Catherine of Bourbon

Catherine of Bourbon
Catherine of Bourbon
Regent of Béarn
Born	7 February 1559; Paris,France
Died	13 February 1604(aged 45); Ducal Palace of Nancy,Lorraine
Spouse	Henry of Lorraine (m.1599)
House	Bourbon
Father	Antoine of Navarre
Mother	Jeanne d'Albret
Religion	Calvinism

Catherine of Bourbon(7 February 1559 – 13 February 1604) was a Navarreseprincess regent.She was the daughter of QueenJeanne d'Albretand KingAntoine of Navarre.She ruled theprincipality of Béarnin the name of her brother, KingHenry III of Navarre,from 1576 until 1596.

Early life

Catherine was born on 7 February 1559 toJeanne d'Albret,Queen of Navarre and her co-ruler,Antoine of Bourbon.^[1]She was named after her godmother, the French queenCatherine de' Medici.

Jeanne converted toCalvinisma year after Catherine's birth and declared it the official religion of theKingdom of Navarre.Antoine, conversely, remained a Catholic and turned against his wife and threatened to divorce her. He died fighting for the Catholic cause on 17 November 1562. Catherine was with her mother and elder brother,Henry,as they fought for the Protestant cause. The Queen died on 9 June 1572, and Catherine's custody was assigned to Catherine de' Medici andCharles IX.During theSt. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,Catherine and her brother were forced to convert toCatholicism.After the death of Charles IX in 1574, the new king,Henry III,considered marrying Catherine. She almost marriedJames VI of Scotland,and her brother sent ambassadors toEdinburghto advocate the marriage, includingClaude de l'Isle,François de Civille,andJérôme Groslot.^[2]

Political service

Catherine's brother, successor of Queen Jeanne III, was generally absent from the principality. After his escape from captivity in 1576, he entrusted Catherine with the government of Béarn. She served almost continuously as regent until 1596, where among her other responsibilities, she, a staunch Protestant, hostedAntonio Perez,a famous Spanish Catholic refugee fromKing Philip II.After the accession of her brother to the French throne, in 1589, she was created Duchess of Albret and Countess of Armagnac. Appointed by her brother to sit on his Council as a representative of French Protestant interests in 1598, she set about persuading theHuguenotsto agree to theEdict of Nantes.

Marriage

As part of the treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye betweenKing Henry IVof France andCharles III, Duke of Lorraine,it was agreed that Catherine, the King's sister, should marry Charles' elder son,Henry of Lorraine(1563–1624).^[1]The marriage agreement was signed on 13 July 1598. However, Catherine was a confirmedCalvinist,who refused to convert to Roman Catholicism, whilst her husband was a devout Catholic, and a former member of the Holy League.

Thus, a papal dispensation was required to allow the two to marry, but on 29 December 1598,Pope Clement VIIIdeclared himself opposed to the marriage. Dissatisfied, Henry IV intimidated the Archbishop of Reims into granting an authorisation of marriage. This was made at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 31 January 1599. Henry eventually secured Papal agreement. Until the birth of her nephew on 27 September 1601, she washeiress presumptiveto the Navarrese crown. However, Catherine was not married long before she died, childless. Her husband remarried toMargherita Gonzaga,a niece ofMarie de Medici(Henry IV's second wife).

Writings

Catherine of Bourbon was also a writer. Her works consist principally ofsonnetsand correspondence.^[3]^[4]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Catherine of Bourbon^[5]^[6]

8.Francis, Count of Vendôme

4.Charles, Duke of Vendôme

9.Marie I, Countess of Saint-Pol

2.Antoine of Navarre

10.René, Duke of Alençon

5.Françoise of Alençon

11.Margaret of Lorraine

1.Catherine of Bourbon

12.John III of Navarre

6.Henry II of Navarre

13.Catherine of Navarre

3.Jeanne III of Navarre

14.Charles, Count of Angoulême

7.Marguerite of Angoulême

15.Louise of Savoy

References

^^a ^bRoelker 1968,p. xiv.
^Alexander Courtney,James VI, Britannic Prince: King of Scots and Elizabeth's Heir, 1566–1603(Routledge, 2024), pp. 105–106:Calendar State Papers Scotland,vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 37, 49.
^Wilson, Katharina M. (1991).An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers.Taylor & Francis. pp. 569–.ISBN 978-0-8240-8547-6.
^"Catherine de Bourbon (1558-1604)".Bibliothèque nationale de France.Retrieved28 January2015.
^Knecht, R. J.(2001).The Rise and Fall of Renaissance France, 1483–1610.Oxford: Blackwell.ISBN 0-631-22729-6.geologies
^Baumgartner, Frederic J. (1995).France in the Sixteenth Century.London: Macmillan.ISBN 0-333-62088-7.genealogical tables

Sources

Roelker, Nancy Lyman (1968).Queen of Navarre, Jeanne d'Albret, 1528-1572.Harvard University Press.