Diane de Poitiers (September 3, 1499 - April 25, 1566) was a noblewoman and a fixture at the courts of Francis I and Henri II of France. She became notorious as the latter's favorite. is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1499 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... 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. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Early life and marriage

Diane de Poitiers

She was born the daughter of Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier and Jeanne de Batarnay in the château de Saint-Vallier, in the town of Saint-Vallier, Drôme, in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. When still a girl, she was for a while in the retinue of Anne de Beaujeu, daughter of Louis XI, a strong woman who held the regency of France during her brother’s minority. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier (c. ... Saint-Vallier is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Saint-Vallier, in the Charente département Saint-Vallier, in the Drôme département Saint-Vallier, in the Saône-et-Loire département Saint-Vallier, in the Vosges département Saint-Vallier-de... Drôme is a département in southeastern France named after the Drôme River. ... (Région flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Lyon Regional President Jean-Jack Queyranne (PS) (since 2004) Departments Ain Ardèche Drôme Isère Loire Rhône Savoie Haute-Savoie Arrondissements 25 Cantons 335 Communes 2,879 Statistics Land area1 43,698 km² Population (Ranked 2nd)  - January 1, 2006... Anne de Beaujeu Anne de France (or Anne de Beaujeu) (Genappe, April 1461 – 14 November 1522, Saint-Vincent-de-Salers), was a Princess and Regent of the Kingdom of France. ... Louis XI Louis XI the Prudent (French: Louis XI le Prudent) (July 3, 1423 - August 30, 1483), also informally nicknamed luniverselle aragne (old French for universal spider), was a King of France (1461 - 1483). ...

At the age of 15, she married a man 39 years older, Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet. He was a grandson of King Charles VII who served the court of King François I. She bore him two daughters, Françoise de Brézé (1518 - 1574) and Louise de Brézé (1521 – 1577). Louis de Brézé, seigneur dAnet (died July 23, 1531) was a French nobleman, the grandson of King Charles VII of France by an illegitimate daughter. ... Charles VII the Victorious, a. ... 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. ...

In 1524, her father was accused of treason as an accomplice of the rebellious Connétable de Bourbon. He was nearly executed and learned that his life had been spared by Francis I as his head was already on the block. Charles III de Bourbon, engraved portrait by Thomas de Leu Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier, Eighth Duke of Bourbon (February 17, 1490 – May 6, 1527 in Rome) was Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. ...

When Louis de Brézé died in 1531 in Anet, Diane took up black as her main color of dress for the rest of her life, adding later some white and grey. Her keen interest in financial matters and legal shrewdness became apparent for the first time. She managed to retain her late husband’s emoluments as governor and grand-sénéchal of Normandy, taking herself the title of "sénéchale de Normandie". She challenged in court the obligation to return Louis de Bézé’s appanages to the royal domain. The king allowed her to enjoy the appanage's income "until the status of those lands has been totally clarified." The system of appanage has greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and explains the flag of many provinces of France. ...

When still the wife of Louis de Brézé, she became lady-in-waiting of Claude de France. After the queen died, she was lady-in-waiting of Louise de Savoie, then Éléonore de Habsburg. Lady in Waiting is an album by American southern rock band The Outlaws, released in 1976. ... Claude de France (14 October 1499 – 20 July 1524), French queen by marriage and duchess of Brittany in her own right, was the eldest daughter of King Louis XII of France and Anne, the heiress of Brittany. ... Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (September 11, 1476 – September 22, 1531) was the mother of Francis I of France. ... Eleanor of Habsburg Eleanor of Habsburg, also called Leonor of Castile or Eleanor of Austria (November 15, 1498 – February 25, 1558) was born Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile, became subsequently in turn queen consort of Portugal (1518–1521) and of France, also duchess of Touraine (1547–1558) as...

