Countess Christina of Salm (1575–1627), was a Duchess consort of Lorraine; married in 1597 to

Francis II, Duke of Lorraine Francis II (François de Lorraine; 27 February 1572 – 14 October 1632) was the son of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Claude of Valois. He was Duke of Lorraine briefly in 1625, quickly abdicating in favour of his son. Biography The youngest ...

Life

Christine Katharina was the only daughter and heiress of Count Paul of Salm (1548–1595), head of his branch of the

House of Salm The House of Salm was an ancient Lotharingian noble family originating from Salmchâteau in the Ardennes (present-day Belgium) and ruling Salm. The dynasty is above all known for the experiences of the Upper Salm branch which came to be located ...

(1535–1595) by his wife, Marie Le Veneur (1553–1600), of whom he was a second cousin-once-removed, the couple sharing descent from Philippe Lhuillier, ''

seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

'' de Manicamp, governor of the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

. Although the Salms had been semi-sovereign Imperial counts since 1475, neither they nor the Le Veneurs were reckoned among the major magnates of either the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

or of France in the 16th century. However, when Francis married Christina, he was only the third son of Duke Charles III, destined for the countship of

Vaudémont Vaudémont () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Sights and monuments * Château de Vaudémont - ruined 11th-century castle protected as a '' monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture See a ...

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

rather than for the sovereignty of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

. Indeed, to prevent the duchy from leaving the

patriline Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

(and to legitimate its usurpation), Francis and Christina's sons would eventually be wed to the two daughters of his elder brother, Duke Henry II of Lorraine.

Issue

# Henri de Lorraine, Marquis of Hattonchâtel (1602–1611) died in childhood; # Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine (1604–1675) married Nicolette de Lorraine,Carl Eduard Vehse, ''Memoirs of the Court, Aristocracy, and Diplomacy of Austria'', Vol. 2, (Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856), 40. no issue; married Baroness Béatrice de Cusance of Belvoir and had issue; # Henriette de Lorraine (1605–1660), married Louis de Lorraine, Prince of

Lixheim Lixheim is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The commune Vieux-Lixheim lies 1 km to the north-west. See also * Communes of the Moselle department The following is a list of the 725 communes of th ...

, no issue, son of

Louis II, Cardinal of Guise Louis II, Cardinal of Guise (6 July 1555, Dampierre – 24 December 1588, Château de Blois), was the third son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. Life He was elected archbishop of Reims in 1574, succeeding his uncle, Charles of Guise. ...

; # Nicolas de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine (1609–1670) married Claude de Lorraine and had issue; # Marguerite de Lorraine (1615–1672), married Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and had issue; # Christine de Lorraine (1621–1622) died in infancy.

Ancestry

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Christina of Salm 1570s births 1627 deaths Duchesses of Lorraine Salm family