King of France & Navarre
1574
King of Poland
1573.
Son of: Henri II de France & Catherine de' Medici.
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Louise de Lorraine Queen of France @Wikipedia |
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| Louise de Lorraine Queen of France |
Daughter of: Nicolas de Lorraine, Duc de Mercoeur & Marguerite de Egmont.
Queen Louise's physical appearance & personal qualities.
Louise de Lorraine's physical appearance.
"The impression which queen Louise made on the Venetian ambassador Jean Michel has been left on record by him in a relation addressed to his senate. Justness of comprehension and acute insight into character and accuracy of detail distinguish the despatches of the envoys of the Seigniory. 'The queen,' says Michel, 'is a young princess of nineteen or twenty years. She is very handsome; her figure is elegant and of middle size rather than small, for her majesty had no need to wear high-heeled shoes to increase her height. Her figure is slight, her profile beautiful, and her features majestic, agreeable, and lively. Her eyes, though very pale, are full of vivacity; her complexion is pale, and the colour of her hair pale yellow, which gives great content to the king, because that hue is rare in this country, where most of the ladies have black hair. The queen uses no cosmetics, not any other artifice of the toilette. As for her moral virtue, she is gentle and affable. It is said that she is liberal and benevolent to the extent of her means. She has some wit and understanding, and her comprehension is ready. Her piety is fervent as that of her husband, and this is saying everything. She appears devoted to the king, and shows him great reverence; in short, it is impossible to witness a more complete union than that which now exists between their majesties. . . ." (Henry III., King of France and Poland: his court and times: 21)
"The impression which queen Louise made on the Venetian ambassador Jean Michel has been left on record by him in a relation addressed to his senate. Justness of comprehension and acute insight into character and accuracy of detail distinguish the despatches of the envoys of the Seigniory. 'The queen,' says Michel, 'is a young princess of nineteen or twenty years. She is very handsome; her figure is elegant and of middle size rather than small, for her majesty had no need to wear high-heeled shoes to increase her height. Her figure is slight, her profile beautiful, and her features majestic, agreeable, and lively. Her eyes, though very pale, are full of vivacity; her complexion is pale, and the colour of her hair pale yellow, which gives great content to the king, because that hue is rare in this country, where most of the ladies have black hair. The queen uses no cosmetics, not any other artifice of the toilette. As for her moral virtue, she is gentle and affable. It is said that she is liberal and benevolent to the extent of her means. She has some wit and understanding, and her comprehension is ready. Her piety is fervent as that of her husband, and this is saying everything. She appears devoted to the king, and shows him great reverence; in short, it is impossible to witness a more complete union than that which now exists between their majesties. . . ." (Henry III., King of France and Poland: his court and times: 21)
Henri III needed power---and a wife, too.
" . . . Henry needed not only power, but also a wife. As long as he remained single, it was possible that Alencon would seek to replace him on the throne. But who he to marry? As we have seen, Catherine de' Medici had tried in vain to persuade him to marry the English queen, Elizabeth I. Henry had been much in love with Marie de Cleves, but she had married the prince of Conde and had recently died. So he now suggested Louise de Vaudemont, the beautiful young woman whom he had seen at the court of Lorraine on the eve of his departure for Poland. She was the daughter of Nicolas de Lorraine, count of Vaudemont, and Margaret of Egmont. Sent to the court of Lorraine at the age of 10, she had been brought up by the duchess, Claude. Catherine had at first opposed the idea of Henry marrying Louise who was related to the Guises fearing that this might revive the political influence of the cardinal of Lorraine. She had sent an envoy to Sweden to explore the possibility of Henry marrying the king's sister, but after the cardinal's death in December 1575, Catherine lifted her objection to Louise. Being only 22 years old, she was likely to have children. Her temperament also seemed to pose no threat to Catherine's influence at court. So Henry sent Cheverny and Le Guast to Nancy to ask for her hand. Louise received the proposal as she and her parents were on their way to Rheims to attend Henry's coronation! Her acceptance was a foregone conclusion. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?: 103)
Henri III's physical appearance & personal qualities.
"The Duke of Anjou, after a brief tenure of the Polish throne, returned, aged twenty-four, to be Henry III, the last Valois king of France. An anonymous portrait in the Louvre shows him tall, lank, pale, wistful---a man of good will confused by bad heredity. He was physically weak, emotionally unstable, easily fatigued; he had to avoid riding and hunting, and a few minutes of active love left him bedded for days. His skin itched incurably, his head and stomach ached, his ear ran. Before he was thirty-six his hair was white and his teeth were gone. His apparent haughtiness was really diffidence, his cruelty was fear; normally he was gentle and cautious. Unfortunately he had a passion for feminine raiment. He appeared at a ball in a low-necked dress, with a circlet of pearls around his throat; he wore jewels on his ears and bracelets on his arms. . . ." (The Age of Reason Begins: 357)
His favourites.
"The first favourite of the royal Minion was Schomberg. Then Quelus and Maurignon, both of whom were killed by duke Henri of Guise in duels. Next St. Megrin, who was assassinated by the duc de Mayenne. And lastly, the duc d'Epernon, with the two brothers Anne and Henri de Joyeuse. The duc d'Epernon was a mere place-hunter. His name was Jean Nogaret. He was successively created baron, duke, and a peer of France. He was lord high admiral, colonel-general of the line, and governor of half the provinces of the kingdom. Far less mercenary and covetous, Anne de Joyeuse was, nevertheless, made a duke, a peer of France, admiral, first gentleman of the bed-chamber, and governor of Normandy; but he really loved the king, and was sincerely loved by him in return. Henri could deny him nothing; could be led by him as easily as one of his own spaniels; and was always whimpering when he was absent; so that the people used to say there were three sovereigns: Henri III the nominal king, Anne de Joyeuse the king's king, and Henri de Guise the people's king." (The Political, Social, and Literary History of France: 166)
Henri III's reliance on his 'troop'.
" . . . Henri relied on friendship in public, Platonic terms. His friends protected him; he rewarded them. Most controversially, Henri and his friends professed their mutual love, and on this point, Henri proved vulnerable to the ambiguities that had consistently plagued accounts of Platonic friendships. Henri chose his friends largely from minor noble families, and his attachments to them were both profound and very public. Among those prominent at the beginning of the reign were Charles de Balsac, baron de Dunes, Henri Hebrard de Saint-Sulpice, and Jacques de Levis-Caylus (or Quelus). These three were part of a shifting group Henri called 'his troop' that included Francois d'Epinay de Saint-Luc, Francois d'O, Paul de Stuer de Caussade, sieur de Saint-Megrin, Louis de Maugiron, and Guy d'Arces, baron de Livarot. Several of Henri's friends had accompanied him to Poland after he was elected king on 16 May 1573. The 'troop' benefited for themselves and their families from association with the king, collecting titles, honors, and seigneuries in abundance." (Men and Women Making friends in Early Modern France: 128)
Henri III's mignons.
" . . . He gathered about him a dozen mignons, youths who frizzed their long hair, painted their faces, adorned themselves with facny garb, and sprinkled themselves with perfumes With these uncertain men he would on occasion---disguised as a woman---romp through the streets at night, playing pranks upon the citizens. In a country nearing bankruptcy and anarchy he emptied the treasury upon his male favorites, spending eleven million francs on the wedding of one, and doubling the price of judgeships to buy a marriage gift for another. . . . " (The Age of Reason Begins: 358)
"A dozen of more men were designated mignons during the king's reign. The first made up a quarter of favorites in 1573---Quelus (or Caylus), Francois d'O, Saint-Luc, and Saint-Sulpice. A quarrel arose with another brawling young nobleman named Bussy d'Amboise, a favorite of Henry's brother, who was attacked and killed for mocking these 'mignons de couchette.' A few months later a greater carnage took place when Quelus, with two friends, Maugiron and Livarot, fought a supporter of the duc de Guise and his seconds. Two men were killed on the field; another died the next day. One of the dead was Maugiron, who may have been Quelus's lover. The wounded Quelus lingered for a month, tenderly nursed by the king. The grief-stricken Henry raised a monument with marble statues of the couple in the church of Saint Paul in Paris." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 330)
The mignons---who were they?.
