Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

. She persuaded Henry to renounce Protestantism in favour of Catholicism in 1593. Later she urged French Catholics to accept the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...

, which granted certain rights to the Protestants. As it was legally impossible for the King to marry her as he was already married to

Margaret of Valois Margaret of Valois (french: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as La Reine Margot, was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became Queen of Navarre by marriage to Henry III of Navarre and then also Queen of France ...

, he controversially petitioned

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

for an annulment in February 1599 to end his childless first marriage, and announced his intention to marry Gabrielle and have her crowned the next Queen of France, while legitimizing their three children born out of wedlock. Her coronation and wedding never occurred due to her untimely and sudden death.

Birth

Gabrielle d'Estrées was born at either the Château de la Bourdaisière in

Montlouis-sur-Loire Montlouis-sur-Loire (, literally ''Montlouis on Loire'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. It was mentioned in the 6th century as ''vicus montis Laudiacensis'' by Gregory of Tours. Population Events Since 1987, ...

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

, or at the Château de Cœuvres in Picardy. Her parents were Antoine d'Estrées, Marquis of Cœuvres, and Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière.

Royal mistress

In November 1590, King Henry IV of France fell in love with Gabrielle d'Estrées. She became one of his many mistresses in the middle of his bitter struggle with the Catholic League. Although he was married to

, Henry and Gabrielle were openly affectionate with each other in public. Her father, anxious to save his daughter from so perilous an entanglement, married her to Nicholas d'Amerval, seigneur de Liancourt, though the union proved unhappy, and was annulled by 1595. Fiercely loyal, Gabrielle accompanied Henry during his campaigns. Even when heavily pregnant, she insisted on living inside his tent near the battlefield, making sure his clothing was clean and that he ate well after a battle, handling the day-to-day correspondence while he fought. As she was intelligent and practical, Henry confided his secrets to her and followed her advice. When the two were apart, Henry frequently wrote her letters while on his sojourn trips at war camps. Gabrielle de Estrees6

Born a Catholic, Gabrielle knew that the best way to conclude the religious wars was for Henry himself to become a Catholic. Recognizing the wisdom in her argument, on 25 July 1593, Henry declared that "Paris is well worth a Mass" and permanently renounced

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. This enabled him to be crowned King of France on 27 February 1594. Henry also arranged for Gabrielle's marriage to Liancourt to be annulled the same year. On 7 June 1594, their first child was born: a son, César de Bourbon, future Duke of Vendôme. On 4 January 1595, Henry IV officially recognized and legitimized his son in a text validated by the

Parlement de Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

. In that text he also recognized Gabrielle d'Estrées as the mother of his son and as "the subject the most worthy of our friendship"; in other words, Henry IV had the Parlement de Paris officially ratify Gabrielle's position as his mistress. In 1596, he made her Marquise de Montceaux, and she purchased from the estate of Catherine de' Medici the

Château de Montceaux The Château de Montceaux, also known as the Château de Montceaux-en-Brie or the Château de Montceaux-lès-Meaux, was a royal French Renaissance château, located in what is now the commune of Montceaux-lès-Meaux in the Seine-et-Marne departme ...

at auction for 39,000 '' écus'', money which he probably gave her. In the following year he made her Duchesse de Beaufort, a peeress of France. Henry IV also recognized and legitimized two more children he had with Gabrielle: Catherine-Henriette de Bourbon, a daughter born in 1596, and Alexandre de Bourbon, a son born in 1598. The relationship between Henry and Gabrielle did not sit well with some members of the French aristocracy, and malicious pamphlets circulated that blamed the new duchess for many national misfortunes. One of the most vicious nicknames ascribed to Gabrielle was ''la duchesse d'Ordure'' ("the Duchess of Filth"). Gabrielle became Henry's most important diplomat, using her female friends amongst the various Catholic League families to bring about peace. In March 1596, Henry gave both Gabrielle and his sister Catherine a set of gold keys which bestowed upon them seats on his council. This gift pleased Gabrielle so much that she took to wearing the little keys on a chain around her neck. In 1598, Henry issued the

, which gave the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s certain rights while deferring to Catholics. Joining forces, the Huguenot Catherine and Catholic Gabrielle went to work overriding the objections of powerful Catholics and Huguenots, and forcing compliance with the edict. Henry was so impressed with her efforts that he wrote: "My mistress has become an orator of unequaled brilliance, so fiercely does she argue the cause of the new Edict."

Death and aftermath

After applying to

for an annulment of his marriage and authority to remarry, in March 1599 Henry gave his mistress his coronation ring. Gabrielle, so sure that the wedding would take place, stated, "Only God or the king's death could put an end to my good luck". A few days later, on 9 April, she suffered an attack of

eclampsia Eclampsia is the onset of seizures (convulsions) in a woman with pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is one of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that presents with three main features: new onset of high blood pressure, large amounts of protein in ...

and gave birth to a stillborn son. King Henry was at the

Château de Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...

when news arrived of her illness. The next day, 10 April 1599, while Henry was on his way to her, she died in Paris. The King was grief-stricken, especially given the widely held rumor that Gabrielle had been poisoned. He wore black in mourning, something no previous French monarch had done. He gave her the funeral of a queen; her coffin was transported amidst a procession of princes, princesses, and nobles to the

Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois The Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois is a Roman Catholic church in the First Arrondissement of Paris, situated at 2 Place du Louvre, directly across from the Louvre Palace. It was named for Germanus of Auxerre, the Bishop of Auxerre (378-4 ...

church in Paris, for a requiem mass. Remembered in French history and song as ''La Belle Gabrielle'', she was interred in the Notre-Dame-La-Royale at Maubuisson Abbey in

Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise, created in the 1960s. Population Transport Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône is served by two ...

