Elizabeth I of England (circa 1581). In the background of this standard portrait of Elizabeth stands her husband with what is believed to be Anne and Francisca Cecil, the elder daughters of the Baron Burghley and the King Consort of England's closest female friends at his wife's court.
On the 18th of November, 1580, the Queen of England married to Francis Hercules de Valois, Duke of Anjou, Berry, Touraine, Alençon, Château-Thierry and Évreux, Count of Perche, Meulan and Mantes. 48 years old to her new husband's 25, this was not a marriage the Queen had intended to make. Despite decades of declaring that she would never marry, yet another ploy to slow down the negotiations to a young man she admitedly liked dearly but did not want to marry went awry when, after angering her close friend the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley had made the mistake of endorsing the match in spite and thus had destroyed the Queen's one defense against the match. Even after withdrawing his support and attempting to turn the tide against the marriage, Leicester had sent the boulder rolling down the hill and there was no stopping it. And thus, the marriage went through, despite much hesitation.
Many commented on the age discrepancy and in a letter to his King, the Spanish adviser referred to the festivities as "a farce" and the couple as "a woman marrying her son". It seemed, however, that Queen Elizabeth was excited by the prospect of a royal wedding and had a dress made entirely in gold and purple, covered in sapphires and rubies. She also procured a new wig for the occasion (it is believed that at this point the Queen of England was completely bald) in long reddish-blonde locks. Her husband would himself appear in striking black and red, with a single yellow rose to match his bride. Although horribly scarred by smallpox and having a rather large nose, the new King Consort was on this day called the handsomest and luckiest man ever to stand in England, for he had married the Queen.
Their union was consummated that day and at night they danced "most fiercely and strongly, with much vigor and passion". However the Queen feared to appear to her new husband without her face of makeup, which not only hid her increasingly apparent wrinkles, but her pitted, scarred skin from her own bout with smallpox. However, it seems both found the other satisfactory and Robert Cecil, in a manner quite akin to gloating, declared the Queen "to look as young as a decade or more less than she had yet a month prior". Indeed, it seems having such a young and energetic young man around her revitalized the Queen, although she did keep her favourites at court around this time as companions.
The Queen was, at this stage, reaching an age where women would usually be welcoming grandchildren into their families, but at 48 Elizabeth found herself instead hoping and praying for a child despite her late start. It seemed, however, that early in the marriage her prayers were not answered as her courses continued as usual and, after a bout of illness in early 1581, many agreed the Queen, so close to 50, was to be heirless and had married for nothing more than a young man and an alliance with the fickle French. However, it was declared a miracle when, in August of 1581, the aging Queen announced her pregnancy to her court, dressed as the Virgin Mary. Her husband, dressed by her side as Joseph, was said to have wept at his bride's side and have accidentally, in his joy, given a servant almost $200 worth of plate for giving him the news prior to the announcement.
Elizabeth while Pregnant (circa 1582). While still dressed to impress, the English Queen's fuller face was a sign of her slowly progressing pregnancy. It seems that, rather than utilize her new state as a propaganda took as she could have done, the Queen choose to publicly ignore her pregnancy when she could, instead going through her days as normally as she could.
However, for such joy, there was also bitterness and fear. Her former close friend and possible lover, Robert Dudley, apparently struck the messenger that arrived with the news and in Spain, the King was said to have laughed at "that old woman" giving birth for the first time. In England, gifts flooded in in preparation for the birth of an heir and Elizabeth would receive letters from friends, presenting advice as to how to keep herself safe during childbirth. However, the one who feared the most was Elizabeth herself, who privately was said to have wept at the though of childbirth. Turning 48 that year, the Queen accepted not only the usual gifts of materials, plate and jewelry, but countless other items to do with her eventual children. She herself seems to have resented her growing belly and took measures to hide it when possible. It also did not help that the Queen found herself ill during most of her pregnancy and, towards the end, had to be carried down stairs due to her swollen ankles.