" . . . Three (Henri de Saint-Sulpice, Louis de Maugiron and Anne de Joyeuse) were the sons of prominent members of her [Catherine de' Medici's] administration. Foremost among Henry's companions on his return from Poland were Charles de Balsac, also known as Entraguet, Henri de Saint-Sulpice and Jacques de Levis-Caylus. Balsac belonged to a family well-established in the Massif Central. Born around 1547, he had entered Henry's household by 1571, soon becoming a gentleman of the chamber. He was supported by his brothers and by the families of Humieres and Guise who led the Catholic party. Saint-Sulpice belonged to an important family in Upper Quercy. In the early religious wars, his father, Jean, had been the prototype of royal servants formed by Montmorency and taken over later by Catherine de' Medici. The third member of the group, Levis-Caylus, belonged to one of the most prestigious families of the Massif Central. He met the future Henry III when he was 18 and followed him to Poland, becoming a gentleman of his chamber. Far from being parvenus, these young men belonged to ancient families that had served the crown since the late XVth century. Their elevation was part of a royal strategy aimed at strengthening the networks of fidelite over which their parents presided. Several came from Guyenne and a region south of the Massif Central where Protestants had a significant military presence. . . In 1578-79, Henry renewed his chief representatives in the provinces, and in the 1580s he set out to marginalize the Guises by appointing mignons to governorships and other important provincial posts as they fell vacant. Their rise was part of a policy of strengthening the ties between the central government and provincial nobility." (Hero or Tyrant?: 111)
Henri III's mignons as companion-in-arms.
"While his captains squabbled, Henri turned for companionship to the young noblemen who had flocked to La Rochelle from many parts of the kingdom in search of adventure and possible advancement. Some were members of his own household, but others belonged to the households of the king or Alencon. Several were of his generation: Saint-Luc, Caylus, and La Vallette were almost 19, while Saint-Sulpice, Beauvais-Nangis and Francois d'O were in their early twenties. The tasks and dangers they shared outside La Rochelle brought them closer to Henri than ever before. Whereas at the Louvre some had been obliged to keep their distance, they were now free to rub shoulders with the duke. On 1 March, Jean de Saint-Sulpice wrote to his wife: "Monsieur honours me greatly and talks to me privily about many things; more so than I have ever hoped for or imagined, and I do not forget my friends in these conversations'. Saint-Sulpice was the superintendent of Alencon's household and Henri doubtless hoped to get information about his brother's activities in return for his friendly chats. For many young noblemen the siege of La Rochelle was an introduction to the military life and to getting to know their social superiors. Henri, for his part, felt able for the first time to build up an entourage of his own choosing instead of having to accept companions picked by his mother. But they did not meet with universal approval. A Protestant pamphlet entitled Le Reveil-Matin des francais described them as 'atheists, epicureans, blasphemers, sodomites'. Their youth and lack of military experience were blamed for the siege lasting so long." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89: 61)
The rise of the arch mignons.
" . . . The deaths among the mignons in 1578 enabled the emergence of two archmignons, Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, later duc et pair of Epernon, and Anne de Joyeuse, baron d'Arques and later duc et pair of Joyeuse. Henri showered both men with honors and titles. Epernon, in his mid-twenties, became governor of La Fere in 1580, colonel-general of the infantry, governor ofr Metz and Provence, and a peer in 1581. In 1579, 19-year-old Joyeuse received command of a compagnie d'ordonnance and the government of Mont-Saint-Michel. After elevation to the peerage, Joyeuse became admiral of France, chevalier of the order of Holy Spirit, governor of Normandy, and governor of the duchy of Alencon. The spectacular success of Joyeuse and Epernon indicated in material terms that loving the king could be very rewarding." (The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance: 225)
Henri's household members in Poland, then France.
"All the nobles who surrounded Henry III at his accession had been members of his household in Poland. This was true of Henri de Saint-Sulpice, Jacques de Levis-Caylus, Francois de Saint-Luc, François d'O, Charles de Balsac (Entraguet) and Paul de Saint-Megrin. On their return to France, they were integrated into the king's household as echansons. Only three were gentleman of the chamber. The rest were promoted within two years. In 1576-77 they were all gentilshommes receiving an annual wage of 600 livres. Within this first group, d'O, Saint-Luc and Saint-Megrin rose faster than the rest. They were the first mignons to be given military or provincial commands in addition to court offices thereby exemplifying Henry III's aim of creating nobility tied exclusively to his person and capable of serving him far beyond the court." (Hero or Tyrant?: 112)
Abuses of the mignons.
"The greatest difficulty I met with in managing the king's affairs at Paris, was to communicated his prudent economy to the directors of his finances, the superintendent especially. The abuse of suffering the finances to become a prey to favourites (an evil, the source of which may be traced back to the reign of Charles VIII) had in this last reign increased to such a degree, that had a man of the greatest industry, prudence, and integrity imaginable, been at the head of the finances, he perhaps would not have been able to prevent the bad consequences of so prodigious a dissipation: and unhappily, d'O possessed none of these qualities. His disposition, naturally leaning towards profusion, indolence, and voluptuousness, had been wholly ruined by all those vices for which the court of Henry III was famous, deep play, unbounded debauchery, expensive follies, domestic disorders, and the extravagance of every kind. D'O was on a footing with Bellegarde, Souvrai, Villequier, Quelus, Saint-Luc, Maugiron, Saint-Megrin, Livarrot, Joyeuse, Epernon, la Vallette, du Bouchage, Thermes, and many other less declared favourites: and the title of minion was ll the recommendation he had for a post which the most careless princess think fit, for their own interest, to except from those with which they reward each sort of servants. [Full names of favourites named above: Roger de St. Larry de Bellegarde, Gilles de Souvrai, Rene de Villequier, Jacques Levis de Caylus or Quelus, Francis d'Epinai de St. Luc, Francis de Maugiron, Paul Stuart de Causade, sieur de St. Megrin, Jean d'Acres de Livarrot, Anne de Joyeuse, John Louis, Bernard de Nogaret, Henry de Joyeuse, count de Bouchage, afterwards a capuchin, John de St. Larry de Thermes, or Augustus, baron of Thermes, Tho. . . ." (The Memoirs of the Duke of Sully, Vol 2: 17)
A woman king or a man queen?.
"Given the atmosphere in which they grew up, it's not surprising that some of Henri and Catherine's children were a little unconventional when it came to sex. Henri III, who succeeded his father and two brothers in the Valois line of French kinds, was an ostentatious transvestite who surrounded himself with an obsequious band of gay young men the French scathingly called mignons. The king and his male harem loved nothing more than dressing up and prancing around Paris in lace and ruffles, with long curls flowing from under dainty little caps. In special occasions, Henri dolled himself up magnificently, dripping with diamonds and swathed in silk. 'One did not know whether it was a woman king or a man queen,' a bewildered observer said at the time." (A Treasury of Royal Scandals)
3. Anne de Joyeuse
Duc de Joyeuse
" . . . Henri relied on friendship in public, Platonic terms. His friends protected him; he rewarded them. Most controversially, Henri and his friends professed their mutual love, and on this point, Henri proved vulnerable to the ambiguities that had consistently plagued accounts of Platonic friendships. Henri chose his friends largely from minor noble families, and his attachments to them were both profound and very public. Among those prominent at the beginning of the reign were Charles de Balsac, baron de Dunes, Henri Hebrard de Saint-Sulpice, and Jacques de Levis-Caylus (or Quelus). These three were part of a shifting group Henri called 'his troop' that included Francois d'Epinay de Saint-Luc, Francois d'O, Paul de Stuer de Caussade, sieur de Saint-Megrin, Louis de Maugiron, and Guy d'Arces, baron de Livarot. Several of Henri's friends had accompanied him to Poland after he was elected king on 16 May 1573. The 'troop' benefited for themselves and their families from association with the king, collecting titles, honors, and seigneuries in abundance." (Men and Women Making friends in Early Modern France: 128)
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Henry III of France & his mignons |
" . . . He gathered about him a dozen mignons, youths who frizzed their long hair, painted their faces, adorned themselves with facny garb, and sprinkled themselves with perfumes With these uncertain men he would on occasion---disguised as a woman---romp through the streets at night, playing pranks upon the citizens. In a country nearing bankruptcy and anarchy he emptied the treasury upon his male favorites, spending eleven million francs on the wedding of one, and doubling the price of judgeships to buy a marriage gift for another. . . . " (The Age of Reason Begins: 358)
"A dozen of more men were designated mignons during the king's reign. The first made up a quarter of favorites in 1573---Quelus (or Caylus), Francois d'O, Saint-Luc, and Saint-Sulpice. A quarrel arose with another brawling young nobleman named Bussy d'Amboise, a favorite of Henry's brother, who was attacked and killed for mocking these 'mignons de couchette.' A few months later a greater carnage took place when Quelus, with two friends, Maugiron and Livarot, fought a supporter of the duc de Guise and his seconds. Two men were killed on the field; another died the next day. One of the dead was Maugiron, who may have been Quelus's lover. The wounded Quelus lingered for a month, tenderly nursed by the king. The grief-stricken Henry raised a monument with marble statues of the couple in the church of Saint Paul in Paris." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 330)
The mignons---who were they?.
