Claude of France with her daughters, Louise and Charlotte (who died young); Madeleine, Queen of Scotland (right); her youngest daughter, Marguerite, duchess of Savoy (left), and Eleanor of Spain

Louis XII Children    Claude of France             Renée of France

Claude of France (14 October 1499 – 20 July 1524), Queen consort of France and duchess of Brittany in her own right, was the eldest daughter of Louis XII, King of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany. As the first wife of Francis I, King of France, she was the mother of King Henry II, King of France, and thus grandmother of the last three kings of the Valois line and also of Elisabeth, Queen of Spain, Claude, Duchess of Lorraine, and Marguerite, the queen of Henry IV, King of France. Image File history File links Buch2-659. ... Image File history File links Buch2-659. ... Main articles: France in the Middle Ages and Early Modern France The Valois Dynasty succeeded the Capetian Dynasty as rulers of France from 1328-1589. ... Self-designed File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Louis XII the Father of the People (French: Louis XII le Père du Peuple) (June 27, 1462 – January 1, 1515) was King of France 1498 – January 1, 1515. ... Renee of France (October 25, 1510 - June 12, 1574), also known as Renée de France and Renata di Francia. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1499 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... The Duke of Brittany (French: Duc de Bretagne) governed Brittany, a region with strong traditions of independence, including a language and a distinctive culture. ... Louis XII the Father of the People (French: Louis XII le Père du Peuple) (June 27, 1462 – January 1, 1515) was King of France 1498 – January 1, 1515. ... Picture of the statue of Anne of Britanny located near the castle in Nantes, France Anne of Brittany (January 25, 1477 – January 9, 1514) was also known as Anna of Brittany and Anne de Bretagne. ... Francis I (François Ier in French) (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... Henry II (French: Henri II) (March 31, 1519 – July 10, 1559), a member of the Valois Dynasty, was King of France from March 31, 1547, until his death. ... The Valois Dynasty succeeded the Capetian Dynasty as rulers of France from 1328- 1589. ... Elizabeth of Valois, by Sofonisba Anguissola, 1565 Elizabeth de Valois (April 2, 1545 – October 3, 1568) was a daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici. ... Marguerite de Valois For other women of the same name, see Marguerite de Valois (disambiguation) Margaret of Valois (May 14, 1553 – May 27, 1615), Queen Margot (La reine Margot) was Queen of France and Navarre. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV; December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), was the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty in France. ...

Since her mother had no surviving sons, Claude was the heiress of Brittany, while the crown of France could pass only to and through male heirs, according to Salic Law. In 1504 Claude's mother Anne, eager to keep an independent Brittany out of French hands, effected the Treaty of Blois, which promised Claude's hand in marriage to the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the promise of Brittany and Burgundy. The prospect of a reduced France surrounded on several sides was unacceptable to the Valois, and so the betrothal was soon cancelled. In 1506, the child was betrothed, instead, to her cousin, François, duke of Angoulème who stood next in the French line of succession. In 1514, when her mother died, Claude became duchesse de Bretagne (Brittany); that year, at St-Germain-en-Laye she married François. This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Treaty of Blois of September 22, 1504 concerned the marriage between Charles of Luxembourg, the future Charles V, and Claude of France, daughter of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany. ... Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. ... 1506 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a city west of Paris, in the Yvelines département (of which it is a sous-préfecture), in the Ile-de-France région, in France. ...

When Claude died, she was succeeded as ruler of Brittany by her eldest son, the minor François the Dauphin, who became Duke François IV, with her Claude's widower, King François I as guardian.

After Claude's death, in 1532 the personal union of France with Brittany was made definitive. The Dauphin, son of François I and Claude de France was duke of Brittany until his untimely death (1532-1536). His brother Henry succeeded him, and the last of the dukes of Brittany was Henry's eldest son Duke François V, crowned in 1544, and later also Dauphin and then briefly king. Francis II (French: François II) (January 19, 1544 – December 5, 1560) was a King of France (1559 – 1560). ...

Claude, the pawn of so much dynastic maneuvering, was short in stature and afflicted with scoliosis that gave her a small hunched back. She was eclipsed at court by her mother-in-law, Louise of Savoy, and her sister-in-law, the literary Marguerite, queen of Navarre. Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (September 11, 1476 – September 22, 1531) was the mother of Francis I of France. ... Marguerite of Navarre (April 11, 1492 - December 21, 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angouleme and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of King Henry II of Navarre. ...

When François became king in 1515, two of Claude's ladies-in-waiting were the English sisters, Mary and Anne Boleyn. Mary became the king's mistress before returning home in about 1519. Anne served as Claude's official translator whenever there were English visitors such as in 1520. Anne was also a temporary companion to Claude's younger sister, Renée de Valois. Anne Boleyn returned to England in 1521, where she eventually rose to become queen. Francis I (François Ier in French) (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... 1515 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lady Mary Boleyn (c. ... A portrait of Anne Boleyn painted some years after her death. ... Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ... mary elline m. ... Renée of France (October 25, 1510 - June 12, 1574), also known as Renée de France and Renata di Francia. ... Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ...

Claude's life was spent in an endless round of annual pregnancies. Her husband had many mistresses but was usually relatively discreet. Claude imposed a strict moral code on her household, which only a few like Mary Boleyn chose to flout.

Claude died in 1524, when she was only twenty-four. Her second son later became King Henri II. Her husband later remarried, to Eleonore of Austria, the sister of Emperor Charles V. The atmosphere at Court became considerably more debauched, and there were rumours that King François died of syphilis in 1547. Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... Eleanore of Austria, sometimes known also as Leonor of Castile (November 15, 1498 – February 25, 1558) was born Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Spain, became subsequently in turn queen consort of Portugal (1518–1521) and of France, also duchess of Touraine (1547–1558) as dower. ... Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a spirochaete bacterium, Treponema pallidum. ... Events January 16 - Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia. ...

Claude is remembered in a classic small plum, the size of a walnut, pale green with a glaucous bloom, still called "Reine Claude" in France and known in England as a "greengage." Recently harvested Greengages The Greengage is an edible drupaceous fruit, a cultivar of the plum, Prunus domestica Reine Claude. It was developed in France from a green-fruited wild plum originally found in Asia Minor. ...