Claude de Lorraine, Duke of Guise (20 October 1496 – 12 April 1550) was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first

Duke of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise (pronounced �ɥiz were titles in the French nobility. Originally a seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of Luxembourg ...

in 1528. He was a highly effective general for the French crown. His children and grandchildren were to lead the Catholic party in the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

Biography

Claude was born at the

Château 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. Now ...

de Condé-sur-Moselle, the second son of René II,

Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

, and

Philippa of Guelders Philippa of Guelders (; 9 November 1464 – 28 February 1547), was a Duchess consort of Lorraine. She served as regent of Lorraine in 1509 during the absence of her son. She was the Great-Grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots. Life Philippa was born ...

. He was educated at the French court of Francis I. On 9 June 1513, at the age of sixteen, Claude married

Antoinette de Bourbon Antoinette of Bourbon (25 December 1494 – 22 January 1583), was a French noblewoman of the House of Bourbon. She was the wife of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise. Life Antoinette de Bourbon was born on 25 December 1494 at the Chateau de Ha ...

(1493–1583), daughter of François, Count of Vendôme.

Military service

Claude distinguished himself at the

Battle of Marignano The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai and took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan. It pitted the French army, composed of the b ...

(1515), and was long in recovering from the twenty-two wounds he received in the battle. In 1521, he fought at Fuenterrabia, and

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 F ...

ascribed the capture of the place to his efforts. In 1522 he forced the English to raise the siege of

Hesdin Hesdin (; vls, Heusdin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The N39, from Arras to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic fl ...

. In 1523, he became governor of

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

and Burgundy, after defeating at Neufchâteau the imperial troops who had invaded this province. In 1525, Claude defeated a peasant army near

Saverne Saverne (french: Saverne, ; Alsatian: ; german: Zabern ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km (2 ...

(Zabern). Following Francis I's return from captivity, Claude was made

in 1527. The Guises, as cadets of the sovereign

House of Lorraine The House of Lorraine (german: link=no, Haus Lothringen) originated as a cadet branch of the House of Metz. It inherited the Duchy of Lorraine in 1473 after the death without a male heir of Nicholas I, Duke of Lorraine. By the marriage of Fra ...

and descendants of the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou or House of Anjou-Sicily, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct French House of Capet, part of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" ...

, claimed precedence over the Bourbon princes of Condé and Conti.

Marriage and issue

Claude married

, daughter of François, Count of Vendôme and Marie de Luxembourg, on 9 June 1513; they had: * Mary of Guise (1515–1560); married firstly

Louis II d'Orléans, Duke of Longueville Louis II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville and comte de Dunois (1510 – 9 June 1537) was a French aristocrat and the first husband of Mary of Guise, who later became queen consort of Scotland and mother to Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the second son ...

and secondly king

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

and had issue, including

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 S ...

Francis, Duke of Guise Francis de Lorraine II, the first Prince of Joinville, also Duke of Guise and Duke of Aumale (french: François de Lorraine; 17 February 1519 – 24 February 1563), was a French general and statesman. A prominent leader during the Italian War of ...

(1519–1563) * Louise of Guise (10 January 1520,

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a Communes of France, commune in the Meuse (department), Meuse Departments of France, département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more moder ...

– 18 October 1542); married Charles I, Duke of Arschot on 20 February 1541. * Renée of Guise (2 September 1522 – 3 April 1602), Abbess of St. Pierre, Reims * Charles of Guise (1524–1574),

Duke of Chevreuse Duke of Chevreuse (French ''Duc de Chevreuse'') was a French title of nobility, elevated from the barony of Chevreuse in 1545. Originally created for Jean de Brosse, Duc d'Étampes, it was transferred in 1555 to Charles of Guise, the Cardinal of ...

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese a ...

, and Cardinal of Lorraine. *

Claude, Duke of Aumale Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Aumale (18 August 1526, Joinville – 3 March 1573, La Rochelle) was the third son of Claude, Duke of Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon. He was a prince of Lorraine by birth. Biography As part of the Treaty of Boulog ...

(1526–1573) *

Louis I, Cardinal of Guise Louis de Lorraine, cardinal de Guise et prince-évêque de Metz (21 October 1527, in Joinville, Champagne – 29 March 1578, in Paris) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and Bishop during the Italian Wars and French Wars of Religion. The third s ...

(1527–1578) * Philip of Guise (3 September 1529,

Joinville Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Joinville is also a ...

– 24 September 1529, Joinville) * Peter of Guise (b. 3 April 1530, Joinville); died young. * Antoinette of Guise (31 August 1531, Joinville – 6 March 1561, Joinville), Abbess of Faremoutiers * François de Lorraine, Grand Prior (18 April 1534, Joinville – 6 March 1563) * René, Marquis of Elbeuf (1536–1566) By an unnamed mistress, Claude had: *son

Death

Claude fell ill in 1550, and despite being under the care of five doctors, died on 12 April. File:Antoinette de Bourbon Limousin.jpg, Antoinette de Bourbon File:Attributed to Corneille de Lyon - Mary of Guise, 1515 - 1560. Queen of James V - Google Art Project.jpg, Queen Mary of Guise File:Francois de Lorraine.JPG, Duke Francis of Guise File:Cardinal de Lorraine.jpg, Cardinal Charles of Lorraine File:Mary Stuart Queen.jpg, Queen Mary of Scots

Ancestry

Notes

References

*45 * * * * * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Guise, Claude, Duke of 1496 births 1550 deaths People from Meurthe-et-Moselle Military leaders of the Italian Wars 101 Marquesses of Elbeuf Counts of Aumale Counts of Guise Claude 15th-century French people 16th-century French people Grand Huntsmen of France Claude Claude