" . . . Three (Henri de Saint-Sulpice, Louis de Maugiron and Anne de Joyeuse) were the sons of prominent members of her [Catherine de' Medici's] administration. Foremost among Henry's companions on his return from Poland were Charles de Balsac, also known as Entraguet, Henri de Saint-Sulpice and Jacques de Levis-Caylus. Balsac belonged to a family well-established in the Massif Central. Born around 1547, he had entered Henry's household by 1571, soon becoming a gentleman of the chamber. He was supported by his brothers and by the families of Humieres and Guise who led the Catholic party. Saint-Sulpice belonged to an important family in Upper Quercy. In the early religious wars, his father, Jean, had been the prototype of royal servants formed by Montmorency and taken over later by Catherine de' Medici. The third member of the group, Levis-Caylus, belonged to one of the most prestigious families of the Massif Central. He met the future Henry III when he was 18 and followed him to Poland, becoming a gentleman of his chamber. Far from being parvenus, these young men belonged to ancient families that had served the crown since the late XVth century. Their elevation was part of a royal strategy aimed at strengthening the networks of fidelite over which their parents presided. Several came from Guyenne and a region south of the Massif Central where Protestants had a significant military presence. . . In 1578-79, Henry renewed his chief representatives in the provinces, and in the 1580s he set out to marginalize the Guises by appointing mignons to governorships and other important provincial posts as they fell vacant. Their rise was part of a policy of strengthening the ties between the central government and provincial nobility." (Hero or Tyrant?: 111)
Henri III's mignons as companion-in-arms.
"While his captains squabbled, Henri turned for companionship to the young noblemen who had flocked to La Rochelle from many parts of the kingdom in search of adventure and possible advancement. Some were members of his own household, but others belonged to the households of the king or Alencon. Several were of his generation: Saint-Luc, Caylus, and La Vallette were almost 19, while Saint-Sulpice, Beauvais-Nangis and Francois d'O were in their early twenties. The tasks and dangers they shared outside La Rochelle brought them closer to Henri than ever before. Whereas at the Louvre some had been obliged to keep their distance, they were now free to rub shoulders with the duke. On 1 March, Jean de Saint-Sulpice wrote to his wife: "Monsieur honours me greatly and talks to me privily about many things; more so than I have ever hoped for or imagined, and I do not forget my friends in these conversations'. Saint-Sulpice was the superintendent of Alencon's household and Henri doubtless hoped to get information about his brother's activities in return for his friendly chats. For many young noblemen the siege of La Rochelle was an introduction to the military life and to getting to know their social superiors. Henri, for his part, felt able for the first time to build up an entourage of his own choosing instead of having to accept companions picked by his mother. But they did not meet with universal approval. A Protestant pamphlet entitled Le Reveil-Matin des francais described them as 'atheists, epicureans, blasphemers, sodomites'. Their youth and lack of military experience were blamed for the siege lasting so long." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89: 61)
The rise of the arch mignons.
" . . . The deaths among the mignons in 1578 enabled the emergence of two archmignons, Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, later duc et pair of Epernon, and Anne de Joyeuse, baron d'Arques and later duc et pair of Joyeuse. Henri showered both men with honors and titles. Epernon, in his mid-twenties, became governor of La Fere in 1580, colonel-general of the infantry, governor ofr Metz and Provence, and a peer in 1581. In 1579, 19-year-old Joyeuse received command of a compagnie d'ordonnance and the government of Mont-Saint-Michel. After elevation to the peerage, Joyeuse became admiral of France, chevalier of the order of Holy Spirit, governor of Normandy, and governor of the duchy of Alencon. The spectacular success of Joyeuse and Epernon indicated in material terms that loving the king could be very rewarding." (The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance: 225)
Henri's household members in Poland, then France.
"All the nobles who surrounded Henry III at his accession had been members of his household in Poland. This was true of Henri de Saint-Sulpice, Jacques de Levis-Caylus, Francois de Saint-Luc, François d'O, Charles de Balsac (Entraguet) and Paul de Saint-Megrin. On their return to France, they were integrated into the king's household as echansons. Only three were gentleman of the chamber. The rest were promoted within two years. In 1576-77 they were all gentilshommes receiving an annual wage of 600 livres. Within this first group, d'O, Saint-Luc and Saint-Megrin rose faster than the rest. They were the first mignons to be given military or provincial commands in addition to court offices thereby exemplifying Henry III's aim of creating nobility tied exclusively to his person and capable of serving him far beyond the court." (Hero or Tyrant?: 112)
Abuses of the mignons.
"The greatest difficulty I met with in managing the king's affairs at Paris, was to communicated his prudent economy to the directors of his finances, the superintendent especially. The abuse of suffering the finances to become a prey to favourites (an evil, the source of which may be traced back to the reign of Charles VIII) had in this last reign increased to such a degree, that had a man of the greatest industry, prudence, and integrity imaginable, been at the head of the finances, he perhaps would not have been able to prevent the bad consequences of so prodigious a dissipation: and unhappily, d'O possessed none of these qualities. His disposition, naturally leaning towards profusion, indolence, and voluptuousness, had been wholly ruined by all those vices for which the court of Henry III was famous, deep play, unbounded debauchery, expensive follies, domestic disorders, and the extravagance of every kind. D'O was on a footing with Bellegarde, Souvrai, Villequier, Quelus, Saint-Luc, Maugiron, Saint-Megrin, Livarrot, Joyeuse, Epernon, la Vallette, du Bouchage, Thermes, and many other less declared favourites: and the title of minion was ll the recommendation he had for a post which the most careless princess think fit, for their own interest, to except from those with which they reward each sort of servants. [Full names of favourites named above: Roger de St. Larry de Bellegarde, Gilles de Souvrai, Rene de Villequier, Jacques Levis de Caylus or Quelus, Francis d'Epinai de St. Luc, Francis de Maugiron, Paul Stuart de Causade, sieur de St. Megrin, Jean d'Acres de Livarrot, Anne de Joyeuse, John Louis, Bernard de Nogaret, Henry de Joyeuse, count de Bouchage, afterwards a capuchin, John de St. Larry de Thermes, or Augustus, baron of Thermes, Tho. . . ." (The Memoirs of the Duke of Sully, Vol 2: 17)
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| Henry III of France Credits |
"Given the atmosphere in which they grew up, it's not surprising that some of Henri and Catherine's children were a little unconventional when it came to sex. Henri III, who succeeded his father and two brothers in the Valois line of French kinds, was an ostentatious transvestite who surrounded himself with an obsequious band of gay young men the French scathingly called mignons. The king and his male harem loved nothing more than dressing up and prancing around Paris in lace and ruffles, with long curls flowing from under dainty little caps. In special occasions, Henri dolled himself up magnificently, dripping with diamonds and swathed in silk. 'One did not know whether it was a woman king or a man queen,' a bewildered observer said at the time." (A Treasury of Royal Scandals)
Henri III's lovers were:
1. Charles de Balsac, Baron d'Entragues (1545-1599)
Mignon in 1571?.
" . . . Foremost among Henry's companions on his return from Poland were Charles de Balsac, also known as Entraguet, Henri de Saint-Sulpice and Jacques de Levis-Caylus. Balsac belonged to a family established in the Massif Central. Born around 1547, he had entered Henry's household by 1571, soon becoming a gentleman of the chamber. He was supported by his brothers and by the families of Humieres and Guise who led the Catholic party. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?: 111)
Mignon in 1571?.
" . . . Foremost among Henry's companions on his return from Poland were Charles de Balsac, also known as Entraguet, Henri de Saint-Sulpice and Jacques de Levis-Caylus. Balsac belonged to a family established in the Massif Central. Born around 1547, he had entered Henry's household by 1571, soon becoming a gentleman of the chamber. He was supported by his brothers and by the families of Humieres and Guise who led the Catholic party. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?: 111)
"On his way from Fontainebleau to Blois, in June 1599, Henri had broken his journey at the Chateau of Malesherbes, where resided Francois Balzac d'Entragues, Governor of Orleans, who had married Marie Touchet, the mistress of Charles IX, and the mother of Charles de Valois, Comte d'Angouleme, to whom Catherine de' Medici had bequeathed her county of Auvergne, to the exclusion of Marguerite. By her marriage with d'Entragues, Marie had three children, of whom one, a daughter, named Henriette, made so great an impression on the quasi-widower that he was quite unable to tear himself away, and when at length he quitted Malesherbes, it was to accompany his new charmer and her mother to Paris." (Queen Margot: Wife of Henry of Navarre: 362)
2. Francois d'Espinay
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| Francois d'Espinay de Saint-Luc @Wikipedia |
2. Francois d'Espinay
(1554-1597)
Mignon in 1578.
French military man & royal favourite
Son of: Valeran des Hayes (later Valeran d'Espinay) & Marguerite de Grouches.
Husband of:
1. Jeanne de Cosse (1560-1602), mar 1578.
2) Marguerite de Gouchy.