( Val-d'Oise,

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

). A publication after her death called the ''Mémoires secrets de Gabrielle d'Estrée'' ("The Secret Memoirs of Gabrielle d'Estrée") is believed to have been written by one of her friends.

Children

Her four children with Henry were: * César, Duke of Vendôme (1594–1665); married Françoise de Lorraine and had issue. In 1626, he participated in a plot against Cardinal Richelieu. César was captured and held in prison for three years. In 1641 he was accused of conspiracy again and this time fled to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. *

Catherine Henriette de Bourbon Catherine Henriette de Bourbon (11 November 1596 – 20 June 1663) was an illegitimate daughter of King Henry IV of France and his long-term ''maîtresse en titre'' Gabrielle d'Estrées. She was declared legitimate on 17 November 1596 at the Abbe ...

(1596–1663); married

Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf (5 November 1596 – 5 November 1657), was a French nobleman, the son of Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf, by his wife, Marguerite de Chabot. He succeeded his father in the Elbeuf dukedom (Elbœuf is an alternate, anglicized s ...

. Had issue * Alexandre, Chevalier de Vendôme (1598–1629). * stillborn son* (1599). Engraved portrait of César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1594-1665).jpg, César de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme File:Frosne after Vary - Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, Légitimée de France.jpg, Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, Légitimée de France

Representation in art

Gabrielle is the subject of the painting '' Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses sœurs'' by Francois Clouet, which is held in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in Paris. In the painting, Gabrielle sits unclothed in a bathtub in which is covered in cloth, holding what is presumed to be Henry's coronation ring given to her before their wedding and her death, whilst her sister Julienne-Hippolyte-Joséphine, Duchess of Villars, also sits unclothed beside her and pinches Gabrielle’s right mammilla. Henry gave Gabrielle the ring as a token of his love shortly before she died.Official site of the Louvre Museum - Portrait présumé de Gabrielle d'Estrées et de sa sœur la duchesse de Villars
/ref> A very similar painting with the same characters in different positions is in the

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...

, and yet a third one without her sister in the

Musée Condé The Musée Condé – in English, the Condé Museum – is a French museum located inside the Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, Oise, 40 km north of Paris. In 1897, Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of Louis Philippe I, bequeathed the ...

in the

Château de Chantilly The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmor ...

. J. M. W. Turner painted a watercolour of "Fair Gabrielle" at

Bougival Bougival () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located west from the centre of Paris, on the left bank of the River Seine, on the departmental border with Hauts-de-Seine. ...

. File:Gabrielle d’Estrées and her sister, the Duchess of Villars - Palace of FontainebleauDames-au-bain-château-de-Fontainebleau.jpg, ''Gabrielle d’Estrées and Julienne-Hippolyte-Joséphine, Duchess of Villars'':

File:Scuola di fontainebleau, presunti ritratti di gabrielle d'estrées sua sorella la duchessa di villars, 1594 ca. 06.jpg, ''Gabrielle d'Estrées and her sister'' (

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

). Gabrielle d’Estrées and the Duchess of Villars "… turn half towards the viewer as they sit in a bathtub lined with silk. The women have faces the shape of upturned petals; thin, arched eyebrows; skin the same color as the pearls they both wear in their ears. They are naked from the waist up, and both women’s small, dark eyes are locked on the viewer, mouths tight and ambiguous. But what everybody sees first—what viewers can’t help but fix their gazes on—is the hand of the woman on the left as it pinches the nipple of the woman on the right, her index finger and thumb forming a perfect "C." Above them, ruched silk curtains, heavy as thunderclouds, are parted as though the audience is at a stage’s edge. The viewer’s voyeuristic position sets the scene as a performance."
Artsy.net
on the portrait. File:Ecole française - Gabrielle d'Estrées au bain - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Gabrielle d'Estrées au bain'':

(Château de Chantilly)

References

Bibliography

* * Bayrou, François (1994). ''Le Roi libre.'' Paris: Flammarion. (French) * Bercé, Yves-Marie (1996). ''The Birth of Absolutism: a history of France, 1598-1661''. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estrees, Gabrielle D 1573 births 1599 deaths Dukes of Beaufort (France) Dukes of Verneuil Marquesses of Monceaux 16th-century peers of France Peers created by Henry IV of France Mistresses of Henry IV of France Deaths in childbirth Gabrielle Gabrielle Beaufort, Duchess of, Gabrielle d'Estrees French duchesses French marchionesses Annulment French Roman Catholics