Today we shall tell the tale of a powerful Princess and Queen. Born 1547 to the French Royal family we introduce to you Claude-Elizabeth.
Her father, King Henry II, was born Henry Louis Charlemange de Valois. Henry was the younger of two sons, a cold man, he was never expected to sit on the throne. However, his brother died before his father, of slightly questionable means. He ascended to the throne at 21, two years before his marriage.
Claude-Elizabeth's mother was born Catherine Marie Romula de Medici. She was a foreigner and a social pariah. The only person the French would dislike more would be Catherine's eventually daughter-in-law.
Catherine arrived in France in early 1542, unloved and disdained at the age of 22. Her mother had been a French countess descended from royalty. Both of Catherine's parents had died young. She was only saved by Medici relatives high positions of power in Italy. The marriage between the two was arranged for monetary reasons rather than political reasons. The 21-year-old Catherine's dowry is worth roughly $72,438,708 today. Henry and Catherine were married in January of 1542. She was considered Henry's plain afterthought of a wife.
Henry was already assuredly fertile having three bastard children from three different women. The eldest, a boy, was 4 at the time of the marriage, his sister was 3, and their brother 1.
The pressure was all on Catherine to produce heirs. No one much liked the young, unbeautiful Italian-born queen. A courtier, the Comte de Foix wrote to his wife from the royal wedding: "The king very much finds himself with a bride unsuited to his tastes. The lady hath nay chest of which to speaketh of and dresses like a issue nun. That lady words hath't none of the beauty of ours, they art clipped and rough, not unlike that lady raising. The lady hath nay grace whatsoever. The king wilt findeth himself so very unsatisfied. At the least he shalt findeth himself bored."
"The King very much finds himself with a bride unsuited to his tastes. She has no chest of which to speak of and dresses like a child nun. Her words have none of the beauty of ours, they are clipped and rough, not unlike her raising. She has no grace whatsoever. The King must find himself so very unsatisfied. At the least he shall find himself bored."
"Le roi se retrouve avec une épouse inadaptée à ses goûts. La dame n'a pas de poitrine dont on puisse parler et s'habille comme une nonne. Les mots de cette dame n'ont rien de la beauté des nôtres, ils sont coupés et rudes, tout comme ceux de cette dame. La dame n'a aucune grâce. Le roi se trouvera fort mécontent. Au moins, il s'ennuiera."
A Venetian ambassador described her as, "short and thin, her features are not delicate, and she has protruding eyes, like most of the Medici."
Catherine proved herself quickly, producing three sons in rapid succession. Henry, the dauphin was born in December of 1543. Francis, Duc d'Angoulême and the Duc d'Orléans, was born in February of 1544. In April of 1545 Charles, the Duc d'Anjou was born.
Our Princess, Claude-Elizabeth was born on May 14, 1547 at the royal palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, about ten miles northwest of Paris.
Just 4 months after her birth, Claude-Elizabeth's father entered into a war with Spain over a few disputed and independent duchies as well as Navarre. He would be gone at the front for 5 years. During his absence, Claude-Elizabeth's uncle, the King's brother, Louis was regent. He was a dour man who ran a very bland court. Due to this, the extravagant and beautiful people of France's royal court were not overly fond of him. He was very careful with money and supported none of the court's usual luxury.
The four royal children's lifestyles went relatively unaffected by this. Claude-Elizabeth and the princes lived at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye about 12 miles from court. Before he left the king had set a stipend to ensure that the children would live in typical royal luxury. The Chateau was a magnificent palace, favored and renovated by Claude-Elizabeth's father. It boasted gardens, a forest as well as tennis courts. Her father was quite fond of tennis despite his older brother's tennis related death. Excluding the kitchen staff, the children's nursery employed 200 some staff.
From youth Claude-Elizabeth exhibited intelligence, a light heart, and a spirted temper. She was not conventionally attractive for the time, what with her jet-black hair but she had a creamy complexion, good health and delicate features.
Despite her mother's and later her father's frequent visits to Saint Germain, Claude-Elizabeth never had a close relationship with either or any overly fond memories. The royal visits were not with the intention of seeing the children but rather enjoying the Chateau. In fact the child were specifically kept in a separate ward for the rest of the court, only visiting on special occasions.
The children were taught the strict etiquette rules that the members of the French Court abided by, as well as French, English, Spanish, Latin, Italian, and bits of greek. She would study history, poetry, art, and philosophy, cultivating a great love for learning. Among her many studies was religion, she explored both the Catholic and Protestant doctrines and while she would always be Cathloic, she developed a lingering sense of tolerance. The princess also learned needlework and how to run a household while the boys learned sciences and swordsmanship.
Three of the children developed stellar writing skills, Henry, Charles and Claude-Elizabeth. Charles would keep meticulous record in dozens of journals while Claude-Elizabeth favored vivacious letter writing. In his many journals Charles noted that Claude-Elizabeth was fond of sneaking into the boys lessons and that they often humored her. As a result Claude-Elizabeth was shockingly well educated and very prepared for when she later gained power.
When Claude-Elizabeth was 5 her father returned from the front and her 11-year-old brother Henry left Saint Germain for the royal court. The age of 11 being that which King Henry chose to welcome his children to court. It was noted by one of her ladies that the toddler princess "cried for days upon the leaving of her eldest and most beloved brother". All the older princes had doted upon the princess but Henry was her favorite, Charles her second.
The King and Queen were now 33. The war with Spain was not yet over, but Henry's ability to remain at the front was. The longer he stayed away from France the less power he had. During his time in the duchies Henry had acquired three more sons, but likely had sired more. He was a man with many infidelities. His older bastards were 15, 14, and 12. Those boys would eventually be given small areas of land and the daughter married to a mid-level noble. The new sons were sent 30 miles north of court to be raised at Chateau Charbontex, the estate of the Count of Marlens. The boys would not return to court until they were of age. Unlike other kings Henry hardly elevated or acknowledged his sons and daughter preferring to sent them away to be forgotten.
Mostly likely it was his way of keeping a semblance of peace with his wife, Catherine de Medici. She was not found of his affairs and even less so of the way he flaunted them. She would have been slightly mollified by his sending the children away.
Claude-Elizabeth would be 8 when the next of her siblings joined her at Saint Germain. Henry, 13, and Francis, 12 both resided at court by 1555 but Charles, 10 would remain at Saint Germain for another year. In March of 1555 Louis, Duc d'Alencon was born. He was followed in January of 1556 by Mary, in August 1557 by Elisabeth, in November of 1558 by twins, Antoinette and Francois, Duc of Aquitaine, and in January of 1560 by Marguerite. The royal children now numbered ten.