In March of 1582, the Queen went into labour for the first time. Lasting 11 hours, the Queen would give birth on the 28th of Marcy, 1582, to a son that would be named Francis, for his father, long-dead uncle and great-grandfather. The Prince, healthy and hale, was immediately feted as a miracle child and given the nickname by poets:
"Our Child of the English". For the time being it was pointedly ignored that the new Prince of Wales was half French and very much in line for the French Throne, especially since his uncle had yet to produce an heir. However, it was not something that Elizabeth would miss and later in the year she would assure the Queen Dowager of France she and her husband were"working hard for a Prince for France". It seems this was the reason for Louise de Lorraine's severe illness of this year, as the stress of not producing an heir was compounded by the much older Queen of England's success despite nearing 50. She, of course, survived the illness but in 1583 the two would reach an amicable annulment and she would retire to Château de Chenonceau, a family home that she later actually inherited in 1589.
Francis of England, Prince of Wales (circa 1584). With his mother's failed second pregnancy, this portrait of the Prince was made and sent to his grandmother, the Queen Dowager of France. It seems this was a move of solidarity, to remind Catherine de Medici that the Valois line was still there, even after the Queen of France had left her position. Indeed, for the time being Catherine referred to her grandson as "the English Dauphin".
In 1583, the Queen of England announced a second pregnancy, to the astonishment of the court. However, it would end in tragedy in August of that year when the Queen miscarried what would have been a second Prince. Now entering her 50's, the Queen began to withdraw from her husband due to fears for her health if another pregnancy should come and also her fears that none other pregnancies would come. Indeed, it would be her final pregnancy, but not due to her. Late that year, following her brother-in-law's annullment, the Duke of Anjou travelled to France to see the proxy marriage between his brother and his brother's ally's daughter against the French, Anna of Nassau. The 20 year old new Queen of France would arrive in France early in the following year and five months later, a daughter would be conceived, named Elisabeth for her aunt. However, during this trip the Duke of Anjou would be assassinated by a man the King of France claimed was a Spanish agent, although he could have also been a Huguenot or just an angry peasant. Whoever he was, he stabbed the Duke four times before being killed himself by his guards and the Queen of England was a widow after just 4 years of marriage.
Deeply saddened by her new state, the Queen banned all festivities in her court throughout the next 2 years, only barely allowing clothes of colour in her presence. She herself took to wearing white, the traditional French colour of mourning, in contrast to her court's black. Indeed, it seems the choice was not only motivated by grief but by aesthetics and it was during her mourning that some of the most flattering pieces of description of the Queen were heard. However, it seems that physically the Queen found herself badly effected by her husband's death and throughout October of 1584, only 7 months after her widowhood had begun, the Queen took ill and had to be bled seven times. It was an illness that went unnamed by most and was most likely induced by stress and grief, although some reports claimed the Queen was pregnant a third time, impossible due to the length of time her husband had been absent.
Elizabeth in Mourning (circa 1585). Painted over a year since her husband's death, the Queen is shown still in mourning, but somewhat more jovial than she had been in the previous months. It was during this time Robert Dudley had returned to her favour and it seems, along with other favourites, the Queen was finding her old rhythm. However, many have noted that the handkerchief she is holding matches descriptions of one her husband had given her prior to leaving for France and thus it is possible that her grieving went deeper than what had been presented publicly.
The Queen of England and Ireland would, in 1585, send word to her family in France that she wanted official recognition of her son's French titles. However, earlier that year many of her husband's estates had been prematurely granted to the former French Queen, Louise de Lorraine. Enraged, the English Queen sent wrote that this betrayal, so soon after she had lost her husband and her child's father, was an evil act that god would not leave unpunished. Indeed, her words proved prophetic in that the Queen of France, in the early stages of her second pregnancy, miscarried a son. Some blamed the stresses the Elizabeth situation had created, however it seems this incident occurred shortly before the letter could have arrived. Nevertheless, the King of France did agree to entitle his nephew the Duke of Anjou and Alençon, along with many other titles his father had held, with exception of the Dukedom of Berry. This income would support the Prince of Wales, who in 1586 would be sent to Hatfield, the childhood home of the Queen, and in 1589 would be moved to Ludlow to act as Prince of Wales, as had had not been seen in the official sense since Prince Arthur, over 80 years previously. Eager to associate her son with the "traditional English", the Queen would refer to Francis as "a new Arthur".