Life as a courtesan

After the capture of Francis I by the troops of Charles Quint during the battle of Pavia (1525), the two eldest princes, François and Henri, were retained as hostages in Spain in exchange for their father. Because the ransom was not paid in time, the two boys (7 and 8 at the time) had to spend nearly four years isolated in a bleak castle, facing a quite uncertain future. Henri found solace by reading the knight-errantry tale Amadis de Gaula. The experience may account for the strong impression that Diane made on him, as the very embodiment of the ideal gentlewomen he read about in Amadis. As his mother the queen was already dead, it was Diane who gave him the farewell kiss when he was sent to Spain. When he finally was returned to France as a 12 year old, she was ordered by Francis I to act as a mentor to him and teach him courtly manners. At the tournament held for the crowning of Francis's new wife Eleanor in 1531, while the dauphin François saluted the new queen as expected, Henri addressed his salute to Diane. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Aragon and Castile. ... Combatants France Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Duchy of Milan[1] Commanders Francis I of France Charles de Lannoy, Antonio de Leyva, Georg Frundsberg Strength 17,000 infantry 6,500 cavalry 53 guns 19,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 17 guns Casualties 12,000 dead or wounded 500 dead or wounded... Francis (French: François), Dauphin of France, also Francis III, Duke of Brittany (September 28, 1518 – August 10, 1536), was the first son and heir of King Francis I of France and Claude of France, daughter of Louis XII of France. ... A knight errant is a figure of Medieval romantic chivalric literature. ... Amadís de Gaula (English, Amadis of Gaul) is a landmark work among the knight-errantry tales which were in vogue in 16th century Spain, and formed the earliest reading of many Renaissance and Baroque writers. ... January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake - thousands die. ...

The emblem of Diane de Poitiers, three interlaced crescents

In 1533 Henri II married Catherine de Medici. There had been strong opposition to this alliance, the Medicis being no more than upstarts in the eyes of many in the French court. Louis de Brézé and Diane approved this choice. Diane and Catherine were actually kin, being both descendants of the La Tour d'Auvergne family ^[1]. Indeed, to Catherine, Diane was an intrusive elder cousin as well as a rival. As the future royal couple remained childless, concerned by rumors of a possible repudiation of a queen she had in control, Diane made sure that Henri's visits to his wife’s bedroom would be frequent. She was in charge of the education of their children until 1551 ; her daughter Françoise managed the queen's servants. While Henri and Catherine would eventually produce ten children together, and despite the occasional affair ^[2], Diane de Poitiers would remain Henri's lifelong companion, and for the next 25 years she would be the most powerful influence in his life. [1]. Based on allusions in their correspondence, it is generally believed that she became his mistress in 1538. Image File history File links Three-Crescents-Diane-Poitiers. ... Image File history File links Three-Crescents-Diane-Poitiers. ... Events January 25 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn, his second Queen consort. ... Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519–January 5, 1589), born in Italy as Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici, and later queen of France under the French name Catherine de M dicis, was the wife of King Henry II of France, of the Valois branch of the kings... Madeleine de la Tour dAuvergne (birthdate unknown though apparently in 1501, died about 1519) was the wife of Lorenzo (II) de Medicis, Duke of Urbino, and the mother of Catherine of Medici (1519-1589) who became queen of France. ... Year 1551 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ...

Remembered as a beautiful woman, she had a nice figure, and maintained her good looks well into her fifties, which was immortalized in art. Only two signed paintings by the great artist François Clouet are known to exist, one being a painting of Diane. The subject of that painting shows her seated nude in her bath. [2] She sat for other paintings of the time [3], often topless or nude, other times in traditional poses. [4] [5] [6] All seem to depict a vibrant and attractive woman. » Diane de Poitiers by François Clouet (1571) at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC Elisabeth of Austria by François Clouet (1571) (Louvre) Wikimedia Commons has media related to: François Clouet François Clouet (died 22 December 1572), son of Jean Clouet, was a French Renaissance miniaturist...

