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Francis, Duke of Anjou
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Francis, Duke of Anjou
Monsieur François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (French: Hercule François; 18 March 1555 – 10 June 1584) was the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.
He was scarred by smallpox at age eight, and his pitted face and slightly deformed spine did not suit his birth name of Hercule. He changed his name to Francis in honour of his late brother Francis II of France when he was confirmed.
The royal children were raised under the supervision of the governor and governess of the royal children, Claude d'Urfé and Françoise d'Humières, under the orders of Diane de Poitiers.
In 1574, following the death of his brother Charles IX of France and the accession of his other brother, Henry III of France, he became heir to the throne. In 1576 he was made Duke of Anjou, Touraine, and Berry. His brother Henry III had previously been Duke of Anjou.
During the night of 13 September 1575, Alençon fled from the French court after being alienated from his brother King Henry III as they had had some differences. Both Henry III and Catherine de' Medici feared he would join the Protestant rebels. These fears proved well-founded; Francis joined the prince of Condé and his forces in the south. In February 1576, Henry, King of Navarre escaped from the French court, whereupon his forces also joined Condé. This combined army was enough to force Henry III, without a pitched battle of any sort, to capitulate and sign the very pro-Protestant "peace of Monsieur", or Edict of Beaulieu, on 6 May 1576. By "secret treaties" which formed part of this peace settlement, many on the Protestant side were rewarded with land and titles. Francis was awarded the Duchy of Anjou (along with other lands) and thus became the Duke of Anjou. He had the writer Jean de La Gessée as a secretary.
In 1579, negotiations commenced for marrying Anjou to Elizabeth I of England. Anjou sent Jean de Simier, his Master of Wardrobe, to England with a casket of jewels for the Queen. He was a charming courtier and Elizabeth nicknamed him her "singe" or monkey. Anjou wrote to Elizabeth that he would keep her picture by him "till the end of his bones".
Anjou was in fact the only one of Elizabeth's foreign suitors to court her in person. He made two visits to England, in 1579 and 1581. He was 24 and Elizabeth was 46. Despite the age gap, the two soon became very close, Elizabeth dubbing him her "frog." While a few believe this nickname arose from a frog-shaped earring he had given her, "frog" has been an unflattering slang nickname for the French for centuries. Whether or not Elizabeth truly planned to marry Anjou is a hotly debated topic. She was quite fond of him, knowing that he was probably going to be her last suitor. The match was controversial among the English public: English Protestants warned the Queen that the "hearts [of the English people] will be galled when they shall see you take to husband a Frenchman, and a Papist ... the very common people well know this: that he is the son of the Jezebel of our age," referring to the Duke's mother, Catherine de' Medici. Among members of Elizabeth's Privy Council, only William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, supported the marriage scheme wholeheartedly. Most notable councillors, foremost among them Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and Sir Francis Walsingham, strongly opposed it, even warning the Queen of the hazards of childbirth at her age.
Between 1578 and 1581 the Queen resurrected attempts to negotiate a marriage with the Duke of Alençon. The Duke put himself forward as a protector of the Huguenots and a potential leader of the Dutch.[citation needed] In these years, Walsingham became friends with the diplomat of Henry of Navarre in England, the anti-monarchist Philippe de Mornay.[citation needed] Walsingham was sent to France in mid-1581 to discuss an Anglo-French alliance, but the French wanted the marriage agreed to first, and Walsingham had instructions to obtain a treaty before committing to the marriage.[citation needed] He returned to England without an agreement. Personally Walsingham opposed the marriage, perhaps to the point of encouraging public opposition.[citation needed] Alençon was a Catholic and as his elder brother, Henry III, was childless, he was heir presumptive to the French throne. Elizabeth was probably past the age of childbearing and had no clear successor. If she died while married to the French heir her realms could fall under French control. By comparing the match of Elizabeth and Alençon with the match of the Protestant Henry of Navarre and the Catholic Margaret of Valois, which occurred in the week before the St Bartholomew's Day massacre, the "most horrible spectacle" he had ever witnessed,[citation needed] Walsingham raised the spectre of religious riots in England in the event of the marriage proceeding. According to the Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth tolerated his blunt opinions and often unwelcome advice, referring to Walsingham as "her Moor who cannot change his colour" with regard to his strong beliefs.
