Christina of Lorraine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, by Frans Pourbus the Younger.
Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, by Frans Pourbus the Younger.

Christina of Lorraine or Chretienne de Lorraine (16 August 1565 - 19 December 1637), born in Nancy, was the daughter of Charles III of Lorraine (1543-1608) and his wife Claude of Valois (1547-1575), and granddaughter of Catherine de' Medici.

On 3 May 1589 she married Ferdinando I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, thereby becoming Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany. Catherine had influenced her towards this marriage, to re-align the Medici with France not Spain. Their son, Cosimo II de Medici succeeded his father as Grand Duke.

Galileo wrote his Letter to Grand Duchess Christina, expounding on the relationship between science and revelation, in 1615.

She died in Florence at the age of 72.