Marriage of Henry, Duke of Orléans, and Catherine de' Medici (1533)

In 1533, Henry, Duke of Orléans, the second son of King Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany, married Catherine de' Medici, daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino. The marriage, celebrated on October 28, 1533, at the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, was politically significant, aiming to strengthen alliances between the French crown and the powerful Medici family of Florence.

Context and Significance

Henry’s early life was marked by the traumatic experience of captivity. Following his father's capture by Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, Henry and his older brother had been sent to Spain as hostages to secure their father's release, enduring imprisonment for over four years. This experience profoundly influenced Henry's personality, making him reserved and cautious in later life.

The marriage to Catherine introduced significant Italian cultural influences into France, notably transforming the French court’s culinary traditions. Catherine, raised in a Florentine court renowned for its luxury and refinement, brought with her Italian chefs and delicacies, introducing the French aristocracy to dishes such as quenelles (fish dumplings), zabaglione (egg yolk and wine custard), and scaloppini, as well as Italian vegetables like artichokes and broccoli, thereby marking the beginning of a culinary revolution at the French court.

The Influence of Diane de Poitiers

Despite his marriage to Catherine, Henry would soon become romantically involved with Diane de Poitiers, a widow twenty years his senior. Diane had held a longstanding affectionate relationship with Henry, having publicly embraced him upon his departure for captivity in Spain. Her influence grew significantly after their relationship became romantic around 1534. For the next twenty-five years, Diane acted as Henry’s confidante and unofficial political advisor, wielding substantial power behind the scenes, to the detriment of Catherine’s own position and influence. Catherine, despite her powerful connections, found herself largely powerless to counter Diane’s sway, although Diane notably insisted on Henry fulfilling his marital duties with Catherine to secure the royal succession.

Long-term Consequences

Henry’s marriage to Catherine de' Medici had profound long-term consequences for France. Catherine would later become a pivotal figure during a turbulent period in French history, acting as regent and mother to three future kings of France—Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Her political maneuvering, influenced by the complexities of her marriage and Henry’s powerful relationship with Diane de Poitiers, shaped French politics and courtly life profoundly in the second half of the sixteenth century.

French persecution of Protestants has increased during the past decade under King Francis.

The royal court has divided into factions under the influence of Francis' favorites and his mistress, the duchesse d'Etampes.

War with the Holy Roman Empire, together with arts patronage, has so strained the royal resources that François has had to adopt devices such as the sale of government offices and the prosecution of his own financiers.

The sixty-year-old king dies at Rambouillet on March 31, 1547, the twenty-eighth birthday of his son, who succeeds him as Henry II.

Henry, married for fourteen years to Catherine de’ Medici, whom he neglects, is dominated by his mistress, the beautiful, intelligent, and cultured Diane de Poitiers.

When Francis I was still alive, Diane had to compete at the court with Anne de Pisseleu, the king's favorite.

She had had the latter exiled on her lands upon Francis I's death.

Anne, duc de Montmorency, the constable of France, returns to favor at the accession of Henry and is restored to authority.

The French court soon becomes a center of rivalry between the families of Montmorency and Guise, and Henry’s administration expands the practice of selling government offices.

Scholars attribute to the School of Fontainebleau “Diana the Huntress,” a painting executed around 1550 by an unknown artist and thought to be a portrait of Diane de Poitiers, Henry’s influential mistress.

Diane possesses a sharp intellect and is so politically astute that the king trusts her to write many of his official letters, and even to sign them jointly with the one name HenriDiane.

Her confident maturity and loyalty to Henry makes her his most dependable ally in the court.

Her position in the Court of the King is 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 stretch of time, she had begun to wield considerable power within the realm, in 1548 receiving the prestigious title of Duchess of Valentinois.

Philibert DeLorme has built the Chateau d'Anet for Henry II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, between 1547 and 1552.

A gift from the king, it has been built on the former château at the center of the domains of Diane's deceased husband, Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet, Marshal of Normandy and Master of the Hunt.

The château is especially noted for its exterior, notably the statues of the proprietress as Diana, goddess of the hunt, by Jean Goujon and the relief by Benvenuto Cellini over the portal.

Anet is the site of one of the first Italianate parterre gardens centered on the building's facade in France; the garden-designer in charge is Jacques Mollet, who at Anet trains his son, Claude Mollet, destined to become royal gardener to three French kings.

Leonard Limosin, or Limousin, who had executed enamels for Francis I, had been appointed royal enameler to his son and successor, Henry II, in 1548.

For both these monarchs, he has has executed many portraits in enamel—among them quite a number of plaques depicting Diane de Poitiers in various characters, plates, vases, ewers, and cups, besides decorative works for the royal palaces, for, though he is best known as an enameler distinguished for rich color, and for graceful designs in grisaille on black or bright blue backgrounds, he also enjoys a great reputation as an oil-painter.

Limousin collaborates with the Italian Mannerist painter Niccolò dell'Abbate in executing a crucifixion altarpiece for Sainte Chapelle in Paris, which depicts Henry and his queen, Catherine de' Medici, as donors.

Limousin specializes in portraits and executes many for members of the Parisian court.

His elegant and mannered style of portraiture, acquired from dell'Abbate and other artists employed in decorating the royal palace at Fontainebleau, features elongated forms framed with jewel-like decorative motifs to suit the sophisticated tastes of his patrons.

He combines a number of enameling techniques, using opaque enamels, gilding, and grisaille, to achieve rich and elaborate effects.

In addition to court portraits, Limousin enamels various objects, including candlesticks, inkstands, goblets, and chess pieces.

Henry II had offered the Château de Chenonceaux, after the death of King Francis in 1547, as a gift to his father’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who had soon become fervently attached to the château along the River Cher.

Diane is the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership had remained with the crown until 1555, when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally yielded possession to her.

She has Delorme construct the arched bridge from 1556 to 1559, joining the château to its opposite bank.

She now oversees the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a variety of fruit trees.

Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens are laid out in four triangles.