catalinadetrastamara: Spanish history: Elisabeth of Valois (1545 - 1568) She was daughter of King He
catalinadetrastamara:Spanish history:Elisabeth of Valois (1545 - 1568) She was daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine of Medici. The young Elisabeth gave some cause for alarm during her childhood thanks to a propensity for catching pretty much every illness doing the rounds and for being a generally sickly little girl. She shared her bedroom with her future sister-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots, who was about the same age. The two would remain close friends for the rest of their lives. Catherine of Medici was tender and loving toward Elisabeth. When the young princess had six years, she was betrothed to Edward VI of England, but the marriage was prevented by his premature death. After, she was betrothed to Prince Charles, only son and heir of King Philip II of Spain. However, it wasn’t exactly the most ideal of matches as there were already persistent rumours about the alleged mental instability of the young prince, probably as a result of intensive in-breeding. But when her prospective fiancé’s father, Philip II, became a widower of his second wife Queen Mary I of England, the French princess married King of Spain, who was eighteen years her senior. Philip II was completely enchanted by his 14-year-old bride, and within a short period of time had given up his mistress. The King was very attached to Elisabeth, staying close by her side even when she was ill with smallpox. Despite the significant age difference, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. In letters to her mother, she proclaimed herself the luckiest girl in the world. Philip II treated her with marked favour and was fond of arranging fetes and entertainments that would amuse her and allowed her to make the always traditionally very stuffy atmosphere of the Spanish court much lighter and less stiffly etiquette driven. Philip II moved the Court to Madrid by his wife. He wanted to see her happy.Pretty, cultured and charming, Elisabeth was tall and slender. She had dark eyes and dark hair, oval face and very white skin. Lover of luxury and refinement, she never repeated a dress and she was surrounded by a considerable army of ladies and waitresses. Around to Elisabeth emerged a lively group formed by the King himself, his siblings, John and Joanna of Austria, Prince Charles and other courtiers, including Alexander Farnese, son of Margaret of Parma, and Ana de Mendoza, princess of Eboli.Together they did excursions, masquerades, danced, hunted … Elisabeth of Valois also entertained her leisure with music, drawing and she liked poetry. She had been an amateur painter before, but Sofonisba Anguissola helped her improve her technique further. Queen Elisabeth was patron of Spanish artists. Her relationship with her troubled stepson Charles was warm and friendly. Despite reports of his progressively bizarre behavior, Charles was always kind and gentle to Elisabeth. When it eventually became necessary for Philip to lock him away (which shortly led to the Prince’s demise), Elisabeth cried for days.She was a very popular Queen. Elisabeth was loved by the King, the Court and the people. She was the only one of the wives of Philip II that participated in the policy of the kingdom, in charge of the relations with France. In 1565, when she met her mother and her brothers in Bayonne, her mother said to her: “You act in a very Spanish manner” . Elisabeth answered: “Because I am Spanish, but I am still the daughter that left France five years ago”. Elisabeth’s first pregnancy in 1564 ended with a miscarriage of twin girls. She later gave birth to Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia and then to infanta Catherine Michelle. She loved dearly her daughters, with whom she played dayly, unlike many queens of the Renaissance. Elisabeth of Valois had another miscarriage on 3 October 1568, and died the same day, along with her newborn infant daughter. When she died all of Madrid mourned her with much sentiment. After the death of Elisabeth, Catherine of Medici offered her younger daughter Margaret as a bride for Philip. The King of Spain declined the offer because he thought it was against Biblical and Canon Law to marry the sister of a deceased wife.Caoimhe O’Malley played Elisabeth of Valois in one episode of ”Reign” (TV series 2013) -- source link
#history