Claude of France (1547–1575)

Claude of Valois
Duchess consort of Lorraine
Born	12 November 1547 Fontainebleau
Died	21 February 1575 (aged 27) Nancy, France
Spouse	Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Issue	Henry II, Duke of Lorraine Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine Antoinette, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg Anne of Lorraine Francis II, Duke of Lorraine Catherine, Abbess of Remiremont Elisabeth Renata, Electress of Bavaria Claude of Lorraine
House	Valois-Angoulême
Father	Henry II of France
Mother	Catherine de' Medici

Claude of France (12 November 1547, Fontainebleau – 21 February 1575, Nancy) was the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.

Biography

Claude was raised alongside her sister Elisabeth, the future Queen of Spain, and her future sister-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots. She was married on 19 January 1559, at the age of 11, to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine. Claude was victim of the unhealthy traits that Catherine appeared to pass on to her children (with the exception of Marguerite) and suffered from a hunchback and club foot.

This very discreet princess was the favourite daughter of her mother. She often left Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, in order to live near her mother in the heart of France. Catherine de' Medici also liked to visit her daughter in Lorraine. Against her mother's wishes, though, Claude did try to warn her younger sister Marguerite de Valois of the danger she would face as the new wife of the Huguenot King of Navarre on the night of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.

Claude died in childbirth in 1575.

Children

Claude and her husband had nine children:

• Henry II, Duke of Lorraine (1563–1624)
• Christina of Lorraine (16 August 1565 – 19 December 1637); married Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
• Charles of Lorraine (1567–1607), Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Metz (1578–1607), Bishop of Strasbourg (1604–1607).
• Antoinette of Lorraine (1568–1610); married Jean-Guillaume, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.
• Anne of Lorraine (1569–1676)
• Francis II, Duke of Lorraine (1572–1632)
• Catherine of Lorraine (1573–1648), Abesse de Remiremont.
• Elisabeth of Lorraine (1574–1635); married Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.
• Claude of Lorraine (1575–1576)

Portrayals

Claude is a character on the CW show, Reign. She is portrayed by British actress Rose Williams.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Claude of France (1547–1575)

16. John, Count of Angoulême               8. Charles, Count of Angoulême                       17. Marguerite de Rohan               4. Francis I of France                             18. Philip II, Duke of Savoy               9. Louise of Savoy                       19. Margaret of Bourbon               2. Henry II of France                                   20. Charles I de Valois, Duke of Orléans               10. Louis XII of France                       21. Marie of Cleves               5. Claude of France                             22. Francis II, Duke of Brittany               11. Anne, Duchess of Brittany                       23. Margaret of Foix               1. Claude de Valois                                         24. Lorenzo de' Medici               12. Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici                       25. Clarissa Orsini               6. Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino                             26. Roberto Orsini, Count of Tagliacozzo               13. Alfonsina Orsini                       27. Caterina Sanseverino               3. Catherine de Medici                                   28. Bertrand VI of Auvergne               14. John III, Count of Auvergne                       29. Louise de la Tremoille               7. Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne                             30. Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme               15. Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendôme                       31. Isabelle de Beauveau

External links

• Medici Archive Project