Saint-Luc's first wife.
" . . . In February 1579, another mignon, Saint-Luc married Jeanne, the daughter of marshal Cosse-Brissac, a family closely associated with the duc d'Alencon. She had been promised to the Comte de La Roche-Guyon who consequently turned against the king. As a marriage broker, Henry favoured members of his entourage at the expense of other noblemen. He evidently intended Saint-Luc's marriage to draw his powerful lineage closer to the crown. . . ." (Hero of Tyrant?: 114)
The handsomest man of his time.
"Engaged in converse with D'Epernon was Francois D'Epinay de Saint Luc, Baron de Crevecoeur, another favourite of Henri, and equally distinguished with his companions for a courage, which in its wild and fierce display, amounted almost to ferocity. Saint Luc was accounted the handsomest man of his time, and universally obtained the epithet of le beau. Many pages and lacqueys, in the sumptuous liveries and emblazoned array of their lords were in attendance." (Crichton Family, 2006: 67)
"Saint-Luc was seen by the writer, Brantome, as the ideal soldier-courtier. He belonged to an old Norman family that had served the crown for two generations. Following Henry's succession, Saint-Luc became an echanson, then a knight of the order of St. Michael and a gentleman of the bedchamber. The king favoured him particularly in 1577 and 1578. He called him 'le petiot'. In 1579 he brought for him the chateau of Beaulieu, near Rosay-en-Brie, much to the disgust of Claude Haton, who was shocked that the king should be giving to his favourites property taken from his subjects. . . ." (Hero of Tyrant?: 113)
"In 1578 Roger de Sarrieu was replaced by François d'Epinay Saint-Luc, governor of Brouage. Saint-Luc was had been one of the 'mignons' of King Henry III, and as such a notable figure at court. He set up an intrigue by which he wanted to fake the appearance of an angel to the king. This intrigue was betrayed by Arques (later Duc de Joyeuse), but Saint Luc was warned in time and fled to Brouage, where he was governor. Here Saint Luc succeeded in maintaining himself by approaching the Ligue, but he most probably lost the regiment. The events of the intrigue are told by Agrippa d'Aubigné as having happened in 1580." (The Picardie Regiment)
Husband of:
1. Jeanne de Cosse (1560-1602), mar 1578.
2) Marguerite de Gouchy.
Saint-Luc's first wife.
" . . . In February 1579, another mignon, Saint-Luc married Jeanne, the daughter of marshal Cosse-Brissac, a family closely associated with the duc d'Alencon. She had been promised to the Comte de La Roche-Guyon who consequently turned against the king. As a marriage broker, Henry favoured members of his entourage at the expense of other noblemen. He evidently intended Saint-Luc's marriage to draw his powerful lineage closer to the crown. . . ." (Hero of Tyrant?: 114)
The handsomest man of his time.
"Engaged in converse with D'Epernon was Francois D'Epinay de Saint Luc, Baron de Crevecoeur, another favourite of Henri, and equally distinguished with his companions for a courage, which in its wild and fierce display, amounted almost to ferocity. Saint Luc was accounted the handsomest man of his time, and universally obtained the epithet of le beau. Many pages and lacqueys, in the sumptuous liveries and emblazoned array of their lords were in attendance." (Crichton Family, 2006: 67)
"Saint-Luc was seen by the writer, Brantome, as the ideal soldier-courtier. He belonged to an old Norman family that had served the crown for two generations. Following Henry's succession, Saint-Luc became an echanson, then a knight of the order of St. Michael and a gentleman of the bedchamber. The king favoured him particularly in 1577 and 1578. He called him 'le petiot'. In 1579 he brought for him the chateau of Beaulieu, near Rosay-en-Brie, much to the disgust of Claude Haton, who was shocked that the king should be giving to his favourites property taken from his subjects. . . ." (Hero of Tyrant?: 113)
"In 1578 Roger de Sarrieu was replaced by François d'Epinay Saint-Luc, governor of Brouage. Saint-Luc was had been one of the 'mignons' of King Henry III, and as such a notable figure at court. He set up an intrigue by which he wanted to fake the appearance of an angel to the king. This intrigue was betrayed by Arques (later Duc de Joyeuse), but Saint Luc was warned in time and fled to Brouage, where he was governor. Here Saint Luc succeeded in maintaining himself by approaching the Ligue, but he most probably lost the regiment. The events of the intrigue are told by Agrippa d'Aubigné as having happened in 1580." (The Picardie Regiment)
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Anne, Duc de Joyeuse |
3. Anne de Joyeuse
Duc de Joyeuse
(1560-1587)
Favourite in 1579?.
French royal favourite & military officer
Baron of Arques
Viscount of Joyeuse 1560
Duke of Joyeuse 1581
Lord of Limours 1581
Keeper of the King's Chambers
Grand Admiral of France 1582; Marshal of France
Son of: Guillaume de Joyeuse, 8th Vicomte de Joyeuse & Marie de Batarnay.
Husband of: Marguerite de Lorraine-Vaudemont (1564-1625), daughter of Nicolas de Vaudemont, Duc de Mercoeur & Jeanne de Savoy mar 1581.
"Henri insisted homosexuality could be combined with royal generation. In September 1581, Henri arranged for Joyeuse to marry Marguerite de Lorraine, the half-sister of Queen Louise. With this wedding the archmignon became a member of the royal family, and the suspected sodomite was transformed into the (ostensibly) conventional husband. The wedding took place at court with great pomp and circumstance. Festivities included masquerades, sword contests, jousts, music, and dances and ballets. Henri participated in and helped plan the wedding program, which included entertainments that presented the king as a potent figure. . . ." (The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance: 225)
"Behind these illustrious personages, so pale and so silent were two handsome young men, one scarcely twenty years of age, the other, at the most, twenty-five. They were smiling at one another, the one with an ineffable expression of sorrow, the oldest with an infinite expression of grace. They were tall and handsome youths and brothers. The youngest was called Henri de Joyeuse, Comte de Bouchage, the other was the Duke Anne de Joyeuse. The people did not entertain for the new favorite the hatred which they had borne towards his predecessors, Maugiron, Quelus, and Schomberg; D'Epernon alone, and by himself, had inherited all." (Ainsworth's Magazine, Volume 12: 161)
"Far less mercenary and covetous, Anne de Joyeuse was, nevertheless, made a duke, peer of France, admiral, first gentleman of the bed-chamber, and governor of Normandy; but he really loved the king, and was sincerely loved by him in return. Henri could deny him nothing; he could be led by him as easily as one of his own spaniels; and was always whimpering when he was always whimpering when he was absent; so that the people used to say there were three sovereigns: Henri III, the nominal king, Anne de Joyeuse, the king's king, and Henri de Guise, the people's king." (The Political, Social and Literary History of France:166)
"In 1583, faithful to his determination to give administrative power only to those completely dependent on his patronage, Henri III had appointed his favorite, Anne de Joyeuse, governor and Admiral of Normandy. Henri had prepared the ground by skillful negotiations with members of the Guise family, and Joyeuse was successful in gaining control of the structures of power and patronage in the province. Shortly before the death of Joyeuse, at the battle of Coutras in 1587, Henri learned that his mignon was about to defect to the Guise. His fury was not the less for being concealed from the public at large. The political embargo on all expressions of grief at the death of Joyeuse was breached by only his closest friends, Du Perron, Rapin and, most notably, Jean-Antoine de Baif. . . ." (Conceptions of Europe in Renaissance France: 151)
Affair's benefits to favourite.
" . . . In August 1581 Arques became duc de Joyeuse after his vicomte had been raised to the status of a duche-pairie. No less than 55 fiefs were similarly promoted during Henry's reign, his purpose being to compensate knights of St. Michael whose order had become devalued under Charles IX. Joyeuse's elevation was one of the great events of 1581. It was a reward for the loyal service he had given to Henry to which his facial scar bore witness. As an additional reward, he was accorded precedence over all other dukes and peers except princes of the blood or foreign princes. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?)
French aristocrat
Admiral of France 1589
Son of Nicolas de Brichanteau and Jeanne d'Aguerre
Husband of Antoinette de La Rochefoucault.
"Nicolas's father, Antoine de Brichanteau, first marquis de Beauvais-Nangis, came from a prestigious old family of the Brie sword nobility. He had fought for the crown during the religious wars, accompanied Henri III to Poland, and was rewarded in 1574 with a captaincy in the royal guards. Later, as a reward for his loyalty to Henri IV, his seigneury of Nangis was elevated to a marquisette. . . ." (French Society: 1589-1715: 73)
French royal favourite & military officer
Baron of Arques
Viscount of Joyeuse 1560
Duke of Joyeuse 1581
Lord of Limours 1581
Keeper of the King's Chambers
Grand Admiral of France 1582; Marshal of France
Son of: Guillaume de Joyeuse, 8th Vicomte de Joyeuse & Marie de Batarnay.