When Francis I was still alive, Diane de Poitiers had to compete at the court with Anne de Pisseleu, the king's favorite. She managed to have her exiled on her lands at Francis I 's death (1547). Diane possessed a sharp intellect and was so politically astute that the King Henri II trusted her to write many of his official letters, and even to sign them jointly with the one name: HenriDiane. She was the "brains behind the throne". She was full of confidence, and her maturity and loyalty to Henri II made her his most dependable ally in the court. Her position in the Court of the King was such that when Pope Paul III sent the new Queen Catherine the "Golden Rose", he did not forget to present the royal mistress Diane with a pearl necklace. Within a very short amount of time she wielded considerable power within the realm. In 1548 she received the prestigious title of Duchess of Valentinois, then in 1553 was made Duchesse d'Étampes.[7] Anne de Pisseleu dHeilly Anne de Pisseleu dHeilly, [1] [2] duchesse dÉtampes (1508 – 1580), mistress of Francis I of France, daughter of Guillaume de Pisseleu, a nobleman of Picardy, who was made seigneur of Meudon, master of waters and forests of ÃŽle de France, of Champagne and... Pope Paul III (February 29, 1468 – November 10, 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope from 1534 to 1549. ... Golden Rose of Minucchio da Siena (1330), given by Pope John XXII to Rudolph III of Nidau, Earl of Neuchâtel The Golden Rose is a precious and sacred ornament made of pure gold by skilled artificers, which the popes of the Roman Catholic Church have been accustomed for centuries... Duke of Valentinois (French: Duc de Valentinois; Italian: Duca Valentino), formerly Count of Valentinois, is an extinct title in the French peerage, and is currently one of the many hereditary titles of the Prince of Monaco. ... // Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey...

The king's total adoration for Diane caused a great deal of jealousy on the part of Queen Catherine, particularly when Henri entrusted Diane with the Crown Jewels of France, had the Château d'Anet built for her, and gave her the beautiful Château de Chenonceau, a piece of royal property that Catherine had wanted for herself. However, as long as the king lived, the Queen was powerless to change this.[8] The Château dAnet is a French palace near Dreux built by Philibert de lOrme for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France from 1547 to 1552. ... Château de Chenonceau as seen from Diane de Poitiers gardens The Château de Chenonceau, near the small village of Chenonceaux, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France, was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before...

King's death, her downfall

Despite her holding such power with the king, her total status depended on the king's welfare, and his remaining in power. In 1559, when Henri was critically wounded in a jousting tournament, Queen Catherine de' Medici took control, restricting access to him. January 15 - Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey. ... Jousting is a staple entertainment at Renaissance Fairs. ... Tournament by Jörg Breu the Elder 1510s, depicting jousting A Tournament, or tourney (from Old French torneiement, tornei[1]) is the name popularly given to chivalrous competitions or mock fights of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (12th to 16th centuries). ...

Although the king is alleged to have called out repeatedly for Diane, she was never summoned or admitted, and on his death, she was also not invited to the funeral. Immediately thereafter, Catherine de' Medici banished Diane from Chenonceau to the Château de Chaumont. She stayed there only a short time, and lived out her remaining years in her chateau in Anet, Eure-et-Loir, where she lived in comfort, but also in obscurity. She died at 67. In accordance with her wishes, and to provide a resting place for her, her daughter completed the funeral chapel built near the castle. During the French Revolution, her tomb was opened and her remains thrown into a mass grave. Château de Chaumont The Château de Chaumont is a French castle. ... Anet, a town of northern France, in the department of Eure-et-Loir, situated between the rivers Eure and Vègre, 10 miles N.E. of Dreux by rail. ... Eure-et-Loir is a French département, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

In 1866 Georges Guiffrey published her correspondence.

Portrayals in fiction

Lana Turner played Diane de Poitiers in the 1956 film Diane. Diane is one of title characters in the Alexandre Dumas, père novel, The Two Dianas. Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an Academy award-nominated American film actress. ... Diane is a 1956 MGM historical film drama about the life of Diane de Poitiers. ... Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. ... The Two Dianas is an 1846 novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ...

[9] Excerpts from the Book - The Serpent and the Moon

Books

• The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King, by Princess Michael of Kent
• Diane de Poitiers, by Ivan Cloulas
• Courtesan, by Diane Haeger (fictional)
• Diane de Poitiers, by Barbara Cartland (N.B Despite this being by the late Dame Barbara Cartland it's not a work of fiction.)

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Diane de Poitiers