Charlotte of Bourbon
Encyclopedia
Charlotte of Bourbon was the fourth daughter of Louis, Duke of Montpensier
and Jacqueline de Longwy
, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (died 28 August 1561). She was the third wife of William the Silent
, Prince of Orange
, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish.
. Her maternal grandparents were John IV de Longwy, Baron of Pagny, and Jeanne of Angoulême
, illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France
.
Her mother, Jacqueline, was a believer in the Reformed doctrines, and she secretly taught them to her children. Charlotte's father, finding this out, determined to thwart his wife's influence by sending three of his daughters to convents. Charlotte was then only thirteen years old and begged to be allowed to stay with her mother, who died during the time Charlotte was in the convent. Her father, influential in the court of Catherine de' Medici
, placed her in the royal convent of Jouarre
, near Meaux
, to be raised as a nun. When she was professed as a nun at the age of thirteen, she made a formal written protest. The young Charlotte shocked both her family and the royal court by escaping the convent in 1572, announcing her conversion to Calvinism
and, on the advice of Jeanne d'Albret, fleeing to the Palatinate, well beyond her parents' reach.
On 24 June 1575 Charlotte married the Protestant William, Prince of Orange, and had six daughters, including Louise Juliana of Nassau
, from whom descended the House of Hanover
.
Charlotte allegedly died from exhaustion while trying to nurse her husband after an assassination attempt in 1582. Following her death, William married on 24 April 1583, his fourth and last wife, Louise de Coligny
, by whom he had a son Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
.
Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier
Louis de Bourbon was the second Duke of Montpensier. He was the great great grandfather of la Grande Mademoiselle.-Biography:...
and Jacqueline de Longwy
Jacqueline de Longwy
Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine , Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne was a French noblewoman, and a half-niece of King Francis I of France. She was the first wife of Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, and the mother of his six children...
, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (died 28 August 1561). She was the third wife of William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
, Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish.
Biography
Her paternal grandparents were Louis, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon and Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of MontpensierLouise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
Louise de Bourbon was the Duchess of Montpensier, suo jure from February 1538 to 1561. She was the great great great grandmother of La Grande Mademoiselle.- Inheritance :...
. Her maternal grandparents were John IV de Longwy, Baron of Pagny, and Jeanne of Angoulême
Jeanne of Angouleme
Jeanne d'Angoulême, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine , Dame de Givry, Baroness of Pagny and of Mirebeau, was the illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France. She was created suo jure Countess of Bar-sur-Seine in 1522. She was the wife of Jean de Longwy, Seigneur of Givry, Baron of Pagny and of...
, illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
.
Her mother, Jacqueline, was a believer in the Reformed doctrines, and she secretly taught them to her children. Charlotte's father, finding this out, determined to thwart his wife's influence by sending three of his daughters to convents. Charlotte was then only thirteen years old and begged to be allowed to stay with her mother, who died during the time Charlotte was in the convent. Her father, influential in the court of Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
, placed her in the royal convent of Jouarre
Jouarre Abbey
Jouarre Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Jouarre in the department of Seine-et-Marne.-History :The Merovingian foundation of Abbess Theodochilde or Telchilde, was founded traditionally in 630, inspired by the visit of St. Columban, the travelling Irish monk who inspired monastic...
, near Meaux
Meaux
Meaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
, to be raised as a nun. When she was professed as a nun at the age of thirteen, she made a formal written protest. The young Charlotte shocked both her family and the royal court by escaping the convent in 1572, announcing her conversion to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and, on the advice of Jeanne d'Albret, fleeing to the Palatinate, well beyond her parents' reach.
On 24 June 1575 Charlotte married the Protestant William, Prince of Orange, and had six daughters, including Louise Juliana of Nassau
Louise Juliana of Nassau
Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau was the eldest daughter of prince William of Orange and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon.-Biography:...
, from whom descended the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
.
Charlotte allegedly died from exhaustion while trying to nurse her husband after an assassination attempt in 1582. Following her death, William married on 24 April 1583, his fourth and last wife, Louise de Coligny
Louise de Coligny
Louise de Coligny was the daughter of Gaspard de Coligny and Charlotte de Laval and the fourth and last spouse of William the Silent.-Biography:...
, by whom he had a son Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
.