Husband of: Marguerite de Lorraine-Vaudemont (1564-1625), daughter of Nicolas de Vaudemont, Duc de Mercoeur & Jeanne de Savoy mar 1581.
"Henri insisted homosexuality could be combined with royal generation. In September 1581, Henri arranged for Joyeuse to marry Marguerite de Lorraine, the half-sister of Queen Louise. With this wedding the archmignon became a member of the royal family, and the suspected sodomite was transformed into the (ostensibly) conventional husband. The wedding took place at court with great pomp and circumstance. Festivities included masquerades, sword contests, jousts, music, and dances and ballets. Henri participated in and helped plan the wedding program, which included entertainments that presented the king as a potent figure. . . ." (The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance: 225)
"Behind these illustrious personages, so pale and so silent were two handsome young men, one scarcely twenty years of age, the other, at the most, twenty-five. They were smiling at one another, the one with an ineffable expression of sorrow, the oldest with an infinite expression of grace. They were tall and handsome youths and brothers. The youngest was called Henri de Joyeuse, Comte de Bouchage, the other was the Duke Anne de Joyeuse. The people did not entertain for the new favorite the hatred which they had borne towards his predecessors, Maugiron, Quelus, and Schomberg; D'Epernon alone, and by himself, had inherited all." (Ainsworth's Magazine, Volume 12: 161)
.jpg/475px-Anne_de_Joyeuse_(detail).jpg) |
| Anne de Joyeuse |
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| Anne Duc de Joyeuse & Marguerite de Vaudemont Wedding |
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Anne de Joyeuse |
"In 1583, faithful to his determination to give administrative power only to those completely dependent on his patronage, Henri III had appointed his favorite, Anne de Joyeuse, governor and Admiral of Normandy. Henri had prepared the ground by skillful negotiations with members of the Guise family, and Joyeuse was successful in gaining control of the structures of power and patronage in the province. Shortly before the death of Joyeuse, at the battle of Coutras in 1587, Henri learned that his mignon was about to defect to the Guise. His fury was not the less for being concealed from the public at large. The political embargo on all expressions of grief at the death of Joyeuse was breached by only his closest friends, Du Perron, Rapin and, most notably, Jean-Antoine de Baif. . . ." (Conceptions of Europe in Renaissance France: 151)
Affair's benefits to favourite.
" . . . In August 1581 Arques became duc de Joyeuse after his vicomte had been raised to the status of a duche-pairie. No less than 55 fiefs were similarly promoted during Henry's reign, his purpose being to compensate knights of St. Michael whose order had become devalued under Charles IX. Joyeuse's elevation was one of the great events of 1581. It was a reward for the loyal service he had given to Henry to which his facial scar bore witness. As an additional reward, he was accorded precedence over all other dukes and peers except princes of the blood or foreign princes. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?)
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Antoine de Brichanteau |
4) Antoine de Brichanteau (1552-1612)
Marquis de Beauvais-Nangis 1612French aristocrat
Admiral of France 1589
Son of Nicolas de Brichanteau and Jeanne d'Aguerre
Husband of Antoinette de La Rochefoucault.
"Nicolas's father, Antoine de Brichanteau, first marquis de Beauvais-Nangis, came from a prestigious old family of the Brie sword nobility. He had fought for the crown during the religious wars, accompanied Henri III to Poland, and was rewarded in 1574 with a captaincy in the royal guards. Later, as a reward for his loyalty to Henri IV, his seigneury of Nangis was elevated to a marquisette. . . ." (French Society: 1589-1715: 73)
5) Francois d'O (1535-1594)
Marquis d'O
"François d'O was a tricky financier; he was appointed Superintendent des Finances by King Henri III, who counted him as one of his minions. François was very corrupted and ever created new nobility titles and charges in order to retrieve more money. He used that money to build a new castle, completed in 1582 and burned during the French Revolution. During the fight between King Henri IV and the Holy League, François played a double game: he publicly supported the king but secretly helped the Duke de Mayenne, the leader of the League. The League kept a lot of arms in the lower yard of the castle of Fresne; when François d'O felt that the king was about to win, he "allowed" a commando from Meulan, then besieged by Mayenne, to kill some 30 soldiers of the League and to bring back the arms to Meulan, which was eventually seized by Henri IV on 27 February 1590. In order to get rid of François d'O, Henri IV appointed him Governor of Paris, where François carried on his dirty business until his death. However, he had a lot of debts and died in August 1594 a relative poverty. Everybody but his heirs was happy with his death and the Barony of O was sold." (FOTW)
Marquis d'O
"François d'O was a tricky financier; he was appointed Superintendent des Finances by King Henri III, who counted him as one of his minions. François was very corrupted and ever created new nobility titles and charges in order to retrieve more money. He used that money to build a new castle, completed in 1582 and burned during the French Revolution. During the fight between King Henri IV and the Holy League, François played a double game: he publicly supported the king but secretly helped the Duke de Mayenne, the leader of the League. The League kept a lot of arms in the lower yard of the castle of Fresne; when François d'O felt that the king was about to win, he "allowed" a commando from Meulan, then besieged by Mayenne, to kill some 30 soldiers of the League and to bring back the arms to Meulan, which was eventually seized by Henri IV on 27 February 1590. In order to get rid of François d'O, Henri IV appointed him Governor of Paris, where François carried on his dirty business until his death. However, he had a lot of debts and died in August 1594 a relative poverty. Everybody but his heirs was happy with his death and the Barony of O was sold." (FOTW)
6) François d'Aydie, Vicomte de Riberac.
7) Georges de Schomberg (d.1578)
8) Guy d'Arces, Baron Livarot (1555-1581):
9) Henri de Saint-Sulpice (1553-1576)
"The younger members of Henry's 'troop' received their military training at court before his departure for Poland. After arriving in Paris in November 15666, Saint-Sulpice and two of his brothers entered the college of Navarre. A month later he was introduced to the duc d'Alencon, also known as 'Monsieur', that he and his brothers learned to ride, fence and play the lute. In return for this training, they were expected to entertain the prince. In September 1571 Saint-Sulpice attended his first ball. In addition to being where a young man learnt to be an aristocrat, the court offered him opportunities to form social relationships and to attach himself to a patron who might eventually find him a government post. He entered Alencon's household in March 11570 as one of eight gentilhommes ordinaires who were paid an annual wage of 500 livres. In 1575 he became a chambellan. But Saint-Sulpice and his brothers seemed driven by a sense of loyalty to Henry, the future King." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89: 112)
10) Jacques d'Albon, Seigneur de Saint-Andre (1505-1562)
11) Jacques de Levis (1554-1578)
7) Georges de Schomberg (d.1578)
8) Guy d'Arces, Baron Livarot (1555-1581):
9) Henri de Saint-Sulpice (1553-1576)
"The younger members of Henry's 'troop' received their military training at court before his departure for Poland. After arriving in Paris in November 15666, Saint-Sulpice and two of his brothers entered the college of Navarre. A month later he was introduced to the duc d'Alencon, also known as 'Monsieur', that he and his brothers learned to ride, fence and play the lute. In return for this training, they were expected to entertain the prince. In September 1571 Saint-Sulpice attended his first ball. In addition to being where a young man learnt to be an aristocrat, the court offered him opportunities to form social relationships and to attach himself to a patron who might eventually find him a government post. He entered Alencon's household in March 11570 as one of eight gentilhommes ordinaires who were paid an annual wage of 500 livres. In 1575 he became a chambellan. But Saint-Sulpice and his brothers seemed driven by a sense of loyalty to Henry, the future King." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89: 112)
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Jacques d'Albon |
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Jacques de Levis |
Comte de Quelus.
" . . . The third member of the group, Levis-Caylus, belonged to one of the most prestigious families of the Massif Central. He met the future Henry III when he was 18 and followed him to Poland, becoming a gentleman of his chamber. . . ." ((Hero or Tyrant?)
12) Jean-Alexandre de Normandie.
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Jean-Louis de Nogaret de La Vallette Duc d'Epernon |
1st Duc d'Epernon 1581
Favourite in 1578.
" . . . Jean-Louis de La Valette and his brother, Bernard, spent their childhood at Caumont, the family seat in Gascony. Their father, Jean, was a soldier and member of the noblesse seconde. In 1567 Jean-Louis and his brother entered the College of Navarre, but soon took up military careers. Jean-Louis fought at the siege of La Rochelle where he was introduced to the future Henry III by the duc de Guise. Though a Catholic, he entered the service of the king of Navarre only to leave him when the latter reverted to his Protestant faith. La Valette then returned to Paris. Unlike many other mignons, he had not been to Poland with Henry. He seems to have gained his notice by calling on several prominent noblemen as he travelled from Gascony to Paris and collecting from them information about their respective provinces which he passed on to the king and his mother following his arrival in Paris. But La Valette also purchased a magnificent tent which he erected under the windows of the queen's residence at Romorantin where Anjou's army had camped. One day, as the king and his mother stood at an open window, they spotted the tent and, impressed by its magnificence, asked who might be its owner. On learning that it was La Valette, they praised his 'galanterie'. True or false, the story throws light on how royal favour might be captured by a would-be mignon. La Valette himself liked to tell the story 60 years later." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89)
First encounter.
