Henriette of Cleves
Encyclopedia
Henriette of Cleves, Duchess of Nevers and Duchess of Rethel (31 October 1542 – 24 June 1601) was a French noblewoman and heiress of the Cleves-Nevers family. She was also known as Henriette de La Marck. She became the suo jure
4th Duchess of Nevers and the suo jure Countess of Rethel
, upon the childless death of her brother James of Cleves, Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel in 1564. She was the wife of Louis I Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers, 1st Duke of Rethel, Prince of Mantua
. Following her marriage she became the Duchess of Rethel and Princess of Mantua.
Henriette's portrait was painted, on an unknown date, by the renowned French Renaissance
artist, François Clouet.
, in the department of Cher, France, the eldest daughter and second child of Francis I of Cleves, 1st Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, and Marguerite of Bourbon-La Marche. The Dauphin Henry (the future King Henry II of France
) acted as godfather
at her baptism.
Her paternal grandparents were Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers and Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
, and her maternal grandparents were Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and Françoise of Alençon. She had three brothers, Francis II of Cleves, 2nd Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, James of Cleves, 3rd Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, and Henri of Cleves, who died young. She also had two sisters, Catherine of Cleves
and Marie of Cleves.
In 1564, upon the childless death of her brother, James, Henriette became the suo jure 4th Duchess of Nevers, and Countess of Rethel. Her eldest brother Francis had died in 1562, without leaving heirs.
Henriette had been left with enormous debts from her late father and brothers, but she managed to bring the financial situation back in order and became one of the chief creditors in the kingdom.
, Bourbonnais
at the age of twenty-two, Henriette married Louis I Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua, and her second cousin by virtue of their grandmothers having been sisters. Her husband assumed the titles of Duke of Nevers and 1st Duke of Rethel by right of his wife; Henriette thus acquired the new title of Duchess of Rethel. She also became Princess of Mantua upon her marriage.
Louis and Henriette together had five chldren:
She became the mistress of Annibale Coconna, a Piedmont
ese adventurer who was beheaded in 1574, alongside his co-conspirator, Joseph Boniface de La Mole
, for participating in a conspiracy supported by the Duke of Alençon
, which involved the use of sorcery
against the life of King Charles IX
who was gravely ill. It was alleged that she and Queen Marguerite of Navarre secretly, in the middle of the night, removed the heads which were placed on public display, and had them embalmed and buried in consecrated ground.
Henriette died on 24 June 1601 at the Hotel de Nevers in Paris. She was buried in Nevers Cathedral. Her husband had died at Nesle
in 1595 after a lifetime of loyal service on behalf of the French Crown.
Among her numerous descendants were included Eleanor Gonzaga
, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
, King Louis XVI of France
and the latter's consort Marie Antoinette
.
on an unknown date. He was renowned in France for his detailed portraits of the French Royal Family and nobility.
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
4th Duchess of Nevers and the suo jure Countess of Rethel
Counts and dukes of Rethel
This is a list of counts and dukes of Rethel. The first counts of Rethel ruled independently, before the county passed first to the Counts of Nevers, then to the Counts of Flanders, and finally to the Dukes of Burgundy. In 1405 the County became part of the Peerage of France, and in 1581 it was...
, upon the childless death of her brother James of Cleves, Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel in 1564. She was the wife of Louis I Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers, 1st Duke of Rethel, Prince of Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
. Following her marriage she became the Duchess of Rethel and Princess of Mantua.
Henriette's portrait was painted, on an unknown date, by the renowned French Renaissance
French Renaissance
French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians believe originated in northern Italy in the fourteenth century...
artist, François Clouet.
Family
Henriette was born in La Chapelle-d'AngillonLa Chapelle-d'Angillon
La Chapelle-d’Angillon is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A village of lakes, forestry and farming situated in the valley of the river Sauldre, some north of Bourges at the junction of the D12, D940 and the D926...
, in the department of Cher, France, the eldest daughter and second child of Francis I of Cleves, 1st Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, and Marguerite of Bourbon-La Marche. The Dauphin Henry (the future King Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
) acted as godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
at her baptism.
Her paternal grandparents were Charles II of Cleves, Count of Nevers and Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
Marie of Albret, Countess of Rethel
Marie d'Albret, Countess of Rethel, Countess of Nevers was the suo jure Countess of Rethel, a title which she inherited at the age of nine upon the death of her mother, Charlotte of Nevers, Sovereign Countess of Rethel, on 23 August 1500...
