Françoise d'Humières, Dame de Contay,
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
''de Contay'' (circa 1489–1557), was a French court official; she served as
Governess of the Children of France from 1546 to 1557.
Career
Françoise d'Humières was the daughter of Charles de Contay, sénéchal du Maine, and Barbe de Hallwin, and married the courtier
Jean d'Humières (d. 1550) in 1507. She inherited the lordship of Contay from her father, and became Dame de Contay.
In 1546, she and her spouse were appointed governor and governess to the Dauphin, and subsequently became the main governor and governess to all the children of king
Henry II of France and
Catherine de Medici. The royal children were raised under their direct supervision, under the orders of
Diane de Poitiers. As head governor and governess, the d'Humières couple headed the staff of the royal nursery, staff of about 250 people, which included tutors and governesses of lower rank, who attended more directly to each of the children. Among them was notably
Marie-Catherine Gondi, who served as sub-governess. The royal children were mainly raised away from the rest of the court at the
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and when the royal court visited Saint Germain, the nursery was sent to
Château de Blois or
Château d'Amboise.
From 1548, the nursery was expanded to include
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 List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
and her governess (
Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming, later
Françoise de Paroy) and personal Scottish entourage of about 30 people. In January 1549, Henry II sent a dance teacher or ''balladin'' said to be "virtuous and well conditioned" to join the household and teach the royal children and their companions. His name was Jehan Paulle ''alias'' Paule de Rege, and he was otherwise known as "Giovan Paulo".
When Jean d'Humières died suddenly in July 1550, he was succeeded as governor by
Claude d'Urfé, who was given charge of the finances of the royal nursery, but the king confirmed Françoise d'Humières as main governess with the responsibility for his children. She quarreled with d'Urfé and the physicians appointed to attend the children. Her wage as governess of the Dauphin in 1553 was 1,200
Livres tournois.
Several letters are known between the king and queen and d'Humières regarding the upbringing of the royal children. In 1551, she used the signature "Françoise de Contay". She replied to a letter of Catherine de Medici in June 1552 to say that a painter had made portraits of her son and daughter and Mary, Queen of Scots.
[Etienne Moreau-Nélaton, ''Le Portrait à la cour des Valois; crayons français du XVIe siècle, conservés au Musée Condé à Chantilly'', 1 (Paris, 1908), pp. 84–85.]
References
Sources
*
*Robert J. Knecht,
Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89'
*
The girlhood of Mary queen of Scots from her landing in France in August 1548 to her departure from France in August 1561'
* Keith Busby, Terry Nixon, Alison,
Les Manuscrits de Chrétien de Troyes'
{{DEFAULTSORT:d'Humieres, Francoise
1480s births
1557 deaths
Governesses to the Children of France
Catherine de' Medici
Henry III of France
Charles IX of France
Court of Henry II of France