Kings and Queens of France

A life in pictures. (From the Henri V album of Louis XX on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.185676061494877.48903.185473404848476&type=3) To quote: Henri Charles Ferdinand Mari...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t278-the-comte-de-chambord-henri-v

Mad Monarchist looks at the historic significance of Jews in royal France: http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2018/03/france-jews-and-monarchy.html Posted on 3/16/18

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t772-jews-in-royal-france

How Friday the 13th became an infamous date during the reign of Philippe the Fair--Mad Monarchist tells the story: http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2017/01/king-philippe-friday-13th.html If you'...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t744-philippe-friday-the-13th

The birth of the Dauphin Francis was cause for great celebration, not only for his parents but also for the kingdom of France. After suffering three years with his brother in Spain as a political...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t737-francis-de-valois-dauphin-of-france-and-duke-of-brittany

On February 28, 1518, Queen Claude of France gave birth to her third child and first son at the royal Château of Amboise. He was named Francis. There was great rejoicing at this birth and his pa...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t734-the-christening-of-francis-dauphin-of-france

Agnes Sorel has the dubious distinction of being the first officially recognized French royal mistress. Agnes would exert a great deal of influence over King Charles VII and his government at the...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t731-agnes-sorel-mistress-of-the-french-king

I’ve been looking for an explanation for the use of Salic Law in France to exclude women from inheriting the throne. In reading Kathleen Wellman’s book “Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t729-salic-law-and-the-exclusion-of-women-from-the-crown-of-france

Continuing with the narrative of King Philip II Augustus’ marital woes, we have the tale of his second and third wives. And the story just gets more curious. We have already seen that due to po...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t727-ingeborg-of-denmark-queen-of-france

King Philip II of France, also known as Philip Augustus, has a very convoluted marital history. He seems to have had little regard for his wives and in some ways, he reminds me of the oft-married...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t724-isabelle-of-hainault-queen-of-france

In the early sixteenth century, the balance of power in Western Europe was a delicate dance between France, the Holy Roman Empire and England. There were three strong personalities who each sough...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t718-king-francois-i-of-frances-sons-are-held-hostage-by-the-holy-roman-emperor-charles-v

Suzanne was the granddaughter of King Louis XI. While her life was short and full of suffering, she was the apple of her father’s eye and she served as the inspiration for a book written by her...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t705-suzanne-duchess-of-bourbon

The more I learned about the life of Anne de Beaujeu, the more I came to admire her. Anne inherited a great deal of her intelligence from her father, King Louis XI and was very like him temperame...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t704-anne-de-beaujeu-duchess-of-bourbon-and-regent-of-france

Louis d’Orléans was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Valois which put him on a course to inherit the throne of France if certain conditions were met. While he was young, he was train...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t702-king-louis-xii-of-france-and-the-game-of-jeu-de-paume-tennis

There is no love story with the marriage of Claude de Valois and King François I of France. Claude’s parents, Anne of Brittany and King Louis XII enjoyed a stable and somewhat loving relations...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t699-claude-de-valois-queen-of-france

In 1501, Philip of Burgundy and Juana of Castile became the heirs of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. This new status required them to appear in constitutional ceremonies in principal cities o...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t697-juana-of-castile-and-philip-of-burgundy-visit-the-french-court-1501

f all the entities making up the kingdom of France, Brittany was special. The Duchy of Brittany refused to accept French suzerainty. The Bretons had their own language, laws and institutions. Bre...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t696-the-significance-of-the-siege-of-rennes-1491

The marriage of Anne of Brittany and King Louis XII of France was very successful. One could even say it was a love match, highly unusual for kingly couples. Royal marriages were for the most par...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t695-anne-of-brittany-as-matchmaker-the-case-of-anne-of-foix-candale-queen-of-hungary-and-bohemia

For those who have been watching the “Vikings” television series, Season 3 has been dominated by the Siege of Paris. But what really happened at the siege? Fortunately, we have the poems of t...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t661-the-true-story-of-the-siege-of-paris-of-885-886

Jeanne de Valois was the wife, sister and daughter of kings.  She was the wife of King Louis XII and later was made a saint. Click on the link to read about Jeanne de Valois: http://thefreelance...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t607-jeanne-de-valois-queen-of-france-and-duchess-of-berri

The funeral of Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, was used as a template for future funerals of French dignitaries. Click on the link to read about Anne's funeral: http://thefreelancehistorywrite...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t601-the-funeral-of-anne-of-brittany

Anne of Brittany was twice crowned Queen of France. Click on the link below to read about Anne of Brittany: http://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2014/08/01/anne-of-brittany-queen-of-france/ ...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t600-anne-of-brittany-queen-of-france

Rollo became the head of a new aristocracy in 10th C. northern France (Normandy).  He was an ancestor of William the Conqueror. Click on the link to read about Rollo: http://thefreelancehistoryw...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t542-rollo-viking-count-of-normandy

Charlotte of Savoy was the second wife of King Louis XI of France.  She was married to Louis when she was nine years old!  Her library became the genesis of the Biblioteque nationale of France....