Affair's benefits to the favourite.
Favourite in 1578.
" . . . Jean-Louis de La Valette and his brother, Bernard, spent their childhood at Caumont, the family seat in Gascony. Their father, Jean, was a soldier and member of the noblesse seconde. In 1567 Jean-Louis and his brother entered the College of Navarre, but soon took up military careers. Jean-Louis fought at the siege of La Rochelle where he was introduced to the future Henry III by the duc de Guise. Though a Catholic, he entered the service of the king of Navarre only to leave him when the latter reverted to his Protestant faith. La Valette then returned to Paris. Unlike many other mignons, he had not been to Poland with Henry. He seems to have gained his notice by calling on several prominent noblemen as he travelled from Gascony to Paris and collecting from them information about their respective provinces which he passed on to the king and his mother following his arrival in Paris. But La Valette also purchased a magnificent tent which he erected under the windows of the queen's residence at Romorantin where Anjou's army had camped. One day, as the king and his mother stood at an open window, they spotted the tent and, impressed by its magnificence, asked who might be its owner. On learning that it was La Valette, they praised his 'galanterie'. True or false, the story throws light on how royal favour might be captured by a would-be mignon. La Valette himself liked to tell the story 60 years later." (Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89)
First encounter.
"It was in 1578 after the siege of Issoire that La Valette became one of Henry's mignons along with Francis d'O, Arques and Saint-Luc. They were part of a clientele which the king was seeking to build up on a par with those of Anjou and Guise. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?)
Affair's benefits to the favourite.
"The duc d'Epernon was a mere place-hunter. His name Jean Nogaret. He was successively created a baron, duke, and a peer of France. He was lord high admiral, colonel-general of the line, governor of half of the provinces of the kingdom." (The Political, Social and Literary History of France:166)
" . . . La Valette was created duc d'Epernon one month later after he had bought the barony of Epernon from the king of Navarre. As the royal letters setting up tje duchy explained, the honour was intended to encourage others to seek 'the true nourishment of virtue' by loyally serving the king. Epernon, too, was given precedence over other dukes and peers so as to place him on the same footing as Joyeuse." (Hero or Tyrant?)
" . . . La Valette was created duc d'Epernon one month later after he had bought the barony of Epernon from the king of Navarre. As the royal letters setting up tje duchy explained, the honour was intended to encourage others to seek 'the true nourishment of virtue' by loyally serving the king. Epernon, too, was given precedence over other dukes and peers so as to place him on the same footing as Joyeuse." (Hero or Tyrant?)
14) Joachim de Dinteville.
" . . . Also decisive in the course taken in Langres was the impact of Joachim de Dinteville, Henri III's lieutenant-general in Champagne from 1580 on, appointed precisely to counter Guise's manouevres in the province. The Dintevilles were one of the leading families of the champenois noblesse seconde, and their landholdings were concentrated in the area around Langres. With his family's ties to both the petite noblesse and urban elites, Dinteville's royalist influence was felt more strongly in Langres than almost anywhere else. The family's seigneuries at Dinteville, Spoy, Chenets, Polisy, and Vanlay were all in southern Champagne. His father, Gaucher II had been captain of Bar-sur-Seine, while two of his uncles (Jean and Guillaume) had been baillis of Troyes, as had his grandfather, Gaucher I. Guillaume had also been captain of Langres and lieutenant de roi en Bassigny. When forced to choose between the League and Henri III and Henri IV, the course Langres took was heavily influenced by both the mayor, Jean Roussat and by Joachim de Dinteville." (Local Politics in the French Wars of Religion: 64)
15) Louis de Berenger (1540-1575)
Seigneur du Guast
"Henry's prime favourite, the Marquis du Guast, had incurred the bitter hatred of the Queen of Navarre, by spreading, during her stay in Poitou, the most defamatory reports relative to her intimacy with Bussy d'Amboise, a minion of her younger brother. . . He made a parade of his enmity for the Duke of Anjou and his favourite, Bussy d'Amboise; and had spoken so openly of the gallantries of Marguerite with the latter as to draw down upon that shameless woman the reprimands of her mother, brother, and husband. Bussy, however, pertinaciously continuing his attentions to the young queen, some cavaliers in the suite of Henry of Bearn plotted his assassination. . . ." (Royal Favourites, 1: 253)
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| Louis de Berenger |
Seigneur du Guast
"Henry's prime favourite, the Marquis du Guast, had incurred the bitter hatred of the Queen of Navarre, by spreading, during her stay in Poitou, the most defamatory reports relative to her intimacy with Bussy d'Amboise, a minion of her younger brother. . . He made a parade of his enmity for the Duke of Anjou and his favourite, Bussy d'Amboise; and had spoken so openly of the gallantries of Marguerite with the latter as to draw down upon that shameless woman the reprimands of her mother, brother, and husband. Bussy, however, pertinaciously continuing his attentions to the young queen, some cavaliers in the suite of Henry of Bearn plotted his assassination. . . ." (Royal Favourites, 1: 253)
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Louis de Clermont Seigneur de Bussy d'Amboise |
French medieval general
Seigneur de Bussy d'Amboise.
Son of Jacques de Clermont d'Amboise, Seigneur de Bussy and Catherine de Beauvau.
"...The man, Bussy d'Amboise, later was rumored as Queen Margot's lover, and /or that of Madame de Sauves---and that of Margot's brother Henri, too...." (Into a Paris Quartier: Reine Margot's Chapel and Other Haunts of St.-Germain: 167)
17) Louis de Livarot (d.1580).
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18) Louis de Maugiron (1560-1578)
". . . A few months later a greater carnage took place when Quelus, with two friends, Maugiron and Livarot, fought a supporter of the duc de Guise, and his seconds. Two men were killed on the field; another died the next day. One of the dead was Maugiron, who may have been Quelus's lover. The wounded Quelus lingered for a month, tenderly nursed by the king. The grief-stricken Henry raised a monument with marble statues of the couple in the church of Saint Paul in Paris." (Homosexuality and Civilization:330)
"Louis de Maugiron, Baron of Ampus, was one of the minions for whom Henry had the greatest weakness. He was a young man of great courage and high expectations. He distinguished himself at the siege of Issoire, where he had the misfortune to lose an eye. Notwithstanding this mishap, he had still sufficient beauty remaining to make him acceptable to the king. He was compared to the Princess of Eboli, who, though, like himself, blind of one eye, was at the same time mistress of Philip II, King of Spain. . . Maugiron was killed in taking the part of Quelus in a quarrel." (The Ladies' Repository, Volumes 33-34:112)
" . . . Tho[ugh] Souvrai had been one of Henry the third's fa, that favourites, he should not be ranked in the number of this prince's minions: he was a man of acknowledged merit and probity. Henry III said, that if here neither king nor prince, he would gladly be Souvrai. He refused the commission with which Henry III would have charged him, to assassinate the marshal de Montmorency, when in prison." (The Memoirs of the Duke of Sully, Vol 2: 18)
19) Montiqui.
20) Nicolas de Gremonville, Sieur de Larchan.
21) Paul de Stuer de Caussade (1554-1578).
". . . A few months later a greater carnage took place when Quelus, with two friends, Maugiron and Livarot, fought a supporter of the duc de Guise, and his seconds. Two men were killed on the field; another died the next day. One of the dead was Maugiron, who may have been Quelus's lover. The wounded Quelus lingered for a month, tenderly nursed by the king. The grief-stricken Henry raised a monument with marble statues of the couple in the church of Saint Paul in Paris." (Homosexuality and Civilization:330)
"Louis de Maugiron, Baron of Ampus, was one of the minions for whom Henry had the greatest weakness. He was a young man of great courage and high expectations. He distinguished himself at the siege of Issoire, where he had the misfortune to lose an eye. Notwithstanding this mishap, he had still sufficient beauty remaining to make him acceptable to the king. He was compared to the Princess of Eboli, who, though, like himself, blind of one eye, was at the same time mistress of Philip II, King of Spain. . . Maugiron was killed in taking the part of Quelus in a quarrel." (The Ladies' Repository, Volumes 33-34:112)
" . . . Tho[ugh] Souvrai had been one of Henry the third's fa, that favourites, he should not be ranked in the number of this prince's minions: he was a man of acknowledged merit and probity. Henry III said, that if here neither king nor prince, he would gladly be Souvrai. He refused the commission with which Henry III would have charged him, to assassinate the marshal de Montmorency, when in prison." (The Memoirs of the Duke of Sully, Vol 2: 18)
19) Montiqui.
