John III (Queen of Navarre)

Born in the royal residence in Saint-Germain-en-Le , but from the age of two, at the request of Uncle King Francis I, she was brought up far from her parents in Plessis-les-Tours . She received an excellent education under the guidance of the humanist Nicola Bourbon. Emperor Charles V wanted to marry her son Philip , but the king, due to political considerations, in 1541 decided to marry her for the Duke William of Cleves .

However, Henry II d'Albre and his wife did not approve of this union. In response, Francis I locked his 12-year-old niece in Plessis-les-Tours under reliable guard. The wedding ceremony was scheduled for June in the castle of Chatellerault . On May 9, the Duke of Cleves arrived in Touraine to meet the bride, but Jeanne, in the presence of the king, audaciously refused the bridegroom. In response, Francis ordered her flogged. June 13, 1541 in the castle of Chatellerault in the presence of the king and the whole court, Jeanne and the Duke of Cleves were engaged. The next day, June 14, there was a wedding in the pavilion turned into a chapel.

Anne de Montmorency was carried in the arms of Jeanne to the altar and placed next to the duke, while Cardinal de Tournon blessed the newlyweds. In the evening, the king and noble dignitaries were present at the symbolic implementation of the marriage, when the Duke of Cleves set foot on the marriage bed with only one foot. After the festivities, the Duke of Cleves returned alone to Düsseldorf, and Jeanne returned to Plessis-les-Tours. Four years later, after the Duke of Cleves signed the agreement with Charles V, his marriage to Jeanne was annulled.

After the divorce, the princess was offered many profitable parties, including the eldest son of the Duke of Guise, François d'Omale , but the proud Jeanne rejected this applicant as well. According to the testimony of Ambassador Saint-Maurice, she did not want to make friends with Diana de Poitiers , since her daughter was married to Claude d'Omale .

October 20, 1548 in Moulins, Jeanne married the Catholic Antoine of Bourbon . From this union was born Henry of Navarre - the future king of France . Spouses rarely lived together. During the frequent absence of her husband, Jeanne had to single-handedly rule in Bearn with her firm and decisive hand. During the Religious Wars, the queen and her husband were on opposite sides of the barricades. Having proclaimed Calvinism as the state religion in 1560, Jeanne actually led the Huguenot movement and distinguished herself in 1567 with the organization of defense in La Rochelle .

In order to consolidate the Saint-Germain peace of 1570 , after long negotiations and doubts, in April 1572 she agreed to the marriage of her son with Margarita de Valois . After arriving at a wedding in Paris, Jeanne suddenly died of tuberculosis . According to rumors, she was poisoned by the mother of the bride - Catherine de Medici ^[1] . She was buried next to her husband in the Church of St. George in Vendome .

• 1st husband: (from June 13, 1541 ) Wilhelm of Cleves ( July 28, 1516 - January 5, 1592 ), Duke of Cleves , Duke of Geldern , Duke of Julich and Berg . The marriage was annulled in 1546 . Had no children.
• 2nd husband: (from October 20, 1548 ) Antoine de Bourbon ( 1518 - 1562 ), Duke of Bourbon and Vendome . Had 5 children:
  • Henry ( 1551 - 1553 ), Duke of Beaumont;
  • Henri de Bourbon ( 1553 - 1610 ), later King of Navarre ( 1572 - 1610 ) under the name of Henry III, then king of France ( 1589 - 1610 ) under the name of Henry IV ;
  • Louis ( 1555 - 1557 ), Earl of Marl;
  • Madeline ( 1556 - 1556 );
  • Catherine de Bourbon ( 1559 - 1604 ), Duchess of d'Albre, Countess d'Armagnac and de Rodez; husband - (since 1599 ) Henry II the Good ( 1563 - 1624 ), Duke of Lorraine.

Wore many titles, the main ones:

• Queen of Navarre ( 1555 - 1572 );
• sovereign princess de Bois-Belle;
• Duchess d'Albre ( 1555 - 1572 );
• Countess de Foix , Perigord, Rodez, Armagnac , Fezansac, Bigorra, Dreux, Persha, Pardiac, Gina and others;
• Viscountess of Limoges , Bearns and others;
• Baroness Castelno et al .;
• Dame de La Flèche, de God, de Nerac, de Sully, de Craon, de Clermont, de Blois and others.

In addition, she wore the following titles for her husband: Duchess de Bourbon, Duchess de Vendome ( 1550 - 1562 ) and Duchess de Beaumont ( 1550 - 1562 ).