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Francis, Duke of Anjou
Monsieur François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (French: Hercule François; 18 March 1555 – 10 June 1584) was the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.
He was scarred by smallpox at age eight, and his pitted face and slightly deformed spine did not suit his birth name of Hercule. He changed his name to Francis in honour of his late brother Francis II of France when he was confirmed.
The royal children were raised under the supervision of the governor and governess of the royal children, Claude d'Urfé and Françoise d'Humières, under the orders of Diane de Poitiers.
In 1574, following the death of his brother Charles IX of France and the accession of his other brother, Henry III of France, he became heir to the throne. In 1576 he was made Duke of Anjou, Touraine, and Berry. His brother Henry III had previously been Duke of Anjou.
During the night of 13 September 1575, Alençon fled from the French court after being alienated from his brother King Henry III as they had had some differences. Both Henry III and Catherine de' Medici feared he would join the Protestant rebels. These fears proved well-founded; Francis joined the prince of Condé and his forces in the south. In February 1576, Henry, King of Navarre escaped from the French court, whereupon his forces also joined Condé. This combined army was enough to force Henry III, without a pitched battle of any sort, to capitulate and sign the very pro-Protestant "peace of Monsieur", or Edict of Beaulieu, on 6 May 1576. By "secret treaties" which formed part of this peace settlement, many on the Protestant side were rewarded with land and titles. Francis was awarded the Duchy of Anjou (along with other lands) and thus became the Duke of Anjou. He had the writer Jean de La Gessée as a secretary.
In 1579, negotiations commenced for marrying Anjou to Elizabeth I of England. Anjou sent Jean de Simier, his Master of Wardrobe, to England with a casket of jewels for the Queen. He was a charming courtier and Elizabeth nicknamed him her "singe" or monkey. Anjou wrote to Elizabeth that he would keep her picture by him "till the end of his bones".
Anjou was in fact the only one of Elizabeth's foreign suitors to court her in person. He made two visits to England, in 1579 and 1581. He was 24 and Elizabeth was 46. Despite the age gap, the two soon became very close, Elizabeth dubbing him her "frog." While a few believe this nickname arose from a frog-shaped earring he had given her, "frog" has been an unflattering slang nickname for the French for centuries. Whether or not Elizabeth truly planned to marry Anjou is a hotly debated topic. She was quite fond of him, knowing that he was probably going to be her last suitor. The match was controversial among the English public: English Protestants warned the Queen that the "hearts [of the English people] will be galled when they shall see you take to husband a Frenchman, and a Papist ... the very common people well know this: that he is the son of the Jezebel of our age," referring to the Duke's mother, Catherine de' Medici. Among members of Elizabeth's Privy Council, only William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, supported the marriage scheme wholeheartedly. Most notable councillors, foremost among them Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and Sir Francis Walsingham, strongly opposed it, even warning the Queen of the hazards of childbirth at her age.
Between 1578 and 1581 the Queen resurrected attempts to negotiate a marriage with the Duke of Alençon. The Duke put himself forward as a protector of the Huguenots and a potential leader of the Dutch.[citation needed] In these years, Walsingham became friends with the diplomat of Henry of Navarre in England, the anti-monarchist Philippe de Mornay.[citation needed] Walsingham was sent to France in mid-1581 to discuss an Anglo-French alliance, but the French wanted the marriage agreed to first, and Walsingham had instructions to obtain a treaty before committing to the marriage.[citation needed] He returned to England without an agreement. Personally Walsingham opposed the marriage, perhaps to the point of encouraging public opposition.[citation needed] Alençon was a Catholic and as his elder brother, Henry III, was childless, he was heir presumptive to the French throne. Elizabeth was probably past the age of childbearing and had no clear successor. If she died while married to the French heir her realms could fall under French control. By comparing the match of Elizabeth and Alençon with the match of the Protestant Henry of Navarre and the Catholic Margaret of Valois, which occurred in the week before the St Bartholomew's Day massacre, the "most horrible spectacle" he had ever witnessed,[citation needed] Walsingham raised the spectre of religious riots in England in the event of the marriage proceeding. According to the Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth tolerated his blunt opinions and often unwelcome advice, referring to Walsingham as "her Moor who cannot change his colour" with regard to his strong beliefs.
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