Isabelle de Limeuil
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Isabelle de la Tour, Lady of Limeuil (c. 1535 – 25 March 1609) was a French noblewoman and a
Maid of Honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen r ...
to the Queen Mother
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 ...
. She also formed part of Catherine's notorious " flying squadron" (''L'escadron volant''), a group of beautiful female spies she used for the purpose of forming sexual liaisons with various powerful men at the French court thereby extracting information which would then be passed on to her. In about 1562 at Catherine's instigation, she became the mistress of Louis, Prince of Condé, brother of King
Antoine of Navarre 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, from 1555 until his death. He was the first monarch of the House of Bourbon, of which he wa ...
and one of the leading
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 in France. Two years later when Isabelle created a scandal by giving birth to his son whilst the court was on a royal progress, she was banished to a convent. She later married wealthy Tuscan banker Scipion Sardini, a favoured protégé of Catherine de' Medici.


Family

Isabelle was born in Limeuil, France in about 1535, a daughter of Gilles de la Tour, Viscount of Turenne, Baron of Limeuil and Marguerite de la Cropte, Lady of Lanquais. She went to live at the court of King Charles IX where she became one of
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 ...
Catherine de' Medici's Maids of Honour. Isabelle was distantly related to Catherine through the latter's French mother,
Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne (1498 – 28 April 1519) was a younger daughter of Jean III de La Tour (1467– 28 March 1501), Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais, and Jeanne de Bourbon, Duchess of Bourbon (1465–1511). She was a penu ...
.Van Dyke, Paul (1922). ''Catherine de Médicis''. C. Scribner's sons. pp.308-309


Flying Squadron

Described as beautiful with blonde hair, blue eyes, rose-pink complexion and possessed of a "vivacious wit", she was immortalised in verse by the poet
Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet or, as his own generation in France called him, a "prince of poets". Early life Pierre de Ronsard was born at the Manoir de la Possonnière, in the village of C ...
. He wrote that he "would like to give her as many kisses as there were leaves on the trees of the forest". Her outstanding good looks caught the attention of the Queen Mother who invited her to join her elite "flying squadron" (''L'escadron volant''), a group of attractive and talented female spies who were recruited to seduce powerful men at Court, thereby extracting information which would then be passed on to Catherine and used as political leverage by the latter. Catherine was keenly aware of the power and influence women were able to wield over men – knowledge she had acquired from observing her late husband, King Henry II, fall completely under the sway of his cultured mistress
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' ...
.Strage, Mark (1976). ''Women of Power: The Life and Times of Catherine de' Medici''. New York and London: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich. p.118 She set out establishing this select group of about eighty beautiful ladies-in-waiting whom she had dressed at all times "like goddesses in silk and gold cloth". They took active roles in Catherine's fantastic spectacles and magnificent entertainments which were regularly put on for the benefit of the court. At one lavish outdoor banquet held at the
Château de Chenonceau The Château de Chenonceau () is a French château spanning the river Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley. The estate of Chenonceau is firs ...
, the male guests were served by ladies with bared breasts.Knecht, R. J. (1998). ''Catherine de' Medici''. London and New York: Longman. p.236 The members of the "Flying Squadron" were encouraged to form sexual liaisons with the most influential men at court on whom they would spy for the Queen Mother. Isabelle's first lover was
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 ...
, a member of the
House of Guise The House of Guise (pronunciation: ɥiz Dutch: ''Wieze, German: Wiese'') was a prominent French noble family, that was involved heavily in the French Wars of Religion. The House of Guise was the founding house of the Principality of Joinvill ...
, who were Catherine's greatest rivals. The duke was followed by Florimond Robertet, Catherine's secretary and a Guise associate. In about 1562 at Catherine's instigation, she seduced the prominent Huguenot, Louis, Prince of Condé, who was also the brother of King Antoine of Navarre. Antoine was the husband of Queen Jeanne of Navarre, another implacable adversary of Catherine and the political leader of the French Huguenot movement. Years earlier, Catherine had assigned another "Flying Squadron" member, Louise de La Béraudière de l'Isle Rouhet to attach herself to Antoine. This led Queen Jeanne to later denounce Catherine's court in a letter to her son, the future
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 monarc ...
, "Here it is the women who make advances to the men, rather than the other way around".Strage, p.153 Despite his mother's warnings about the brazen women who frequented the French court, Henry himself would succumb to the sophisticated charms of
Charlotte de Sauve Charlotte de Beaune Semblançay, Viscountess of Tours, Baroness de Sauve, Marquise de Noirmoutier (26 October 1551 – 30 September 1617) was a French noblewoman and a mistress of King Henry of Navarre, who later ruled as King Henry IV of France ...
, whom author Mark Strage described as having been "one of the most accomplished members of ''L'escadron volant''.Strage, p.185 Much to Catherine's satisfaction, Condé fell passionately in love with Isabelle, whose beauty and sensuality so ensnared him that he neglected to attend Protestant religious services at court. However, her dominance over him came to an end in May 1564 when she gave birth to his son in the Queen Mother's chamber at
Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...
while the court was on a royal progress. The scandal threw Catherine into a rage. Although the ladies of her "flying squadron" were used for the specific purpose to act as spies by forming sexual relationships at court, they were required to be discreet and decorous in public and above all to avoid pregnancy at all costs. Isabelle added fuel to the fire by loudly proclaiming Condé as the infant's father and even went so far as to send the baby to him in a basket. Condé vociferously denounced paternity, and Catherine angrily dismissed her from court.Strage, p.131 Isabelle was forced to enter a convent in
Auxonne Auxonne ( or ) is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Auxonnais'' or ''Auxonnaises''. Auxonne is one of the sites of the defensive structu ...
. To justify Catherine's harsh treatment of her, it was claimed that Isabelle had attempted to poison her rejected suitor, the Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon, as well as the elderly Constable of France,
Anne de Montmorency Anne, Duke of Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter (15 March 1493, Chantilly, Oise12 November 1567, Paris) was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France and served five kings. Early lif ...
.Foster, Theodore (1869). ''The London quarterly review, volumes 126-127''. New York: Leonard Scott Publishing Company. p.101 In May 1564, Charles Robert de la Marck, count de Maulevrier, made a statement about Isabelle de Limeuil, claiming that she had offered to ally with him to poison their common enemy,
Charles, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon Charles de Bourbon, Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon, (-10 October 1565), was a Prince of the Blood and provincial governor under three French kings. He fought in the latter Italian wars during the reign of Henri II, commanding an army during the 155 ...
. He claimed that Limeuil felt persecuted by the prince, whom she alleged pressured his wife
Philippes de Montespedon Philippe(s) de Montespedon, Princess of La Roche-sur-Yon, Dame de Chemillé and Dame de Beaupreau (d. 1578), was a French princess and courtier. She was ''Première dame d'honneur'' to the queen dowager regent of France, Catherine de' Medici, from 1 ...
, who was the ''
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 ...
'' responsible for the ladies-in-waiting, to control and oppress the ladies-in-waiting: "The said princess, at the behest of the said prince her husband, aside from the pains that she gave to all the maids of the Queen, seemed to have a particular animosity towards her and tried to verify whether she was pregnant, often tormenting her in front of the Queen on this matter and others." Two months after Isabelle gave birth to his child, Condé's wife, Eléanor de Roucy de Roye, died. He chose as his second wife a young Huguenot of noble birth, Françoise d'Orleans-Longueville. By then he had broken completely with Isabelle, who never forgave his rejection of her and his denial of her son's paternity. The baby did not survive early infancy and died on an unknown date.


Marriage and issue

Isabelle was eventually allowed to leave the convent and in 1567 at the age of approximately 32 she married one of Catherine's protégés. He was Scipion Sardini, a wealthy banker originally from Catherine's native
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
. Upon her marriage, Isabelle was styled "Madame Sardiny". She and her husband made their home at the "Hôtel Scipion", Sardini's mansion on the Rue Scipion in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
which he had built in 1565. On 13 March 1569 Isabelle's erstwhile lover, the Prince of Condé was killed at the
Battle of Jarnac The Battle of Jarnac on 13 March 1569 was an encounter during the French Wars of Religion between the Catholic forces of Marshal Gaspard de Saulx, sieur de Tavannes, and the Huguenots led by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé The two forces met ...
during the
Third War 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 mil ...
. When informed of his death, she tersely replied, ''"enfin"'' ("finally").Strage, p.142 Sardini was ennobled by Charles IX who created him "Viscount of Buzancy". This made Isabelle by marriage the "Viscountess of Buzancy". She bore her husband three sons and a daughter: * Nicolas Sardini, Siegneur de Prunay * Alexander-Paul Sardini (1574-1645), Baron of Chaumont-sur-Loire, Viscount of Buzancy; left descendants * Paul Sardini (died 1667); left descendants * Madeleine Sardini In 1600, the viscount purchased the
Château de Chaumont The Château de Chaumont (), officially Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, is a castle (''château'') in Chaumont-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The castle was founded in the 10th century by Odo I, Count of Blois. After Pierre d'Ambois ...
whose previous owners included Catherine de' Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Isabelle and her husband, however chose to live at the Hôtel Scipion. Sardini was given the title of "Baron of Chaumont-sur-Loire" which was passed on to their second eldest son, Alexander-Paul upon his death.


Death and legacy

Isabelle died in Paris on 25 March 1609 and was buried in
Chaumont-sur-Loire Chaumont-sur-Loire (, ), commonly known as Chaumont, is a commune and town in the Loir-et-Cher department and the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France, known for its historical defensive walls and its castle. Château de Chaumont- ...
the following 1 April. Sardini died the same year. She featured in
Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...
's satirical tale, ''La Chière nuictée d'amour'' in which her husband was the central character.


References


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isabelle De Limeuil French nobility 1535 births 1609 deaths 16th-century French women Year of birth uncertain People from Bergerac, Dordogne French ladies-in-waiting Household of Catherine de' Medici