Children of Francois I

Posted by Lorri Brown Sep 14, 2007

This week’s article centers on the children of François I and Queen Claude. Out of their seven children, four reached adulthood, which is pretty good odds for Renaissance times. Royal children may have had pampered childhoods, at least by 16th century standards, but they also had to endure being used as pawns in international alliances and were often forced into heinously unhappy marriages. The children of François I were no exception. Sons were used as hostages and daughters were used as bartering goods to procure peace or gain land and money. Two of my favorite profiles of François’s children include Henri and Madeleine.

The future Henri II spent two long years as a political hostage in Spain, so his father could walk free (this act did not get a parent-of-the-year award for François I). Henri would be forever altered by this experience. Following the death of his older brother, Henri II found himself the unexpected heir to the French Throne. He was as unprepared for this unexpected turn of events as was his father, who much preferred his older son to Henri. Even though it was considered normal for royalty to hand the upbringing of their offspring over to servants, Henri suffered greatly from the lack of attention by his father. With his mother gone, he soon transferred his affections to the one person who showed him any interest and compassion, Diane de Poitiers.

Princess Madeleine, who was only four when her mother died, suffered from poor health for most of her life. However, her beauty and wealth, made her quite valuable on the European marriage market. In 1536, she caught the eye of the handsome Scots king, James V. C’mon, you knew I would work a Stewart in here somehow!