With her son safe and healthy, the Queen of England enjoyed some of the most peaceful years in her reign. Plots around Mary, Queen of Scots died down now that the succession was secure for a generation, and in 1586 the Queens finally met with her former rival, who failed to impress. Recovering from illness, rapidly aging and no longer the slender beauty lauded by French poets, the Queen of Scots presented herself in Elizabeth's own cast off gown, begging for freedom. Over a decade of imprisonment had taken it's toll and, in a charitable mood, the Queen of England began negotiations to send the Queen back to her son in Scotland, where the cost of keeping her would fall to him. Mary, sensing freedom was near, was said to have cried with joy every day until that fateful morning on June 14th of 1587, when she began her journey to Edinburgh and to her son. Elizabeth, meanwhile, sent gifts to France, where a second Princess, Charlotte de Valois, was born to the King and Queen. Their fourth pregnancy, a second son had already been miscarried. Unfortunately, the Princess Charlotte would die soon after birth. Elizabeth, hoping to further validate her son's claim to the throne, sent an ambassador to begin negotiations between the Prince of Wales and Elisabeth de Valois, at this point the only surviving child of the King of France.
Elizabeth out of Mourning (circa 1588). For the first time since 1584, the Queen of England was painted out of her mourning costume. Despite allowing her court to wear their own colours again in 1587, the Queen waited a further year before allowing some change in her colours. Painted somewhat older, the painting was meant to show the Queen as healthy but motherly, despite the lack of her actual son. Indeed, the Queen was never painted with her son, for reasons unknown. It seems the Queen feared exposing her son as her heir in propaganda might make herself less secure and set up a rival for her.
The religion of the Prince of Wales was a major issue for the English population. On one hand, his tutors were majorly Protestant, and they regarded their student as a good Englishman and Protestant. However, the Prince was also granted Catholic (particularly French) tutors, who had similar views in the opposite direction, naming the Prince Francis as a good Catholic and the future King of France, as they thought he would be. Rumours had it the Queen was raising him to turn England Catholic, or to turn France Protestant, depending on the person. However, it seems Elizabeth was merely hedging her bets as to the possibility of her son being King of the French. If the King was to die without male issue, by Salic Law, her son would be King. However, if he was to have a son it would be for naught. Thus, by instructing the Prince of Wales and Duke of Anjou in both religions, Elizabeth reasoned he'd be prepared for both pathways.
In 1589, with a plan to displace the Queen of England and her "bastard French son" with his own daughter Isabella, Philip II of Spain sent an armada to England. Intensely aware of the danger she faced, Queen Elizabeth sent letters to France demanding aid and in early July the army was defeated and Elizabeth was granted, for the first time, the title of Gloriana by her subjects, for her bravery despite "a woman's natural fear and weakness". Indeed, the Queen did have high fears for her well being along with her son's and had sent word that the Prince of Wales was to be run to France if the Spanish had succeeded, so that he might return to England later. However, these precautions became unneeded in the coming months and Elizabeth would be reunited with her son in Christmas of that year, in a rare display of maternal affection.
Indeed, the relations between mother and son seem to have been quite distant during this time. While the English Queen was definitely protective over her son and his rights to the English and French successions, she also seems to have pointedly ignored Francis as a being within her life and rule. He appeared only once a year at court and, other than a few minor meetings during her progresses and this particular meeting after such a stressful period, the two were practical stranger to each other. Indeed, when sent a painting in 1590 of her son with two companions, the Queen was said to have asked which was her child and which was the companions.
