Nicole, Duchess of Lorraine
Nicole de Lorraine[1] (3 October 1608 – 2 February 1657) was Duchess of Lorraine and Bar from 1 August 1624 to 21 November 1625, and Duchess consort in 1625–1634. She was born in Nancy, the daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Margerita Gonzaga. She died in Paris.
Background
Her father had no son and wanted to leave the Duchy of Lorraine to Nicole, but a supposed testament by René II of Lorraine specified that the duchy could not bypass the male lineage. After negotiations with the male heirs, she married Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, the eldest son of Francis, Count of Vaudémont on 23 May 1621. They had no children.
Duchess of Lorraine
His situation was complicated by the death of Henry II, 31 July 1624. She thereby became duchess of Lorraine. In November 1625, Francis, Count of Vaudémont, based on the "testament" of Rene II, claimed the duchy. The States-General of Lorraine felt it a legitimate request and Francis became Duke on 21 November 1625. Five days later, he abdicated in favor of his son, who became Duke Charles IV of Lorraine. The latter had managed to remove his wife's power and become Duke in his own right.
Duchess consort
Married by dynastic interest, the gap between Nicole and her husband grew with the events of 1625. Wishing to leave his wife, Charles tried in 1631 to have his marriage annulled by passing the death penalty - without proof - for witchcraft on Melchior of the Valley, the priest who had performed their marriage ceremony. But that injustice was not corroborated by The Church and Charles IV remained officially married to Nicole.
In 1635, Charles took the opportunity to get rid of his wife's authority, the false pretext that he had not been free to choose at the time of his marriage but did not persuade the papacy to annul the marriage.
Nicole spent the last years of her life in Paris, where she died.
Ancestry
Ancestors of Nicole, Duchess of Lorraine |
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| 16. Antoine, Duke of Lorraine |
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| 8. Francis I, Duke of Lorraine | |
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| 17. Renée of Bourbon-Montpensier |
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| 4. Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | |
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| 18. Christian II of Denmark |
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| 9. Christina of Denmark | |
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| 19. Isabella of Austria |
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| 2. Henry II, Duke of Lorraine | |
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| 20. Francis I of France |
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| 10. Henry II of France | |
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| 21. Claude of France |
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| 5. Claude of France | |
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| 22. Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino |
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| 11. Catherine de' Medici | |
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| 23. Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne |
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| 1. Nicole of Lorraine | |
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| 24. Federico II, Duke of Mantua |
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| 12. Guglielmo X Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua | |
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| 25. Margaret Palaeologina |
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| 6. Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua | |
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| 26. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (=#30) |
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| 13. Archduchess Eleanor of Austria | |
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| 27. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (=#31) |
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| 3. Margerita Gonzaga | |
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| 28. Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany |
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| 14. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany | |
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| 29. Eleanor of Toledo |
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| 7. Eleonora de' Medici | |
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| 30. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (=#26) |
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| 15. Archduchess Joanna of Austria | |
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| 31. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (=#27) |
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References
- ↑ Bibliothèque historique de la France, chez Didot, Debure, Nyon, Moutard, Paris, 1778, p. 363:
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| The generations start from the children of Réné II | | 1st Generation |
- Princess Anne*
- Princess Isabelle*
- Princess Claude*
- Princess Catherine*
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| 2nd Generation | |
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| 3rd Generation |
- Reneta, Duchess of Bavaria
- Dorothea, Duchess of Calenberg*
- Princess Marguerite
- Princess Catherine
- Princess Marguerite
- Princess Christine
- Princess Louise
- Marie, Queen of Scotland
- Princess Louise
- Renée, Abbess of St. Pierre
- Antoinette, Abbess of Faremoutier
- Louise, Queen of France*
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| 4th Generation |
- Christine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
- Antoinette, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.*
- Princess Anne*
- Catherine, Duchess of Nevers
- Élisabeth, Electress Palatine
- Princess Claude*
- Françoise, Duchess of Vendôme
- Catherine, Abbess of Remiremont*
- Princess Catherine*
- Princess Marie*
- Princess Christine*
- Princess Renée*
- Princess Jeanne*
- Louise Marguerite, Princess of Conti*
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| 5th Generation | |
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| 6th Generation |
- Princess Marie Anne*
- Princess Anne Eléonore*
- Anne Marie Thérèse, Abbess of Remiremont*
- Princess Anne Marie*
- Princess Catherine Henriette*
- Béatrice Hiéronyme, Abbess of Remiremont*
- Élisabeth, Princess of Epinoy*
- Marie, Princess of Monaco
- Charlotte, Mademoiselle d'Armagnac
- Marguerite, Duchess of Cadaval
- Anne Élisabeth, Princess of Vaudémont
- Marie Eléonore, Abbess of Saint Jacques
- Marie Françoise, Abbess of Saint Germaine
- Suzanne Henriette, Duchess of Mantua
- Louise Anne, Princess of Navailles
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| 7th Generation | |
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| 8th Generation | |
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| 9th Generation | |
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| *died without issue |
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| The generations start from the children of Réné II | | 1st Generation | |
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| 2nd Generation | |
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| 3rd Generation |
- Princess Claude of France
- Marie de Luxembourg
- Marguerite de Chabot
- Princess Henriette of Savoy
- Catherine of Cleves
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| 4th Generation | |
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| 5th Generation | |
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| 6th Generation |
- Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Poland
- Princess Anne Élisabeth de Lorraine*
- Charlotte de Rochechouart de Mortemart
- Marie Therese de Stramboni
- Innocentia Catherine du Plessis
- Marie Françoise de Brancas
- Marie Louise Jeannin de Castille
- Élisabeth de Roquelaure
- Anne Marguerite Gabrielle de Beauvau
- Jeanne Henriette Marguerite de Durfort
- Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans
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| 7th Generation | |
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| 8th Generation | |
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| *also a princess of Lorraine in her own right |
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