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t525-charlotte-of-savoy-queen-of-france

François de La Rochefoucauld was a French classical author, the greatest maxim writer of France and one of the best memoir writers. He was also a soldier in the army of the King of France and th...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t488-francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-french-writer

André Campra was most known for originating the new genre of “opéra-ballet” and for being the most significant opera composer between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. His works...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t481-andre-campra-french-composer

Hyacinthe Rigaud was an award winning painter during the reign of King Louis XIV and beyond. He painted many portraits of people of different ranks in society and because of him we know what thes...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t483-hyacinthe-rigaud-french-painter

Nicholas Boileau-Despréaux was instrumental in reforming the customs of French poetry that prevailed in his lifetime. He was greatly influenced by Horace and was good friends with playwrights Je...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t476-nicholas-boileau-despreaux-french-poet-writer-and-critic

It was a scorching hot July in 1465 and Louis XI had been king of France for four years. The French aristocrats didn’t think King Louis XI acted like a king. He didn’t preside over a traditio...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t473-the-battle-of-montlhery

Jean-Baptiste Racine was one of the three great French playwrights of 17th century along with Molière and Pierre Corneille. He was primarily a master of classical tragedies, but he also wrote po...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t471-jean-racine

Margaret’s Motto: Fortune, Infortune, Fortune pretty much sums up her extraordinary life. Married three times with another marriage discussed, she refused to take a fourth husband. Her father e...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t470-margaret-of-austria

The Couperin family of composers was almost as famous in France as the Bach family was in Germany. François was the most well-known of his relatives and a leading French Baroque composer. To dis...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t469-francois-couperin-french-composer

Hello, I had a question for the forum members who are familiar with the subject. I read recently online (and yes, the internet might not always be accurate) that Louis XV was believed to have...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t465-louis-xv-and-small-pox

Pierre Corneille was a writer of French tragedies and is considered one of the three great seventeenth century French dramatists along with Molière and Racine. He has been called the “founder ...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t462-pierre-corneille-french-playwright

King Louis XI’s administration and consolidation of his kingdom and his flair for diplomacy earned him the sobriquet of “the Prudent”. But his favorite pastimes were plotting and conspiracy...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t463-louis-xi-king-of-france

Jean-Philippe Rameau was a French musician, composer and writer born on September 25, 1683 in Dijon. Details of his early life are scarce as he did not discuss this time of his life, not even wit...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t458-jean-philippe-rameau-french-composer

Antoinette of Bourbon was the formidable matriarch of the Guise family in sixteenth century France. She had many children who were instrumental in international politics as well as in religious l...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t452-antoinette-of-bourbon-duchess-of-guise

Charles the Bold was married three times. The first two marriages occurred when he was the Count of Charolais before he became Duke of Burgundy. His first marriage, when they were children, was t...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t449-isabella-of-bourbon-countess-of-charolais

Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy was a man born with huge potential. The child of illustrious parents, he was the heir to a vast, fertile and economically rich dukedom that stretched from the s...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t445-charles-the-bold

While doing some research on Charles the Bold (sometimes called Charles the Rash), I found an anecdote that was recorded by a chronicler of the time about an ordinary woman. Charles the Bold was ...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t428-a-woman-s-justice-during-the-reign-of-charles-the-bold

As the only child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, Mary was the heir of a far-ranging, wealthy and diverse realm and she was sometimes called Mary the Rich. Mary never expected a life of in...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t426-mary-of-burgundy

The hot tempered Charles, Duke of Burgundy was on the rampage. He had joined forces with other disaffected French noblemen and they were fighting their feudal overlord, King Louis XI. Charles had...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t418-the-siege-of-beauvais-1472

Margaret of York, sister to two kings of England, made one of the most brilliant marriages of her century. She married Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. When she became a childless widow, she m...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t414-margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy

Margaret Stewart was the daughter of King James I of Scotland. She married the Dauphin Louis (future King Louis XI) of France. Click on the link below to read about Margaret's marriage to Louis: ...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t404-margaret-stewart-of-scotland-dauphine-of-france

Isabel of Portugal married, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy when she was in her thirties. She was to reign and govern as the Duchess from 1430-1471. Click on the link below to read Isabel's sto...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t393-isabel-of-portugal-duchess-of-burgundy

Anne of Brittany was Queen of France twice and Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Here is a link to view the pages of her prayer book. http://www.themorgan.org/collections/swf/exhibOnline.as...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t391-illuminated-prayer-book-of-anne-of-brittany

The Morgan Library has digitally reproduced the tiny prayer book of Queen Claude of France. Here is a link to view this jewel of a book. http://www.themorgan.org/collections/swf/exhibOnline.asp...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t390-illuminated-prayer-book-of-queen-claude-of-france

Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working at the court of King Louis XIV. Lully is considered the chief master of the French baroque style of m...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t364-jean-baptiste-lully

André Le Nôtre (March 12 1613-15 to September 15, 1700) was a French landscape architect and principal gardener to King Louis XIV of France. His most notable work was the design and constructio...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t362-andre-le-notre

Claude, Duke of Guise was the father of Mary of Guise, mother of Mary Queen of Scots. He fought in the Battle of Marignano, Italy beside his brothers and King Francis I of France in 1515. This is...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t335-claude-duke-of-guise-at-the-battle-of-marignano-italy-1515

Mad Monarchist profiles Catherine de Medici: http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2012/09/consort-profile-queen-catherine-de.html In the endnote, he says it wasn't easy to write about her. The late ...

https://teaattrianon.forumotion.com/t325-catherine-de-medici