The Prince of Wales and his companions (circa 1590). The Prince stands at the back, displaying his hand in a way similar to how his mother had and would continue to do in her own portraiture. He stands with what is believed to be Lady Alethea Talbot and Lord Robert Pierrepont, grandchildren of Bess of Hardwick, who acted as the female head of the Prince's household at this time.
The death of Henry III of France in 1589 caused a major succession crisis. His Queen, Anne of Nassau, was heavily pregnant with what would be their yet another daughter, the sickly Louise de Valois, who in 1603 would become a nun and in 1610 was an Abbess. Thus, theoretically, the crown fell to the Prince of Wales, Francis de Valois. Indeed, in England, the Prince was hailed as Francis III of France, Duke of Britanny ect. However, he had a rival in the King of Navarre, who rushed to Rhiems to be crown before the English Prince could be. Indeed, he claimed that, as the heir to France's ancient rival, Francis was invalid for the crown of France and thus he, as the next in line, had a duty to be made King of England. However, Elizabeth and many others saw otherwise. The King of Navarre's only major supporter was Philip II of Spain, who offered to give him his daughter, Maria of Spain, as his Queen if he set aside Marguerite de Valois as his wife once he had been crowned (Maria had been deathly ill in 1583 but had recovered, but would eventually die in 1593 due to smallpox). However, even the Pope condemned the move and threatened excommunication on both Henry III of Navarre and Philip II of Spain if such a move went through. In Paris, riots at the announcement the King of Navarre had claimed France broke out. However, many Huguenots felt threatened by the possibility of Francis de Valois, who was rumoured to be raised Catholic, being yet another persecutor who would bring a second Jezebel with him in the form of his mother.
Indeed Elizabeth, nearing 60, feared the consequences of placing her young son on the French Throne, particularly after the great expense just placed on the treasury to keep herself on the English Throne. However, to do so would be to go against the legitimate succession, which Elizabeth was always loath to do. Thus, in May of 1591, at age 9, Francis de Valois, Prince of Wales and Duke of Anjou, arrived in France and was escorted to Rhiems, where he was crowned King of France, third of his name. Finally, England had conquered France, not by war but by marriage. However, the threat of Henry III of Navarre was still to be dealt with and later in that year Francis III of France recognized the King of Navarre as his heir to France. Then, on the 7th of November, the King was married to Elisabeth de Valois, the eldest surviving daughter of the previous king, a 7 year old girl.
Francis III of France (circa 1592). Age 10, the King of France and Prince of Wales was already a married man and ruler of a great nation in Europe, along with being their heir to England. It was a lot of power to put upon a child, and the boy seems to be growing ready to grow into this role.
The Queen would arrive in France later that year too greet her son and recognize him not only as King of France but Prince of Wales. Unprecedented in English history, the King of France knelled to his mother and she in tern bowed to him, symbolically showing their respect for each other as autonomous regents while also showing that they were mother and son. Indeed, during the Queen's 2 month stay in Paris, would sit with her son at the head of court and greet visitors. His Queen, meanwhile, stayed with her mother for the time being, being raised to Elizabeth's specifications. She also suggested the Princess Louise might make a good "daughter of god" at this time and may have been the instigator for her eventual interment to a convent. However, this is not to say Anna of Nassua was sidelined at the court. The Queen Dowager had grown quite close to the English Queen and acted as a mother figure to the King during this time, arguably more than Elizabeth ever had and ever would.
The Queen returned to England this year and, until 1596, when the marriage between Francis II of France and Elisabeth de Valois was consummated, was not overly involved in her son's life. Indeed, the biggest moment of her reign at this point was the death of Mary, Queen of Scots in Scotland early in 1594, which allowed Elizabeth to once again formally recognize the King of Scotland as the rightful ruler. She made plans to attend the funeral, but was not able to due to her own sickness at this time. However, she did meet with the King of Scots later that year. During Mary's end years in Scotland, she had been shunted aside to a castle in Moray, only to be brought to court for special occasions. Despite demanding respect as Queen of Scotland, she never gained any real political power again and died a very sad woman at the age of 52.
