Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (before 1520 – 28 August 1561), Duchess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne was a French noblewoman, and a half-niece of King

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

. She was the first wife of

Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier Louis de Bourbon, Duc de Montpensier (10 June 1513 – 23 September 1582) was the second Duke of Montpensier, a French Prince of the Blood, military commander and governor. He began his military career during the Italian Wars, and in 1557 was ...

, and the mother of his six children. She had the office of ''

Première dame d'honneur ''Première dame d'honneur'' ('first lady of honour'), or simply ''dame d'honneur'' ('lady of honour'), was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. Though the tasks of the post ...

'' to the queen dowager regent of France,

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 ...

, from 1560 until 1561.

Family

Jacqueline was born on an unknown date sometime before 1520, the youngest daughter of Jean IV de Longwy, Seigneur de Givry, Baron of Pagny and of Mirebeau (died 1520) and

Jeanne of Angoulême Jeanne may refer to: Places * Jeanne (crater), on Venus People * Jeanne (given name) * Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc, 1412–1431) * Joanna of Flanders (1295–1374) * Joan, Duchess of Brittany (1319–1384) * Ruth Stuber Jeanne (1910–2004), Americ ...

, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine (c.1490- after 1531/1538), the illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France. Jacqueline had two older sisters. The eldest, Françoise de Longwy, Dame de Pagny and de Mirebeau (c.1510- after 14 April 1561), married firstly in 1526,

Philippe de Chabot Philippe de Chabot, Seigneur De Brion, Count of Charny and Buzançois (c. 1492 – 1 June 1543), also known as Admiral De Brion, was an admiral of France. Biography The Chabot family was one of the oldest and most powerful in Poitou. Phili ...

, Seigneur De Brion, Count of Charny and Buzançois,

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, du ...

, and secondly in 1545, Jacques de Perusse, Seigneur d'Escars, by whom she had a son, Cardinal

Anne d'Escars de Givry Anne d'Escars de Givry (29 March 1546 – 19 April 1612) was a French Benedictine churchman, supporter of the ''Ligue'', and Cardinal. Biography He was born in Paris, the son of Jacques de Pérusse, Seigneur d'Escars and Françoise de Longwy, Dam ...

. Her second eldest sister was Claude Louise de Longwy, Abbess of

Jouarre Jouarre () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Jouarre Abbey It is the site of the Jouarre Abbey, a Merovingian foundati ...

. Jacqueline's paternal uncle was

Claude de Longwy de Givry Claude de Longwy de Givry (1481–1561) was a French bishop and Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal, from an aristocratic background. He was the son of Philippe de Longuy, Seigneur de Givry and Jeanne de Beautremont, Dame de Mirabeau. He had four b ...

Bishop of Amiens The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amiens (Latin: ''Dioecesis Ambianensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Amiens'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Somme, of which the city of Ami ...

. Her paternal grandparents were Philippe de Longwy, Seigneur of Pagny and Jeanne de Bauffremont, Dame de Mirebeau. Her maternal grandparents were

Charles, Count of Angoulême Charles of Orléans (1459 – 1 January 1496) () was the Count of Angoulême from 1467 until his death. He succeeded his father, John, and was initially under the regency of his mother, Marguerite de Rohan, assisted by Jean I de La Rochefoucauld, ...

and his mistress Antoinette de Polignac, Dame de Combronde, who was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to the Count of Angoulême's wife,

Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, and the mother of King Francis I. She was politically active and served as the regent of Fra ...

. Antoinette (born c.1460) was the daughter of Foucaud de Polignac, Seigneur des Fontaines and Agnès de Chabanais.

Marriage

In 1538, Jacqueline married Louis III de Bourbon-Montpensier, who would become

Duke of Montpensier The French lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordshi ...

on the death of his mother

Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier Louise de Bourbon (1482 – 15 July 1561) was the Duchess of Montpensier, suo jure from February 1538 to 1561. She was the great great great grandmother of ''La Grande Mademoiselle''. Inheritance The eldest daughter of Gilbert, Count of Montpens ...

on 5 July 1561. On the occasion of the marriage, Jacqueline's uncle, King Francis restored the Montpensier estates and the counties of Forez, Beaujeu, and Dombes to Louis' mother. They had been confiscated by the French Crown following

Charles III, Duke of Bourbon Charles III, Duke of Bourbon (17 February 1490 – 6 May 1527) was a French military leader, the count of Montpensier, Clermont and Auvergne, and dauphin of Auvergne from 1501 to 1523, then duke of Bourbon and Auvergne, count of Clermont-e ...

