Françoise de Lorraine

Françoise de Lorraine (November 1592 – 8 September 1669) was a French noblewoman and the daughter-in-law of King Henry IV of France; sometimes known as Françoise de Mercœur, she was the niece of Louise of Lorraine, wife of the previous king, Henry III of France. Françoise was the heiress of her father and was the Duchess of Mercœur and Penthièvre in her own right.

Biography

Françoise was the youngest of two children. She was born in November 1592 with the exact date unknown; her only sibling, Philippe Louis, died in 1590 aged one; as such from her birth to the Duke and Duchess of Mercœur, she was an heiress to one of the largest private fortunes of her age.

During the reign of Henry III, her father had put himself at the head of the League in Brittany, and had himself proclaimed protector of the Roman Catholic Church in the province in 1588. Invoking the hereditary rights of his wife, who was a descendant of the Dukes of Brittany, he endeavoured to make himself independent in that province, and organized a government at Nantes, calling his son "prince and duke of Brittany".

With the aid of the Spaniards he defeated Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, whom Henry IV of France had sent against him, at Craon in 1592. The king marched against Meroeur in person. As part of their peace they drew up a marriage contract in 1596 whereby his daughter, would marry Henry's legitimized son.^[1]

The French and Spanish then signed the Peace of Vervins on 2 May 1598 when Françoise was 6; part of the treaty again stipulated that the young Françoise would be engaged to the illegitimate child of Henry IV, César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme. Vendôme was the eldest child of the King and his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées.

The marriage ceremony took place at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 16 July 1609. The bride was 17; the groom was just 14. The couple had three children overall and were the paternal grand parents of the famous débauché general, le Grand Vendôme.

Françoise was the Duchess of Mercœur and Penthièvre since her father's death in 1602. Due to the marriage contract, César acquired the right to rule her lands.

Her husband died in 1665, a disgraced man, having been involved in the Fronde and been accused of trying to poison the all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu. In the same year she went to Savoy with her granddaughter Marie Jeanne of Savoy for the wedding of Marie Jeanne to Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy.

The duchies of Mercœur and Penthièvre were thus inherited by her eldest son who married Laura Mancini in 1651, niece of Cardinal Mazarin.^[2] Françoise died in Paris in 1669 aged 77. She was buried in Paris.

Other fiefdoms that Françoise owned were the Principality of Martigues, Duchy of Étampes and Lordship of Ancenis.

Issue

• Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1612–1669) married Laura Mancini and had issue;
• Élisabeth de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Vendôme (1614–1664), married in Paris on 11 July 1643 Charles Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Nemours and has issue.
• François de Bourbon, Duke of Beaufort (1616–1669) never married;

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 1592 – 16 July 1609 Her Highness Mademoiselle de Mercœur
• 16 July 1609 – 22 October 1665 Her Highness the Duchess of Vendôme
• 22 October 1665 – 8 September 1669 Her Highness the Dowager Duchess of Vendôme

References and notes

See also