Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille

Charlotte Catherine
Princess of Condé
Spouse	Henri de Bourbon
Detail Issue
Éléonore, Princess of Orange Henri, Prince of Condé
Full name
Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille
Father	Louis de La Trémoille
Mother	Jeanne de Montmorency
Born	1568[1] France
Died	29 August 1629 Paris, France
Burial	Église des Religieuses de l'Ave Maria, Paris, France

Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille (1568 – 29 August 1629) was a French noblewoman and Princess of Condé by marriage. She was a member of the House of La Trémoille.

Biography

The youngest of five children born to the Duke and Duchess of Thouars, she was a member of the La Trémoille family, one of the oldest in France. Her father was closely tied with the royal's of France (the House of Valois) and the family was renowned. Her maternal grandfather Anne de Montmorency was captured with his king, Francis I, at the Battle of Pavia in February 1525.

Her future husband, Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was the son of the late Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé and Eléanor de Roucy de Roye.

Henri was one of the most important men in the kingdom, holding the prestigious rank of First Prince of the Blood (Prince du Sang). The couple married on 16 March 1586,^[1] Henri completely enamoured by his attractive wife who was sixteen years younger than he.

As part of her dowry of 60,000 Livres, she bought numerous new property into the Bourbon family which helped settle the debts of her husband family.^[2]

At the death of her husband in March 1588, it was Charlotte Catherine who was accused of his alleged poisoning and the blame fell on her completely. At the time of her husband's death, she was three months pregnant^[3] and was imprisoned for six years during which time she gave birth to her son Henri de Bourbon.

Later on, after the extinction of the House of Valois in 1589,^[1] the Bourbon king Henry IV of France recognised the infant Henri as the son of the late Condé giving the rank of First Prince back to the Condé's. Her son was Heir presumptive to the throne till the birth of the future Louis XIII in 1601.^[1]

She was buried at the Église des Religieuses de l'Ave Maria in Paris.

Issue

• Éléonore de Bourbon (30 April 1587–20 January 1619) married Philip William, Prince of Orange, no issue;
• Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (1 September 1588–26 December 1646) married Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency and had issue including le Grand Condé.

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 1568 – 16 March 1586 Her Highness Mademoiselle de La Trémoille
• 16 March 1586 – 5 March 1588 Her Serene Highness the Princess of Condé
• 5 March 1588 – 29 August 1629 Her Serene Highness the Dowager Princess of Condé

References and notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} van de Pas, Leo. "Charlotte Catherine de La Trémouille". Genealogics .org. http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00001626&tree=LEO. Retrieved 2010-03-21. 
2. ^ Béguin, Katia. Le Princes de Condé. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3vEojWma9hIC&pg=PA28&dq=Charlotte+Catherine+de+La+Tr%C3%A9mouille+princesse+de+conde&as_brr=3&ei=bjOpS_GFNYb4zATBmtjJDQ&cd=7#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 2010-03-21. 
3. ^ Béthune, Maximilien de. Memoirs of the Duke of Sully. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NItlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA188&dq=Charlotte+Catherine+de+La+Tr%C3%A9mouille+princesse+de+conde&as_brr=3&ei=bjOpS_GFNYb4zATBmtjJDQ&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 

See also

Persondata
Name	Tremoille, Charlotte Catherine De La
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1568
Place of birth	France
Date of death	29 August 1629
Place of death	Paris, France