King Henry IV and his wives

[umigon]

But she was called Margot by the members of her family. So her official name in palace even after her divorce was 'la Reine Marguerite', wasn't it?

[ilyala]

i find it interesting that while she was marrying henry of navarre she had an affair with henry of guise who would become her husband's enemy. (who already was in a way at the time),.... i wonder how the two henrys felt about that... :-/

[Yseult]

When Alessandro of Medici, illegitimate son of Giulio of Medici (later Pope Clement VII) and his lover Simonetta da Collevechio (a black serving-woman), was assasinated by his distant cousin Lorenzino di Medici in 1537, the power came to another distant cousin, Cosimo of Medici. Cosimo ruled as grand duke Cosimo I of Tuscany from 1537 to 1574.

Cosimo married in 1539 Eleonora di Toledo, a rich heiress as daughter of the spanish viceroy of Naples Pedro Alvarez de Toledo. The couple Cosimo & Eleonora had eleven children, but Eleonora died with two of the sons when they suffered an attack of malaria while traveling to Pisa in 1562. Cosimo married again, this time with his mistress Camilla Martelli. Camilla offered him three children before her death, in 1574.

The eldest male son of Cosimo by his first wife Eleonore was named Francesco. He was to rule after the father. On december 18, 1565 Francesco married Johanna of Austria, a daughter of the german emperor Ferdinand I and his wife Anna, queen of Bohemia and Hungary.

These are portraits of Francesco and Johanna:





These are portraits of Cosimo and Eleonora, father and mother of Francesco:





And these are portraits of emperor Ferdinand and queen Anna, father and mother of Johanna:





******

Francesco and Johanna were not a happy couple. The calm, gentle and plain Johanna was homesick for her natal Austria, and Francesco was not a charming husband, neither a faithful husband, to her. But they had seven children, six daughters and only a son. The daughters were Eleonore, Romola, Anna, Isabella, Lucrezia and Maria. The son was named Filippo.

After the death of Johanna in 1578, aged thirty, it was said that she has been poisoned by her husband Francesco, who became grand duke in suceeding his father Cosimo in 1574, and the mistress of Francesco, Bianca Capello, named the enchantress of Venetia. This is a portrait that shows the beauty of Bianca Capello:

[Yseult]

Maria of Medici, the younger daughter of Francesco and Johanna, was born in Florence April 36, 1573. Maria had not a sweet childhood. The death of her mother when she was only five years old overshadowed these times. She remained with her elder sisters Eleonore and Anna in Pitti Palace. Francesco neglected his daughters, because he was blind to anyone but his mistress Bianca, the daughter of Bianca by a first marriage named Pellegrina and the son -a changeling baby- that Bianca had offered to him to persuade him to contract a second marriage.

Two portraits of Maria as a child:





In 1582, the  elder sister Eleonore was married to Vincenzo Gonzaga, duke of Mantua. Anna, thirteen years old, and Maria, just nine years old, felt apalled when their devote sister Eleonore moved from Florence to Mantua with her recent husband Vincenzo. But a great shock came upon Maria in 1784: Anna became very ill and died. Our princess remained, now, alone. At this time, appeared into the life of Maria a young girl named Dianora Dori Galigai. Maria called Dianora "Eleonora", maybe in remembrance of her distant sister the duchess of Mantua.

Some portraits showed Maria as a young lady uncommonly pretty:





Francesco, the father of Maria, and his second wife Bianca Capello died on the same day, 19 october 1587. It was said that they were poisoned, but the more likely cause of death is malarial fever. It´s true, however, that Ferdinand, brother and heir of Francesco, hated Bianca bitterly. Francesco, new grand duke, refused Bianca burial in the family tomb, for her infamy and low rank.

It´s noteworthy that Ferdinand, oncle of Maria, married in 1589 the french princess Christine of Lorraine, a daughter of the duke of Lorraine by his wife Claudia of France. Through her mother, Christine was a grand-daughter of Henri II of France and his queen Catherine of Medici, a distant cousin of Marie´s father and oncle.

[Yseult]

And...in october 1600, Maria of Medici married to the king of France, Henri IV, following the annulment of his marriage to Marguerite of Valois, the famous queen Margot, herself a daughter of Catherine of Medici. Henri married Maria because the florentian princess had a dowry of 600.000 crowns. The marriage was a shock for Henri´s mistress, Catherine Henriette Balzan d´Entrangues. She was in her tittle of royal mistress since the death of the former mistress, the beautiful Gabrielle d´Estrees. Henri made Catherine Henriette a promise to marry, but, at the end, good reasons moved the king to marry Maria of Medici, who became queen Marie of France when she was twenty seven years old.

This is a paint about the wedding of Henri and Marie:



And this a portrait of Marie as recent queen of France:



Anyone wants to discuss about the reign and later regency of queen Marie of Medici?

[bell_the_cat]

Yes indeed, I am totally fascinated by the character of Marie de' Medicis. Do you think we can go so far to say that her relationship with La Galigai was a lesbian one?

[Yseult]

Yes indeed, I am totally fascinated by the character of Marie de' Medicis. Do you think we can go so far to say that her relationship with La Galigai was a lesbian one?

It could be...but I don´t believe it 

I think that Marie was so attached to Eleonore because Eleonore was her foster-sister.The two girls were raised up together, and, later, Eleonore was chosen as a lady-in-waiting for Marie when the princess remained alone at the Pitti Palace after the marriage of her sister Eleonore and the dead of her sister Anna.

Eleonore Dori, later Eleonore Galigai, became the only friend of Marie. It´s not strange that Marie gave all her confidence to Eleonore, who seems have been a very bright and ambitious woman. Marie could have been ambitious, but not a clever woman, I think.

By the way, a portrait of Eleonore:

[bell_the_cat]

La Galigai was accused of witchcraft, which would explain the power she had over Marie. In her defence she said it was the power which "les âmes fortes exercent sur les âmes faibles". That was a good answer - I think she was a very clever woman!

I don't think we can rule out a lesbian relationship, however!

[Yseult]

La Galigai was accused of witchcraft, which would explain the power she had over Marie. In her defence she said it was the power which "les âmes fortes exercent sur les âmes faibles". That was a good answer - I think she was a very clever woman!

I don't think we can rule out a lesbian relationship, however!

At this time, it was so easy to accuse a powerful woman of sorcery. The italians had a bad reputation among the french people since Catherine of Medici, named "la Reine Noire". Catherine was very close to the Ruggieri´s brothers and to Nostradamus.

[ilyala]

marie was named regent for her son just a day before henry iv died assasinated. i believe someone made a prophecy of that.

do you think it's a coincidence?

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

More paintings of the queen
By Rubens

The queen with jewels

With Louis XIII

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

The widow queen

With her husband and children

The Queen

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

More portraits about the queen

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Her meeting with King Henry

In horseback

[Lucien]

The head of King Henri IV is discovered again,allthough discovered.It disappeared after the body was entombed and decapitated during the french revolution.
The head went about till 50 years ago when a french couple bought it at an auction.They apparently knew it was Henri's head.
Now scientists have verified that it is indeed the head of the King.The Bourbon family wishes it to be interred at St.Denis,again.