's treason in 1523 when he defected to the side of

Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...

Court career

Jacqueline de Longwy was introduced at court early on, which she attended from 1533 onward. She served as Fille d’honneur to

Eleanor of Austria Eleanor of Austria (15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), also called Eleanor of Castile, was born an Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became Queen consort of Portugal (1518–152 ...

in 1533-38, as ''Dame'' after her marriage in 1538-43; served as Dame to Mary Stuart in 1560, and subsequently appointed ''

'' to

in succession to

Françoise de Brézé Françoise de Brézé (ca. 1518 – 14 October 1577), ''Suo jure'' Countess of Maulévrier, was a French noblewoman and courtier. She served as ''Première dame d'honneur'' to Queen Catherine de' Medici from 1547 until 1560 and was the regent of ...

, when Catherine became regent and was able to appoint her own household. She was a personal friend of

, who became queen in 1547. In 1560, Jacqueline de Longwy had been instrumental in the successful negotiations to convince

Antoine de Bourbon Antoine de Bourbon, roi de Navarre (22 April 1518 – 17 November 1562) was the King of Navarre through his marriage (''jure uxoris'') to Queen Jeanne III of Navarre, Jeanne III, from 1555 until his death. He was the first monarch of the House of B ...

to relinquish his claims to the regency of Charles in favor of Catherine de' Medici.

Countess of Bar-sur-Seine

Jacqueline succeeded to the title of ''suo jure'' Countess of Bar-sur-Seine upon her mother's death, which occurred on an unknown date sometime after 1531/1538. Her father's titles had passed to her eldest sister, Françoise upon his death in 1520. In 1543, the dauphinate of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

was restored to Louis, Jacqueline therefore became the Dauphine of Auvergne. That same year, she was present with other high-ranking members of the Valois court at the baptism of King Francis's grandson,

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

. In 1547, King Francis died and was succeeded by his son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. In 1556, Jacqueline, together with

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' ...

and Madame de Montmorency, was appointed by Queen consort

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 ...

to judge the case of misconduct against Mademoiselle de Rohan, a member of the royal family, who was pregnant by the Duke of Nemours under promise of marriage. Three years later, in 1559, Jacqueline and her husband attended the magnificent coronation of King Francis II and

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 ...

Death

She died in Paris on 28 August 1561. She had been the Duchess of Montpensier for less than two months. Through her daughter, Charlotte, Jacqueline was an ancestress of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

, which reigned in Great Britain from 1714 to 1901, and from which descends the current British Royal Family.

Issue

The marriage of Jacqueline and Louis produced one son and five daughters: # François de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier (1542- 4 June 1592), married in 1566, Renée d'Anjou, Marquise de Mézières (21 October 1550- 1597), daughter of Nicolas d'Anjou, Marquis de Mézières and Gabrielle de Mareuil, by whom he had one son,

Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, (12 May 1573 – 27 February 1608) was Rulers of Auvergne, Dauphin of Auvergne, Duchy of Montpensier, Duke of Montpensier, Sovereign Prince of the Dombes and Lord of Châtellerault. Henri was born at Mézièr ...

. # Françoise de Bourbon (1539–1587), in 1559 married Henri Robert de La Marck (

de la Marck The House of La Marck (german: von der Mar(c)k) was a noble family, which from about 1200 appeared as the counts of Mark. History The family history started with Count Adolf I, scion of a cadet branch of the Rhenish Berg dynasty residing at A ...

), Duke of

Bouillon Bouillon can refer to: Food * Bouillon (broth), a simple broth ** Court-bouillon, a quick broth * Bouillon (soup), a Haitian soup * Bouillon (restaurant), a traditional type of French restaurant **Bouillon Chartier, a bouillon restaurant foun ...

, Prince of Sedan # Anne de Bourbon (1540 1577), in 1561 married François de Cleves,

Duke of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, which became a French Duchy of Nivernais, duchy in 1539, with the rulers of the duchy calling themselves Duke, dukes. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected ...

# Jeanne de Bourbon, Abbess of Jouarre (1541–1620) # Charlotte de Bourbon (1547- 5 May 1582), on 24 June 1575, married

William The Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

of Nassau,

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

, by whom she had six daughters # Louise de Bourbon, Abbess of Faremoutier (1548–1586)

In art

Jacqueline de Longwy's portrait was drawn in 1550 by French painter

François Clouet François Clouet (c. 1510 – 22 December 1572), son of Jean Clouet, was a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French ruling family. Historical references François Clouet was born in ...

Notes

References

* *48