Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry

For other people of the same name, see Margaret of France (disambiguation).

Margaret of Valois Duchess of Berry Duchess of Savoy Tenure 1559 - 1574 Spouse Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy Issue Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy House House of Valois Father Francis I of France Mother Claude, Duchess of Brittany Born 5 June 1523 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France Died 15 September 1574 (aged 51)

French Monarchy- Capetian Dynasty, House of Valois (Valois-Angoulême branch) Francis I Children    Francis, Dauphin of Viennois    Henry II    Magdalene, Queen of Scots    Charles of Valois    Margaret, Duchess of Savoy Henry II Children    Francis II    Elizabeth, Queen of Spain    Claude, Duchess of Lorraine    Charles IX    Henry III    Margaret, Queen of Navarre    Francis, Duke of Anjou    Joan of Valois    Victoria of Valois Francis II Charles IX Henry III

Margaret of Valois, Duchess of Berry (French: Marguerite de Valois) (5 June 1523 – 15 September 1574) was the daughter of King Francis I of France and Claude, Duchess of Brittany.

Biography

Early life

Margaret was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She became Duchess of Berry in 1550.

Margaret was very close to her aunt, Marguerite de Navarre, who took care of her and her sister Madeleine during her childhood^[1], and her sister-in-law Catherine de' Medici.

Near the end of 1538, her father Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed that Margaret should marry Charles' son, the future Philip II of Spain. However, the agreement between Francis and Charles was short-lived.

Marriage

On 10 July 1559, she married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1528–1580), Prince of Piedmont and had a son, Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy (1562–1630)

Francis I and Henry II of France (Margaret's brother) had to look for a suitor of her rank. Margaret was married to the Duke of Savoy at the age of thirty-six years on 10 July 1559. The wedding took place in tragic circumstances. King Henry had been injured during a tournament celebrating the wedding of his daughter Elisabeth. On the threshold of death, but still conscious, the king had dictated that his sister's marriage should take place immediately, for fear that the Duke of Savoy might profit from his death and deny the alliance. Henry II died on the day of the wedding.

Children

Margaret and her husband had only one surviving child: Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. Their son later married Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain, the daughter of Margaret's former suitor Philip II of Spain.

Ancestry

References

1. ^ Marshall, Rosalind K. (2003). Scottish Queens, 1034-1714. Tuckwell Press. p. 10o. 

See also

• Peace of Cateau Cambrésis
• Duke of Berry

French nobility
Preceded by Beatrice of Portugal	Duchess consort of Savoy 1559 - 1574	Succeeded by Catherine Michelle of Spain

Persondata
Name	France, Margaret Of, Duchess Of Berry
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 June 1523
Place of birth	Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
Date of death	15 September 1574
Place of death