Anna of Nassau, Queen Dowager of France (circa 1593). Widowed young, the former Queen of France had quite a strong presence at the French court and acted as the moral centre in an increasingly young and rambunctious court. She even went as far as to child the King publicly in 1597 for dancing for too long with a young woman of known loose morals. However, she was respected for this trait and would, after the King had matured, be granted the Dukedom of Angouleme as her private privilege while she was still alive.
After the marriage of Francis III of France and Elisabeth de Valois had been consummated, Elizabeth sent word that the marriage should stay celibate until 1600, when the bride might be expected to be fully developed and ready for childbirth. In this respect she was agreed with, however it was during this time that Elizabeth found herself with less political say over her son's actions. While he most definitely respected his Queenly mother and strove to impress her, the King of France also found himself wanting to be more than just her puppet and would, in 1599, sign a treaty separately from her with Spain, demanding "eternal peace" and promising a marriage between his eldest son and the King of Spain's eldest daughter, or vice versa depending on the circumstances. He also, in 1598, supported the annulment of Henry III of Navarre's marriage to Marguerite de Valois, who he brought to his court, and even proposed a match to his cousin, Arabella Stewart, which went through the following year. Francis had, of course, gotten his mother's permission for the match, but the Queen also found the presumption off putting and would scold him in letters for not consulting her as to the move.
In 1602, aged 69, the Queen of England welcomed her first grandchild in the form of Anne de Valois. The first child of Francis III of France and Elisabeth de Valois, her birth was celebrated most highly and Elizabeth even made the journey to France to see her granddaughter, declaring the child "the greatest beautiful child in the world". It would be on her deathbed that she received news her daughter-in-law, barely a year later, had given birth to a second child, a son that had been named Henry for the King of France's uncle. Elizabeth was said to have blessed this child in a long lost letter, however her long illness seems to suggest that she most likely did not due to the lack of actual strength to write such a letter.
Elizabeth I of England (circa 1600-1603). A portrait sent to her son in the wake of her first grandchild, this portrait was one of few that depicted the Queen as old, although still much more youthful than she in actuality would have been. Dressed in white as a reminder of her marriage to the King of France's father, the Queen once again displays her famous hands.
The coronation of Francis III of France as Francis I of England was not easy coming. While his major English opponent, Arabella Stewart, had since been married to Henry III of Navarre as a way to ally Navarre to the Anglo-French union, the Seymour children of Catherine Grey stood in the way, along with the Stanley men and various other members of the aristocracy with royal ancestors. However, at 21 with a growing family, the young and handsome King was generally accepted and was coronated with much aplomb. Next to him sat his Queen, the beautiful Elisabeth de Valois. The new Queen of England was 19 years old, famously beautiful but unfortunately not a personable and found herself not accepted amongst the English nobility. She had family in France, but in England she was just known as a cold Frenchwoman.
Francis and Elisabeth soon returned to France, where they found that they were expecting their third child. Born in January of 1606, their second son, Francis, Duke of York and Orleans. The Queen Dowager, Anna of Nassau, was said to have actually been the one to deliver this child, however this rumour was most likely false. Whoever delivered the boy, he proved to be a great asset to the rule of his parents. With two sons, the succession was secure and, with a second daughter, Marie Charlotte, born the next year, Francis III of France found himself happy with his familial situation.
Queen Elisabeth and her eldest son, the Dauphin (circa 1606). Painted in the wake the birth of the the Duke of York and Orleans. Standing with her eldest son 4 months after the birth of her third child, Elisabeth de Valois stands in an intimate moment with her son, attempting to stand for the portrait while also reaching for her son's hand. The initial portrait was meant to be them holding hands, but the artist in question found the image of her reaching for his much more poetic. Another portrait was completed around this time with the Princess Anne, which has been lost to time, in which she actually held her daughter at the hip. These portraits, while celebrated personally, were criticized by the French aristocracy for their lack of formality.
