Claude of Valois

Claude of Valois
Duchess of Lorraine
Spouse	Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Issue
Henri, Duke of Lorraine Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine Antoinette, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg Francis, Duke of Lorraine Catherine, Abbess of Remiremont Elisabeth Renata, Electress of Bavaria
House	House of Lorraine House of Valois
Father	Henry II
Mother	Catherine de' Medici
Born	12 November 1547(1547-11-12) Fontainebleau
Died	21 February 1575(1575-02-21) (aged 27)

Claude of Valois was born at Fontainebleau on 12 November 1547 and died in Nancy on 21 February 1575. She was the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.

Biography

Claude was raised alongside her sister Elisabeth, future Queen of Spain, and sister-in-law Mary, Queen of Scots. She was married at the age of 11 to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine on 19 January 1559. Claude was victim of the unhealthy traits that Catherine appeared to pass on to her children (with the exception of Marguerite) and suffered from a hunchback and club foot.

This very discreet princess was the favourite daughter of her mother. She often left Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, in order to live near her mother in the heart of France. Catherine de' Medici also liked to visit her daughter in Lorraine. Against her mother's wishes, though, Claude did try to warn her younger sister Marguerite de Valois of the danger she would face as the new wife of the Huguenot King of Navarre on the night of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.

Claude died in childbirth in 1575.

Children

Claude and her husband had nine children:

• Henry II, Duke of Lorraine, 1563–1624
• Christine of Lorraine, 16 August 1565 – 19 December 1637. Married Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
• Charles, 1567–1607, Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Metz (1578–1607), Bishop of Strasbourg (1604–1607)
• Antoinette, 1568-1610. Married Jean-Guillaume, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg
• Anne, 1569-1676.
• Francis II, Duke of Lorraine, 1572-1632.
• Catherine of Lorraine (1573–1648), Abesse de Remiremont
• Elisabeth of Lorraine, 1574-1635. Married Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.
• Claude, 1575-1576.

Ancestors

External links

Kingdom of France portal

• Medici Archive Project

Preceded by Christina of Denmark

Duchess of Lorraine 1559-1575

Succeeded by Margerita Gonzaga

Persondata
Name	Valois, Claude Of
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 November 1547
Place of birth	Fontainebleau
Date of death	21 February 1575
Place of death