Jeanne de Gontaut, Countess of Noailles (c. 1520 26 September 1586), was a French noblewoman and the wife of

Antoine de Noailles Antoine, 1st comte de Noailles (4 September 150411 March 1563) became admiral of France, and was ambassador in England for three years, 1553–1556, maintaining a gallant but unsuccessful rivalry with the Spanish ambassador, Simon Renard. Antoine ...

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 French Ambassador to England from 1553 to 1556. Following her husband's death in 1562, Jeanne became 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

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

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 H ...

Family and marriage

She was born in France, the daughter of Raymond de Gontaut, Seigneur de Cabrerès and Françoise de Bonafos, Dame de Lentour. On 31 May 1540, after four years of courtship, a contract was signed for her marriage to Antoine de Noailles, 1st Count of Noailles. Her father was against the match in the beginning, however, twelve

lettres de cachet ''Lettres de cachet'' (; ) were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal. They contained orders directly from the king, often to enforce arbitrary actions and judgments that co ...

from King

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

persuaded him to give his consent. Her marriage produced eight children, including: * Marie de Noailles (born 1543) * Françoise de Noailles (born 1548) * Marthe de Noailles (born 1552) * Henri de Noailles, Count d'Ayen (5 July 1554-13 May 1623), married on 22 June 1578 Jeanne Gemaine d'Espagne, by whom he had three children, including Francois de Noailles, Count of Ayen (1584–1645). * Françoise de Noailles (born after June 1556)

Life

In 1553, Jeanne's husband was appointed French Ambassador to England. She accompanied him, but had little influence on his career. She paid visits to Queen

Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

, and wrote many letters, many of which are still extant. Her only son, Henry, was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during their sojourn in England, and Queen Mary stood as the boy's godmother with the Countess of Surrey acting as her proxy. Jeanne was pregnant with her youngest child, Françoise, when she and her husband returned to France at the end of his tenure at the English court. Following Noailles' death in 1562, she became a lady-in-waiting to Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France.Emerson She herself died on 26 September 1586 at the age of about 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gontaut, Jeanne de 1520 births 1586 deaths Year of birth uncertain French ladies-in-waiting Women of the Tudor period French countesses House of Noailles 16th-century French women 16th-century French people Household of Catherine de' Medici