katetried:Historical Figures and Remarks of Rejection: Christina of Denmark & Marie de GuiseIn 1
katetried:Historical Figures and Remarks of Rejection: Christina of Denmark & Marie de GuiseIn 1537, two widowed duchesses, Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan, and Marie de Guise, Duchess of Longueville, caught King Henry VIII of England’s attention as candidates for his fourth wife after the death of Jane Seymour. Both women were quick to reject his proposals with remarks alluding to the poor treatment of his former wives. Christina replied with “if I had two heads, I would happily put one at the disposal of the King of England”. Marie likewise responded to Henry’s remark about her unusual, tall height in his proposal with “I may be a big woman, but I have a very little neck”, perhaps a reference to the words of Anne Boleyn.Both women were also candidates for a marriage to King James V of Scotland. Marie de Guise accepted James V’s proposal only after he wrote to her personally, as she initially rejected him. Christina of Denmark married Marie’s cousin, François, Duke of Lorraine. After the death of her second husband, Christina reigned as Regent of Lorraine for her son, Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, until 1552. Marie reigned as Regent of Scotland for her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1554 to 1560.Christina maintained a friendly relationship with the Guise family, but her relationship with Marie is unknown. The two likely met in Nancy, Lorraine, in 1551 while Marie was visiting France and reunited with her family. They certainly would have heard about each other in the exchange of family letters and may have shared a pleasant correspondence of their own. -- source link
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