The political situation for the Anglo-French Personal Union was tough. While the King had, in theory, complete autocratic power over England, Ireland and France, in practice he worked with two seperate governments to ensure peace prevailed and trade flowed well. And while nominally Catholic, he refused on principle to begin any sort of inquisition, instead focusing on tolerance where possible. The Valois Empire was, and still is, visually intimidating, but ultimately was actually far easier to control and regulate than the Spanish or Austrian Empires. Three countries, rather than dozens, meant that much of the work was easily condensed and streamlined. Along with that, Francis' refusal to name a single English regent meant he was able to pick and choose who dominated the English Parliament and thus he was able to balance the powerful nobles there.
His daughter, the Princess Anne, was betrothed in 1608 to the Prince of Asturias while his son was, in 1609, betrothed to Jeanne de Bourbon, the only surviving child of Henry III of Navarre and Arabella Stewart, born in 1604. Indeed, the Princess Jeanne's betrothal meant Navarre would also join the Valois Empire at some point, which many saw as a blatant power grab by the King, which it was. In Navarre, 6 pregnancies had robbed Arabella of much of her jovial nature, and the death of her only son in 1606 had left the Queen miserable and with a nasty temper. She and the King had ended their relationship sometime around 1608 and she would, in 1610, leave for England, where her cousin provided her with funds for a household in London. Due to this, the King of Navarre was known as "the King with two Queen and no wife", with both Marguerite de Valois and Arabella Stewart out of the picture.
The Arrival of the Princess Jeanne of Navarre (circa 1611). This painting, showing the King and Queen of France and England welcoming the Princess Jeanne and her father King Henry III of Navarre, was created in celebration of the Princess' arrival in 1610. Despite being pictured the King of Navarre in fact was sickly in Pampalona at this time and thus a model was used for him and the face was changed later to suit the King, although he made demands that he be presented as youthful as the other King.
In 1610 the King and Queen of France and England welcomed a third son, their first child since the Princess Marie Charlotte. Named Arthur, this child was given the titles Duke of Bedford and Anjou. With three sons and two daughters, the King found himself in a grand position and in 1612 the Princess Marie Charlotte was betrothed to the heir to the Scottish Throne, Charles Stewart, Duke of Rothesay. After the death of the elder Scottish heir earlier that year, Prince Charles was heir and much closer in age to the French Princess. Thus, Marie Charlotte was betrothed, although the Scottish King hoped for an Scottish-Spanish alliance to juxtapose to the Valois power block. However, for the time being he played nice, while sending word to Spain that he would greatly appreciate a match between Charles and either Anna or Maria Anna of Spain.
In England, the Queen of Navarre died, aged 38, in 1613. Her cause of death seems to have been simple illness and the Queen had never been a healthy woman, particularly after 6 pregnancies. This death should have been an opportunity for Henry III of Navarre to remarry, but instead he just continued to take mistresses. This could have been his way of keeping on the good side of the Valois King, or it could have been that, in his 60s, two wives in, the King had given up hope for a son. Whatever the reason, he would follow his bride shortly in 1617, dying in the arms of his mistress. With this death, the Dauphine, aged 11, became Queen Jeanne IV of Navarre. Her husband, the 14 year old Dauphin, was crowned with her in Pampalona and, thus the Valois Empire was finally complete.
On the 4th of November, 1618, the Queen Dowager Anna of Nassau died at age 55. Highly favoured by both her daughter and her son-in-law, the Queen Dowager passed surrounded by her children and grandchildren. The Princess Louise, having been in a convent for many years, was allowed to come to court to comfort her mother during this time. Her granddaughter, Anne de Valois, would leave 2 months after her grandmother's death and would travel with her grandmother's rosary, which she had would pass down to her own eldest daughter.
Anna of Nassau (circa 1612). The last official portrait of the Queen Dowager, this portrait was painted just after her 49th birthday. Rigidly formal, Anna would the next year be with her daughter during the birth of her last grandchild, the Princess Louise.
To Be Continued...