother, she proclaimed herself to be fortunate to have married so charming a prince.) Philip enjoyed hosting chivalric tournaments to entertain his wife. Elisabeth would play liege lady to the three young Princes of the Spanish Court Don Carlos, Don Juan

Don Juan

Don Juan or Don Giovanni is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra, by Tirso de Molina, is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630....
(John of Austria, illegitimate son of Charles V), and Alessandro Farnese

Alessandro Farnese

Alessandro Farnese may refer to:*Pope Paul III *Alessandro Farnese , Paul's grandson*Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza , Paul's great-grandson...
(Duke of Parma, and son of Charles V's illegitimate daughter Margaret).

Elisabeth had originally been betrothed to Philip's son, Don Carlos

Don Carlos

Don Carlos is a five-act Grand Opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph M?ry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller....
, but political complications unexpectedly necessitated instead a marriage to Philip. Her relationship with her troubled stepson Don Carlos was warm and friendly. Despite reports of his progressively bizarre behavior, Don Carlos was always kind and gentle to Elisabeth. When it eventually became necessary for Philip to lock him away (which shortly lead to the Prince’s demise) Elisabeth cried for days. Philip was very attached to Elisabeth, staying close by her side even when she was ill with smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"....
. Elisabeth's first pregnancy in 1564 ended with a miscarriage

Miscarriage

Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation....
of twin girls. She later gave birth to Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, was, together with her husband Albert VII, Archduke of Austria joint sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France....
on August 12 1566, and then to Isabella's younger sister Catherine Michelle of Spain October 10 1567. Elisabeth had another miscarriage on October 3 1568, and died the same day, along with her newborn infant son.

After the death of Elisabeth, Catherine de' Medici offered her younger daughter Marguerite as a bride for Philip. Philip declined the offer.

Elisabeth of Valois

Biography

Ancestors