Early life
In the absence of a son, Margherita and Henry attempted to secure the inheritance of Lorraine and Bar for their eldest daughter Nicole. Her father had no son and wanted to leave the Duchy of Lorraine to Nicole, but a supposed testament byDuchess regnant of Lorraine
Her father of Henry II died 31 July 1624. She thereby became duchess of Lorraine with the support of her mother. In November 1625, Nicole's rights were challenged by her uncle and father-in-law, Francois de Guise, and her cousin-husband. He made his claim based on the "testament" of Rene II, claimed the duchy. Her mother Margherita Gonzaga travelled to the French royal court in Paris and successfully asked Louis XIII of France to send a French army to support her daughters right and duchess regnant of Lorraine. When Louis XIII sent an army under Louis de Marillac to the Duchy, however, Francois de Guise managed to win over the support of the States-General of Lorraine, who were afraid of France, and they declared Francis II of Lorraine Duke on 21 November 1625, deposing Nicole; five days later he abdicated in favor of his son, who became Charles IV of Lorraine. The latter had managed to remove his wife's power and become Duke in his own right. After this event, France retracted their military support to Margherita Gonzaga and Nicole; Margherita Gonzaga made repeated attempts to secure French support for her daughter, but France was unwilling to engage further, although it did give Margherita support in words.Duchess consort of Lorraine
I December 1627 Nicole's maternal uncle died, and a war broke out over the Mantuan succession. Nicole's mother Margherita Gonzaga pressed her own right to Monferrato, which in contrast to Mantua had female succession; a theory is that she wanted to give her daughter Nicole a realm from her mother, since she had been deprived of her father's realm. However, Margherita was not able to secure any support for her claim, particularly since her closest ally France supported Charles of Nevers. In the Regensburg Treaty of October 1630, she was given the right to compensation for having given of her claims (against her will). Married by dynastic interest, the gap between Nicole and her husband grew with the events of 1625. In 1631, Margherita Gonzaga defended her daughter Nicole when her son-in-law tried to divorce Nicole with an annulment by accusing the vicar who performed their marriage ceremony, Melchior de La Vallee, for witchcraft.Tabacchi St. Margherita Gonzaga, duchessa di Lorena (итал.). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani — Volume 70 (2008). www.treccani.it. That injustice was not corroborated by the Church and Charles IV remained officially married to Nicole. In 1635, Charles took the opportunity to get rid of his wife's authority, the false pretext that he had not been free to choose at the time of hisReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolette Of Lorraine 1608 births 1657 deaths Nobility from Nancy, France Dukes of Lorraine Duchesses of Lorraine 17th-century women rulers Lorraine, Duchess of, Nicolette Princesses of Lorraine 17th-century French women