20) Nicolas de Gremonville, Sieur de Larchan.
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| Henri III & Paul Stuart de Caussade @Marche Biron |
Sieur de Saint-Megrin
"Catherine of Cleves the wife of Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, is beloved by Paul Caussade, Count de St. Megrin, a favourite of Henry III, King of France. The affection is mutual, but the Duchess virtuously resists the feeling, and repels the advances of the Count. They however accidentally meet in the chamber of an astrologer, and are there discovered by the husband. His jealousy and revenge make him resolve on St. Megrin's death which he accomplishes thus: he insists upon his wife writing a letter of assignation to her lover, appointing a meeting in her own apartment in the Hotel de Guise: she at first refuses, but the Duke grasping and squeezing her arm with his iron gauntlet brutally compels her through excess of pain to do his bidding. St. Megrin comes according to the summons, and is slain by the attendants of his enemy; the Duchess dies by poison...."
Paul Stuart (sic) de Caussade de St. Maigrin, a gentleman from the neighborhood of Bordeaux, was beloved of Henry III equally with Quelus and Maugiron, and his death was also as tragical. He was assassinated the 21st of July of the same year in the street St. Honore, about eleven o'clock at night, on his return from the Louvre. He was carried to the same hotel of Boisse, where his two friends had died. The next morning he died, having received, the previous evening, thirty-four wounds. The Duke of Guise, who was called the Balafre (a word which signifies a dash on the face), was suspected of this assassination, because St. Maigrin had boasted of too great intimacy with the Duchess of Guise. . . ." (The Ladies' Repository, Volumes 33-34:112)
Mignon 1579-1581
Prince of Wallachia, 1583-1585
"Peter II was nicknamed 'Cercel' (which means 'earrings' in Romanian) because of his taste for earrings, a look he picked up while in exile at the highly refined and luxurious court of French king Henry III, where he was seeking support for his ambitions of gaining the Wallachian throne. The king of France -- who wa an ally of Turkey against the house of Austria since the time of Francis I and sultan Suleiman the Magnificent -- intervened with the sultan in Peter's favour. Even so, Peter II had only been on the throne for two years, when he was deposed by the same man he had replaced -- Mihnea II -- in 1585. It is said he was planning to build a beautiful palace at Targoviste (where he had moved the capital) and introduce Western customs to the country (apparently influnced by the Italian secretary who accompanied him). Peter II Cercel was a fascinating character and a true romantic hero; he died in a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea." (A Brief Illustrated History of Romanians: 172)
"Petru spent his early years constantly traveling, trying to win support in his bid for the Wallachian throne. The fact that, as of 1579, he received unconditional support in France, coupled with the jewellery-wearing that attracted his moniker have led to speculations that Cercel belonged to the group of mignons of Henry III. It is even stated that Henry interceded with the Porte to award Petru the crown because of his affection for him." (Wikipedia)
"Arrived in Paris, he managed to astonish Catherina de Medici with his charm and intelligence and thus entered the entourage of King Henry III. It is said that, up to that time, as a result of his wanderings through many countries, Petru Cercel managed to learn 12 foreign languages. It was only in France that after years of wandering succeeded in receiving the sought-after aid. France was at that time the ally of the Ottoman Empire, and King Henry III decided to support Peter Cercel for installation on the Wallachian throne. In 1581, Petru Cercel reaches Constantinople again, where, supported by the French diplomats, he takes steps to obtain the Romanian principality. In 1583, Petru Cercel was installed as a ruler of Wallachia. Boierimah in the country saw him as an extravagant, with a look and a completely different approach to the traditional Wallachian one. The western clothing port that Peter Cercel had adopted in France shook the Wallachian boyar." (steemit)
23) Rene de Villequier, Baron de Clairvaux.
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| Roger de Saint-Lary de Termes Duc de Bellegarde |
24) Roger de Saint-Lary de Termes (1562-1646)
Favourite in 1587.
1st Duke of Bellegarde 1619
Marechal de France 1574
Grand Ecuyer de France 1605
King's Privy Council
Grand Ecuyer de France 1605
King's Privy Council
Son of: Jean de Saint-Lary (d.1586), military Governor of Metz.
Husband of: Margherita di Saluzzo, mar 1562.
"Roger de St. Lary, Duc de Bellegarde, was the favourite of three successive sovereigns. Henri III appointed him master of his wardrobe, and subsequently first gentleman of the chamber, and grand equerry. Henri IV made him a knight of his Orders in 1595; and ultimately Louis XIII continued to him an equal amount of favour. The preservation of Quillenoeuf, which he defended with great gallantry during the space of three weeks, with only forty-five soldiers and ten nobles, against the army of the Duc de Mayenne, acquired for him a renown which he never afterwards forfeited." (The Life of Marie de Medicis)
"The king was surrounded at Saint-Cloud by a team of faithful servants, many of whom had been with him since his youth. . . Also at Saint-Cloud were two young newcomers: Roger II de Bellegarde, the premier gentilhomme de la chambre and Jean de Levis, sieur de Mirepoix, gentilhomme ordinaire de la chambre. Bellegarde, a protege of the duc d'Epernon, had joined the court about 1581 at the age of only 13 or 14. Henry had liked him at once. He appointed him master of the wardrobe in 1587, then First Gentleman of the chamber and Grand ecuyer de France. Bellegarde was expected to follow the king everywhere, but was given no military or provincial command. Henry now preferred to entrust governorships to nobles with roots in the provinces or to princes of the blood. Bellegarde received a pension of 4,000 livres and more recently the gift of 4,000 ecus from the king. . . ." (Hero or Tyrant?)
25) Sagonne.
26) Tournon.
Henri III of France's mistresses.
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Renee de Rieux |
Lover in 1564-1571.
Comtesse de Castellan (by marriage)
Dame de Beaumont & Baronne de Castellan (by royal decree)
Maid-of-honour to Queen Catherine de' Medici 1567-1578.
Daughter of Jean de Rieux, Seigneur de Chateauneuf & Beatrice de Joncheres, Dame de la Perriere.
Wife of:
1. Antinotti (d.1577), a Florentine, mar 1575.
2. Philippe d'Altoviti(1550-1586), captain of the King's galleys, created Comte de Castellan, mar 1577.
2. Philippe d'Altoviti(1550-1586), captain of the King's galleys, created Comte de Castellan, mar 1577.
"While Henry was thus eagerly pursuing the Princess de Conde, Catherine de' Medici, who feared that his attachment would induce him to wed her, if her marriage was dissolved on account of her husband's heresy, and who thought also that her own power would be weakened should the princess be raised to the throne, introduced to his notice one of her most beautiful maids of honour, named Renee de Rieux de Chateauneuf, daughter of an illustrious family of Brittany, John de Rieux and Beatrix de Toucheres. Mademoiselle Chateauneuf, who was the very type of beauty, had a complexion of dazzling white, and a profusion of fair hair. This young lady, who obtained universal admiration, attracted also the regard of the prince, who composed sonnets to her charms and made her presents; the young lady replied to his letters in verse, and this sentimental correspondence continued until the intimacy of the prince and Renee de Rieux was made public. Mademoiselle de Chateauneuf continued to retain the volatile heart of Henry until, when elected King of Poland, he was obliged in 1573, to take possession of his kingdom. On quitting France he confided all his jewels to Renee, with whom he constantly kept up an affectionate correspondence, and it is said, signed his letters with this blood." (Memoirs of the Queens of France: Volume 1: 364)
"The fourteen year old Renee arrived at the Louvre to replace a member of Catherine’s Flying Squadron who had made the mistake of bearing a child with her intended lover. Before long, she had rejected one suitor and started to entertain Filippo Strozzi, one of the Queen Mother’s first cousins first removed. Strozzi soon left court to go to battle, leaving a bored Renee. Before long, Henri, Duc d’Anjou came to attend his mother, who unabashedly considered him her favorite. Some historians accuse Catherine of directing Renee to become Henri’s lover, starting in 1569. The two became inseparable, with Henri hiring Desportes to compose verses to Renee, as he would later do for Marie of Cleves. Flattered, Renee started to dream of a life as the mistress of the King’s younger brother. At the same time, she would indulge in fits of jealousy, with her envy spilling over once Marie of Cleves caught Henri’s eye. When Marie died before Henri could make her his queen, Renee must have been convinced that Henri would make her his queen. Instead, he chose the quiet and timid Louise of Lorraine, her opposite." (Renée de Rieux, Henry III’s mistress before Marie of Cleves)
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| Renee de Rieux |
Affair's end.
