Renée of Bourbon, Duchess of Lorraine (1494 – 26 May 1539), also called Renée, Lady of Mercœur, was a Duchess consort of Lorraine. She was a daughter of Gilbert de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier by

Clara Gonzaga Clara Gonzaga, Countess of Montpensier, Dauphine of Auvergne, Duchess of Sessa ( Italian: ''Chiara Gonzaga''; French: ''Claire (de) Gonzague''; 1 July 1464 – 2 June 1503) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Gonzaga. She was the daughter ...

, and sister of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon.

Life

Renée was brought up with her cousins, the princesses of France. On 26 June 1515 she married

Antoine, Duke of Lorraine Antoine (4 June 148914 June 1544), known as the Good, was Duke of Lorraine from 1508 until his death in 1544. Raised at the French court, Antoine would campaign in Italy twice: once under Louis XII and the other with Francis I. During the G ...

in Amboise. The marriage was arranged by the French King, Francis. Francis had promised Antoine marriage to the French queen dowager, Mary Tudor of England, but when Mary chose another spouse, Francis replaced her with Renée. Renee's entry to Nancy was described in a chronicle. She arrived at Nancy from

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...

at the start of May 1516. First she stopped short of the town at a village called Laixou. After enjoying a magnificent picnic for six hours, she came to the gates of Nancy and was met by a choir on a scaffold singing in her honour, accompanied by cannon fire from the ramparts. Renée, reportedly, did not have the force of character to exert any political influence in Lorraine. However, she became known for her cultivated Italian taste, and was said to have brought "the graces and refinement of the Mantuan Court" to Lorraine. The blossoming of the arts which took place in Nancy from the reign of Antoine has been attributed to her. In August 1538, Renée was commanded to court at

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

to meet

Mary of Austria, Queen of Hungary Mary of Austria (15 September 1505 – 18 October 1558), also known as Mary of Hungary, was List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary and List of Bohemian consorts, Bohemia as the wife of King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia, Louis II, and wa ...

. In March 1539 she travelled to Neufchâteau to meet Antoine who had stomach trouble and they returned to Nancy. Renée died at Nancy of dysentery on 26 May 1539.Wood, Marguerite, ''Balcares Papers'', vol. 1 (1923), 11-12, 22, 25, 26-29.

Issue

Renee and Antoine had: * Francis I, Duke of Lorraine (1517–1545), first the Marquis de Pont-à-Mousson. * Anna (1522–1568), married firstly René of Châlon,

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

, and secondly Philip II, Duke of Aerschot (1496–1549) *

Nicolas, Duke of Mercœur Nicolas of Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur (16 October 1524 – 23 January 1577), was the second son of Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, and Renée of Bourbon, Renée de Bourbon. Life He was originally destined for an ecclesiastical career, being made bis ...

(1524–1577), first Bishop of Verdun and Metz, then in 1548, Count of Vaudemont.

References

Sources

* * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Renee Of Bourbon House of Bourbon-Montpensier Duchesses of Lorraine 1494 births 1539 deaths 16th-century French women 16th-century French people Mothers of French monarchs