Renata of Lorraine

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Renata of Lorraine (April 20, 1544, Nancy – May 22, 1602, Munich) was the daughter of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Denmark. Her maternal grandparents were Christian II of Denmark and Isabella of Burgundy. She married William V, Duke of Bavaria on 22 February 1568, in a large ceremony in Munich, which was described in detail by Massimo Troiano in his Dialoghi (1569).

[edit] Children

• Christoph von Bayern, born in 1570, died the same year
• Christoph von Bayern, born in 1572, died in 1580
• Maximilian I (1573-1651), future Duke and Elector of Bavaria
• Maria Anna of Bavaria (Maria Anna v.Bayern), 1574-1616, married Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1600
• Philipp Wilhelm (22 September 1576 - 18 May 1598), Bishop of Regensburg from 1595, Cardinal from 1597
• Ferdinand, (6 October 1577 - 13 September 1650), Archbishop and prince-elector of Cologne (1612-1650)
• Eleonore Magdalena v. Bayern, born in 1579, died in 1580
• Karl von Bayern (30 May 1580 - 27 October 1587)
• Albert VI (1584-1666), in 1612 married Mechthilde v. Leuchtenberg (1588-1634)
• Magdalene of Bavaria (4 July 1587 - 25 September 1628). Her tomb is in: Hofkirche Neuburg a.d.Donau), in 1613 married Wolfgang Wilhelm, Pfalzgraf von Neuburg (1578-1663)

In the early 1560s, king Eric XIV of Sweden (1533-77, reigned 1560-68), a Lutheran, hoped to marry her and sent a deputation to propose her. Eric had several unsuccessful royal marriage plans at different times, but ultimately married his low-born mistress Karin Månsdotter. As to Renata, Eric's desire was mostly based on her being the granddaughter of king Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and thus one of heirs of that deposed monarch.

Whatever happened with king Eric's proposal, however, Renata's direct descendant Josephine of Leuchtenberg married one of Eric's successors, the future king Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in 1823. Renata's descent ascended the Swedish and Norwegian thrones in 1859 in person of Charles XV of Sweden and Norway and the Danish throne in person of Christian X of Denmark in 1912. All current monarchs of the three Scandinavian countries are Renata's direct blood descendants. Among her other numerous notable descendants are Franz Josef of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico.