Francis II, Duke Of Lorraine
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Francis II (François de Lorraine; 27 February 1572 – 14 October 1632) was the son of
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine Charles III (18 February 1543 – 14 May 1608), known as ''the Great'', was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death. Life He was the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark. In 1545, his father died, a ...
and
Claude of Valois Claude of Valois (12 November 1547 – 21 February 1575) was a French princess as the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, and Duchess of Lorraine by marriage to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine. Biography Claude was ...
. He was
Duke of Lorraine The kings and dukes 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 ...
briefly in 1625, quickly abdicating in favour of his son.


Biography

The youngest son of
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine Charles III (18 February 1543 – 14 May 1608), known as ''the Great'', was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death. Life He was the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark. In 1545, his father died, a ...
, and his wife
Claude of France Claude of France (13 October 1499 – 26 July 1524) was Queen of France from 1 January 1515 as the wife of King Francis I and Duchess of Brittany in her own right from 9 January 1514 until her death in 1524. She was the eldest daughter of Ki ...
, Francis was styled the Count of Vaudémont during his father's reign (1545–1608) as well as during that of his older brother
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
(1608–1624). His father appointed him as his deputy (Lieutenant General) of Lorraine, while in 1594 he was out of the country. That same year he was Lieutenant General of the French king in
Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...
and
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
. From September to October 1606 he was in his father's diplomatic mission in England.
Rowland Whyte Rowland Whyte (died after 1626) was an Elizabethan official and businessman, whose letters provide important evidence about the latter stages of the life of Queen Elizabeth I and the transition to the rule of James I. The letters were first publis ...
mentioned him dancing at
Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...
in the presence chamber of
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 â€“ 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
. He spent much of the time hunting with King James away from London, where there was plague. They returned to Hampton Court and James gave him a jewel worth 10,000 crowns.
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 â€“ 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
wrote to his father expressing her pleasure and mentioning King James's nearest in blood to the family.M. S. Giuseppi, ''HMC Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury'', 18 (London, 1940), p. 375. In 1621 he fell out with his brother Henry II, who had become duke in 1608, and went to Germany for the emperor to fight the Protestants. The reason for the rift was Henry's intention to have Francis's son Charles marry Henry II's daughter Nicolette of Lorraine and to leave Lorraine to her, even though the will of Duke René II had provided for a strictly male succession. Henry and his wife Margherita Gonzaga had only had daughters. After negotiations, the issue was then resolved and the marriage took place but the couple did not have any children and the duchy was to revert to Francis' other son, the future Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine. After Francis' brother died on 31 July 1624, the situation became complicated; Henry's final rules specified that Charles could only be the Duke of Lorraine as Nicolette's husband. In November 1625, however, it was Francis himself who became the ruler of Lorraine. Having claimed the duchy for himself, he got it on 21 November 1625 from the duchy's States General. After he had paid the duchy's debt out of its treasury five days later, he abdicated in favour of his son, who by then had pushed aside his wife and who then ruled in his own right. In his will, Francis stated that he "never had ambitions to wear a crown in this world". After his abdication, Francis II took on the management of the county of Vaudémont. He died less than a year later.


Family

He married
Christina of Salm Countess Christina of Salm-Badenweiler (1575–1627), was a Duchess consort of Lorraine; married in 1597 to Francis II, Duke of Lorraine. Life Christina Katharina was the only daughter and heiress of Count Paul of Salm-Brandenbourg (1548–1595) ...
and had the following issue: # Henri de Lorraine, Marquis of Hattonchâtel (3 March 1602 – 20 April 1611) died young; # Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine (1604–1675) married Nicolette of Lorraine, no issue; married (bigamously) Béatrix de Cusance and had issue (he also remarried Beatrix after the death of Nicolette); married Marie Louise d'Aspremont, no issue; # Henriette de Lorraine (7 April 1605 – 16 November 1660), married Louis de Lorraine, Prince of Lexin, son of Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, no issue; # Nicolas, Duke of Lorraine (1609–1670), married Claude de Lorraine and had issue; # Marguerite de Lorraine (1615–1672), married Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and had issue; # Christine de Lorraine (16 August 1621 – 19 December 1622) died in infancy.


Ancestry


See also


References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis 2, Duke Of Lorraine 1572 births 1632 deaths Dukes of Lorraine Princes of Lorraine