Françoise d'Humières, Dame de Contay,

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

''de Contay'' (circa 1489-1557), was a French court official; she served as

Governess of the Children of France The Governess of the Children of France (sometimes the Governess of the Royal Children) was office at the royal French court during pre-Revolutionary France and the Bourbon Restoration. She was charged with the education of the children and grandchi ...

from 1546 to 1557. Françoise d'Humières was the daughter of Charles de Contay, sénéchal du Maine, and Barbe de Hallwin, and married the courtier Jean d'Humières (d. 1550) in 1507. She inherited the lordship of Contay from her father, and became Dame de Contay. In 1546, she and her spouse were appointed governor and governess to the Dauphin, and subsequently became the main governor and governess to all the children of king

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

and

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...

. The royal children were raised under their direct supervision, under the orders of

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...

. As head governor and governess, the d'Humières couple headed the staff of the royal nursery, staff of about 250 people, which included tutors and governesses of lower rank, who attended more directly to each of the children. Among them was notably

Marie-Catherine Gondi Marie Catherine Gondi, née ''de Pierrevive'', dame du Perron and dame d'Armentières (circa 1500 – 1570), was a French court official, a trusted favorite and confidant of the queen regent of France, Catherine de Medici. She served as ''Dame d'ato ...

, who served as sub-governess. The royal children were mainly raised away from the rest of the court at the

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the ''département'' of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the ''musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nati ...

, and when the royal court visited Saint Germain, the nursery was sent to

Château de Blois A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

Château d'Amboise The Château d'Amboise is a château in Amboise, located in the Indre-et-Loire ''département'' of the Loire Valley in France. Confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century, it became a favoured royal residence and was extensively rebuilt. Kin ...

. From 1548, the nursery was expanded to include

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

and her governess (

Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming (17 July 1502 – 20 February 1562), called ''la Belle Écossaise'' (French for 'the Beautiful Scotswoman'), was a Scottish courtier. She was an illegitimate daughter of King James IV of Scotland who served as governes ...

, later

Françoise de Paroy Françoise d'Estamville, Dame de Paroy also called Mme de Parois or de Parroys (died 1557), was a French court official.Fraser, Antonia, Mary Queen of Scots, ew ed. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1994 Some French sources give her name and title ...

) and personal Scottish entourage of about 30 people. When her spouse died in 1550, he was succeeded as governor by

Claude d'Urfé Claude d'Urfé (1501, château de la Bastie d'Urfé-1558) was a French royal official of the 16th century. He acted as governor and bailiff of Forez after that county became a royal domain. He was a friend and confidant of Francis I and fought alo ...

, who was given charge of the finances of the royal nursery, but the king confirmed Françoise d'Humières as main governess with the responsibility for his children. Several letters are known between the king and queen and the d'Humières regarding the upbringing of the royal children.

References

Sources

* *Robert J. Knecht,
Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89
' *
The girlhood of Mary queen of Scots from her landing in France in August 1548 to her departure from France in August 1561
' * Keith Busby, Terry Nixon, Alison,
Les Manuscrits de Chrétien de Troyes
' {{DEFAULTSORT:d'Humieres, Francoise 1489 births 1557 deaths Governesses to the Children of France Catherine de' Medici Henry III of France Charles IX of France Court of Henry II of France