, and her maternal grandparents were Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and Françoise of Alençon. She had three brothers, Francis II of Cleves, 2nd Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, James of Cleves, 3rd Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel, and Henri of Cleves, who died young. She also had two sisters, Catherine of Cleves
Catherine of Cleves
Catherine de Clèves was the wife of Henry, Duke of Guise, and matriarch of the numerous and influential House of Guise. By marriage she was Duchess of Guise from 1570 to 1588, and Dowager Duchess of Guise thereafter...
and Marie of Cleves.
In 1564, upon the childless death of her brother, James, Henriette became the suo jure 4th Duchess of Nevers, and Countess of Rethel. Her eldest brother Francis had died in 1562, without leaving heirs.
Henriette had been left with enormous debts from her late father and brothers, but she managed to bring the financial situation back in order and became one of the chief creditors in the kingdom.
Marriage and issue
On 4 March 1565 in MoulinsMoulins, Allier
Moulins is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department.Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin the Anne de Beaujeu Museum.-History:...
, Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern département of Allier, along with part of the département of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.-History:...
at the age of twenty-two, Henriette married Louis I Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua, and her second cousin by virtue of their grandmothers having been sisters. Her husband assumed the titles of Duke of Nevers and 1st Duke of Rethel by right of his wife; Henriette thus acquired the new title of Duchess of Rethel. She also became Princess of Mantua upon her marriage.
Louis and Henriette together had five chldren:
- Catherine Gonzaga (21 January 1568 - 1 December 1629), married Henry I, Duke of Longueville, by whom she had issue.
- Maria Henrietta Gonzaga (3 September 1571 - 3 August 1601), married Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne. Died childless.
- Frederick Gonzaga (11 March 1573 - 22 April 1574)
- Francis Gonzaga (17 September 1576 - 13 June 1580)
- Charles I, Duke of MantuaCharles I, Duke of MantuaCharles Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Duke of Rethel and Nevers, as well as Prince of Arches.-Biography:...
(6 May 1580- 20 September 1637), succeeded as Duke of Nevers, Rethel, Mantua and Montferrat. He married Catherine Mayenne, daughter of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of MayenneCharles of Lorraine, Duke of MayenneCharles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
and Henriette of Savoy, Marquise of Villars, by whom he had six children, including Charles II GonzagaCharles II GonzagaCharles II Gonzaga was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Catherine of Mayenne, he was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel.In 1627 he married his cousin Maria Gonzaga, inheritor to the Duchy of Mantua and the Marquisate of Montferrat...
and Anna GonzagaAnna GonzagaAnne Gonzaga was a French noblewoman and political hostess of Italian descent. She was by marriage Countess Palatine of Simmern, called "Princess Palatine", as the wife of Edward of the Palatinate, a grandson of King James I of England and an uncle of King George I of Great Britain. She bore...
.
She became the mistress of Annibale Coconna, a Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
ese adventurer who was beheaded in 1574, alongside his co-conspirator, Joseph Boniface de La Mole
Joseph Boniface de La Môle
Joseph Boniface de La Môle was a French nobleman. He was the son of Jacques Boniface, seigneur de la Môle et de Colobrières, of Marseille....
, for participating in a conspiracy supported by the Duke of Alençon
François, Duke of Anjou
Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.-Early years:...
, which involved the use of sorcery
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
against the life of King Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
who was gravely ill. It was alleged that she and Queen Marguerite of Navarre secretly, in the middle of the night, removed the heads which were placed on public display, and had them embalmed and buried in consecrated ground.
Henriette died on 24 June 1601 at the Hotel de Nevers in Paris. She was buried in Nevers Cathedral. Her husband had died at Nesle
Nesle
Nesle is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Nesle is situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commune.-Population:...
in 1595 after a lifetime of loyal service on behalf of the French Crown.
Among her numerous descendants were included Eleanor Gonzaga
Eleanor Gonzaga (1630-1686)
Eleonora Gonzaga of the ruling house of Mantua, the Gonzaga, was the consort of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.- Family :...
, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and the latter's consort Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
.
Depictions in art
Henriette's portrait was painted by the celebrated French miniaturist and painter François ClouetFrançois Clouet
François Clouet , son of Jean Clouet, was a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French ruling family.-Historical references:Clouet was born in Tours....
on an unknown date. He was renowned in France for his detailed portraits of the French Royal Family and nobility.