" . . . His [the Duc d'Anjou, later Henri III] favor diminished when the Duc d'Anjou fell in love with the young Marie de Cleves. . . ." (Wikipedia)
28) Maria von Kleve, Princesse de Conde (1553-1574)
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Marie of Cleves |
Lover in 1571.
Comtesse de Beaufort, Marquise d'Isles, Baronne de Jaucourt, Dame de Jully, 1564-1566.
Lady-in-waiting to Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France, as wife of Charles IV de France.
Wife of Henri I de Bourbon, Prince de Conde, mar 1572.
Natural offspring with Henri III de France.
1. Catherine (1574-1595), Marquise d'Isle.
"Known for her beauty, Marie caught the eye of the young Henry, Duke of Anjou, the future Henry III of France, sometime before 1574. Upon ascending the throne later that year, Henry intended to procure Marie a divorce from her husband and marry her himself; however, Marie died before he could implement his plan. The Princess of Conde's cause of death has been historically recorded to have been lung infection from ongoing pneumonia (Ñuomonia)." (Wikipedia)
" . . . Marie de Cleves (1553-74), daughter of the Duke de Nevers. Known for her many affairs, she was praised by poets as 'la belle Marie'. When she appeared at court, Henry d'Anjou fell in love with her, though she was already engaged to Henry de Bourbon. On her marriage to the latter in 1572, she became the Princess de Conde but remained d'Anjou's mistress until his departure for Poland in November 1573." (La Reine Margot: 471)
" . . . Marie de Cleves (1553-74), daughter of the Duke de Nevers. Known for her many affairs, she was praised by poets as 'la belle Marie'. When she appeared at court, Henry d'Anjou fell in love with her, though she was already engaged to Henry de Bourbon. On her marriage to the latter in 1572, she became the Princess de Conde but remained d'Anjou's mistress until his departure for Poland in November 1573." (La Reine Margot: 471)
"Mary of Cleves, married Henry I, prince of Conde. She was loved with such ardour by the duke of Anjou, afterwards Henry III, that, when called to the throne of Poland, he wrote to her with all the warmth of affection, and signed his name with his blood. When raised to the French throne, he formed the design of annulling Mary's marriage with his rival, but Catherine de' Medicis opposed it; and the sudden death of Mary, on the 30th of October 1574, at the age of eighteen, as is supposed by poison, left him disconsolate." (Rose, Vol. 10, p. 18)
29) Veronica Franco (1546-1591)
Lover in 1574.
Italian poet & courtesan.
Daughter of Francisco Franco, a merchant, & Paola Fracassa, a courtesan.
Wife of Paolo Panizza, a physician, mar 1560s.
"By the time she was twenty, Veronica was among the most popular and respected courtesans in Venice; her intelligence, strong personality and sexual skills won her a number of important clients, including King Henry III of France and Domenico Venier, a wealthy poet and literary advisor whose salon Veronica joined by the time she was 25. . . ." (The Honest Courtesan)
"Franco belonged to the highest caste among courtesans. Her fame reached its apex in the summer of 1574, when the Republic of Venice scheduled a night with a courtesan among its festivities for the twenty-three-year-old Henri III of Valois, soon to be crowned king of France. Franco's name was proposed by the patrician Andrea Tron, one of the forty gentlemen in the king's Venetian escort and a mainstay among Franco's clientele. How the king reciprocated is not known, but Franco sent him a portrait of herself with a letter and two encomiastic sonnets...." (Encyclopedia of Women in the Renaissance: 154)
" . . . Many studies of her highlight the visit Henri III of Valois made to her in July 1574 while he was on his journey from Poland to France to accept the French crown, and they make special note of the sonnets and letter that Veronica Franco sent to him. . . ." (Italian Women Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook: 138)
" . . . In 1574, when King Henri III of France visited Venice, he requested an evening with the city's most famous courtesan, Veronica Franco (1546-91)." (Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, Volume 1: 119)
30) Louise d'Estavayer (1550-1586)
Lover in 1582.
Maid of Honour to Louise de Lorraine, Queen of France, 1576-1586
Maid of Honour to Catherine de' Medicis, Queen of France, 1586-1589
31) Angelique d'Estrees (1570-?)
Lover in 1585?.
Abbess of Maubisson
"Fifth child of Antoine d'Estrées (1529-1609), Marquis de Cœuvres and Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière (1542-1593), Angelique was born around 1570. In 1580, at the age of ten, she was received as a novice at the abbey of St. Louis de Poissy. It is said that she became a few years after the mistress of Henry III as had been his mother (probably through it). His connection with the king is mentioned in 1585 in the letters of the ambassadors to the court of Henry III: Angélique d'Estrées is then a nun at the monastery of Poissy who passed to be worldly. According to Jacqueline Boucher, Henry III gave her the abbey of Bertaucourt (near Amiens), which can be considered as a mark of favor, even a gift of rupture. On April 26, Henry III presents it to the Holy See to obtain it Maubuisson abbey (the pope refuses to judge it too young). It will finally be obtained by Henri IV in 1594 - it is also claimed that she would have been his transient mistress." (Les Favorites Royales)
32) Jeanne de Laval (1546-1586).
Lover in 1586.
Daughter of Gilles II de Laval, Seigneur de Loue (d.1559) & Louise de Sainte-Maure.
Wife of Francois de Saint-Nectaire (1523-1587), Seigneur de La Ferte-Nabert, mar 1584
33) Francoise Babou de La Bourdaisiere (1542-1592)
34) Louise de La Beraudiere du Rouhet (1530-1586)
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Veronica Franco |
Lover in 1574.
Italian poet & courtesan.
Daughter of Francisco Franco, a merchant, & Paola Fracassa, a courtesan.
Wife of Paolo Panizza, a physician, mar 1560s.
"By the time she was twenty, Veronica was among the most popular and respected courtesans in Venice; her intelligence, strong personality and sexual skills won her a number of important clients, including King Henry III of France and Domenico Venier, a wealthy poet and literary advisor whose salon Veronica joined by the time she was 25. . . ." (The Honest Courtesan)
"Franco belonged to the highest caste among courtesans. Her fame reached its apex in the summer of 1574, when the Republic of Venice scheduled a night with a courtesan among its festivities for the twenty-three-year-old Henri III of Valois, soon to be crowned king of France. Franco's name was proposed by the patrician Andrea Tron, one of the forty gentlemen in the king's Venetian escort and a mainstay among Franco's clientele. How the king reciprocated is not known, but Franco sent him a portrait of herself with a letter and two encomiastic sonnets...." (Encyclopedia of Women in the Renaissance: 154)
" . . . Many studies of her highlight the visit Henri III of Valois made to her in July 1574 while he was on his journey from Poland to France to accept the French crown, and they make special note of the sonnets and letter that Veronica Franco sent to him. . . ." (Italian Women Writers: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook: 138)
" . . . In 1574, when King Henri III of France visited Venice, he requested an evening with the city's most famous courtesan, Veronica Franco (1546-91)." (Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, Volume 1: 119)
30) Louise d'Estavayer (1550-1586)
Lover in 1582.
Maid of Honour to Louise de Lorraine, Queen of France, 1576-1586
Maid of Honour to Catherine de' Medicis, Queen of France, 1586-1589
31) Angelique d'Estrees (1570-?)
Lover in 1585?.
Abbess of Maubisson
"Fifth child of Antoine d'Estrées (1529-1609), Marquis de Cœuvres and Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière (1542-1593), Angelique was born around 1570. In 1580, at the age of ten, she was received as a novice at the abbey of St. Louis de Poissy. It is said that she became a few years after the mistress of Henry III as had been his mother (probably through it). His connection with the king is mentioned in 1585 in the letters of the ambassadors to the court of Henry III: Angélique d'Estrées is then a nun at the monastery of Poissy who passed to be worldly. According to Jacqueline Boucher, Henry III gave her the abbey of Bertaucourt (near Amiens), which can be considered as a mark of favor, even a gift of rupture. On April 26, Henry III presents it to the Holy See to obtain it Maubuisson abbey (the pope refuses to judge it too young). It will finally be obtained by Henri IV in 1594 - it is also claimed that she would have been his transient mistress." (Les Favorites Royales)
32) Jeanne de Laval (1546-1586).
Lover in 1586.
Daughter of Gilles II de Laval, Seigneur de Loue (d.1559) & Louise de Sainte-Maure.
Wife of Francois de Saint-Nectaire (1523-1587), Seigneur de La Ferte-Nabert, mar 1584
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| Francoise Babou de La Bourdaisiere @Wikipedia |
33) Francoise Babou de La Bourdaisiere (1542-1592)
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| Louise de La Beraudiere du Rouhet |
French aristocrat & royal mistress.Lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine de' Medici
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