For everyone and about everything. Diane de Poitiers and her famous porcelain skin Diane de Poitiers' son
For five centuries, the mystery of the love of Henry II and his favorite Diana de Poitiers has haunted the minds of researchers and lovers. Henry declared Diana a Belle Lady when he was already married to Catherine de Medici. This almost fantastic story about deep feelings has amazed people for several centuries...
Prior to this, Diana was for sixteen years the wife of the great Seneschal of Normandy, Louis de Brezé, grandson of Charles VII. This marriage was arranged by her father, Count Valentinois, when Diana was 15 years old and Louis de Breze was 56. Beauty and the Beast - Diana was beautiful and majestic, and Louis de Breze was old and ugly, but reliable, like a rock against which all blows break fate.
Born on September 3, 1499. Belonged to the ancient Dauphine family. In 1515 she married Louis de Vrese. Widowed in 1531. Since 1539 - beloved and official favorite of King Henry II of France. Actively involved in politics. Died on April 26, 1566.
Its evidence is still alive throughout France: on the walls of Versailles, the castles of the Loire and the town of Anet you can see frescoes, sculptures and portraits of Diana de Poitiers and King Henry II of France. On the pediments of Parisian and Lyon buildings are their symbols: the double Latin letters “DH”, Diana and Henry (Henri). It's like it happened just yesterday. Meanwhile, it all began back in the distant 16th century.
In the spring of 1525, general despondency reigned at the French court. How could it be otherwise if the country was left without a monarch. The extravagant king Francis I, who got involved in a war with the Spaniards, was not only defeated in the battle of Pavia, but also found himself captured. They demanded a colossal ransom for him. However, to collect money they were even ready to release the king if he sent hostages to Spain - his sons, the 8-year-old heir-Dauphin Francis and his younger brother Heinrich, who was not even 7 years old.
A LITTLE PRINCE
At the beginning of March 1526, the Parisian court went to the Spanish border: to pick up the king and give the small captives to the Spaniards. The road was terrible, the weather was chilly. The princes coughed. The court ladies did not leave their carriages. And, to brighten up the way, the gentlemen tried to flirt with the only beauty who was not afraid of catching a cold - the main maid of honor of the royal court, Diana de Poitiers. By the way, Francis himself once tried to court her, but to no avail.
He just drew a portrait of a beauty - graceful posture, expressive face, eyebrows flying and Brown eyes, in which intelligence and mystery shone, and signed: “ Her face is beautiful. Her company is pleasant". But even the loving monarch did not dare to do more: Diana kept herself aloof from the first days at court, she was even nicknamed the Ice Maiden.
Diane de Poitiers
On March 29, 1515, she married her father’s friend, 56-year-old Louis de Breze, Grand Seneschal of Normandy. And everyone expected the 15-year-old beauty to take a lover. But she gave birth to her husband two daughters and flatly refused any outside courtship. And now, having transferred from the carriage to a hardy horse, 26-year-old Diana indifferently listened to the compliments of her beauty exuded by the court helipads galloping on both sides of her.
She only wondered to herself: does no one really care that they will have to give up tiny children as hostages, whose only offense is that their reckless father, the king, wanted to fight.
By the morning of March 15, we finally reached the border river Bidassoa. Here the exchange of the king for the hostage princes was to take place. Squinting, Diana saw a barge sail away from the Spanish coast. Everyone rejoiced: the king was on board. They immediately began to hastily put the children into the barge on the French side. Everyone fussed around the Dauphin - final instructions and hugs. Of course - the future king.
Henry II in his youth
No one approached tiny Heinrich. He stood alone, courageously holding back tears. Diana's heart sank. She rushed to the boy, pressed him to her chest and kissed him. " You must hold on! - she whispered. - We will be waiting for you!».
Then she learned that the Spaniards had thrown the children into prison. They were beaten and starved. At night, Diana dreamed of Henry with huge, haunted eyes. And she began to pray for him as for her own child.
Only four years later was Francis I able to ransom the princes. A tournament was held in honor of their return and the king’s marriage. Francis and the Dauphin bowed before the new queen. But Henry bowed his banner to... Diane of Poitiers. The court gasped: after all, she was already 31 years old, and the prince was not yet twelve! But, apparently, they grow up quickly in captivity: the young knight won his duel.
And 3 months later, the Grand Seneschal of Normandy, Louis de Breze, died. And Diana put on widow's clothes - black and white. Now this is her outfit for life...
THE WEDDING NIGHT
In the summer of 1531, the court traveled around the Loire. In the famous rose garden of the Chenonceau castle, the king beckoned Diana to him. She approached easily and gracefully. The king was amazed - at the 32nd year of her life, Diana was blooming like a young girl. After her husband's death she returned maiden name, although the mourning did not lift. But, damn it, how attractive this woman is in her black and white attire!
Diana's bathing. OK. 1550—1560
« The damned captivity had too dark an effect on Henry! - said the king. “He’s only 13 years old, but he looks twice his age.” But most importantly, in captivity the boy forgot how to smile. But I saw the way he looks at you... A little lively flirtation is all I ask!»
Diana inhaled the scent of roses. A little flirtation - is it reprehensible? It's just a game of knight and fair lady. Young Henry will present a rose to Diana. And she will dry it in her favorite volume of poetry...
And now Henry is scribbling enthusiastic sonnets and raising the standards of the black and white flowers of his lady love. And at night Diana dreams of Henry. And in her sleep she forgets that she is already a widow and that her daughter Françoise is older than this strange young man.
Meanwhile, the king carried out his plans for his son. In 1533, a bride arrived from Italy - Duchess Catherine de Medici, heiress to a wealthy banking house. The 14-year-old girl looked adoringly at the handsome young groom. But how could she, ugly and short, kindle his marital passion?
The king understood this. And so he himself led the newlyweds into the bedroom and ordered: “Come on, children!” And he stood by the bed until the “children” became husband and wife.
Catherine de Medici
But the next morning Diana found “Knight Henry” in his usual place at the door of her chambers. His young wife did not cure him of romantic sighs. On the contrary, heated up on their wedding night, he looked at Diana with true passion.
What should she do? How to behave? Every evening Diana prayed: let Henry’s heavy passion subside! May both he and she find peace. And let him manage to improve relations with Catherine, because this poor girl is Diana’s distant relative. But, apparently, God did not hear her prayers. Or did God have other plans?
In August 1536, the king's eldest son suddenly died, and 17-year-old Henry became the heir-dauphin. Now he, to whom no one had paid any attention before, found himself at the center of palace life. A month later, the court went to the castle of Ecoin to look at the famous stained glass windows about the love of Psyche and Cupid.
Henry II
It just so happened that Henry and Diana admired the stained glass windows together. And, emboldened, the young man hugged Diana. She was embarrassed, but Heinrich whispered, as if in a fever: “ I survived captivity, only to return to you!»
They stood at the door that opened into the garden. The moon was shining overhead. And Diana thought: tomorrow the sun will rise, mercilessly illuminating their age difference. But as long as the moon is in the sky, can't they be happy?
That night Diana realized for the first time that she had not yet truly loved. She respected the good old Seneschal, but there was no love. And then she came...
ROYAL PASSIONS
Catherine despaired of waiting for Henry in the bedchamber. How many years has she been married, the king-father-in-law demands an heir, but from where?! Henry hangs around with damned Diana day and night!
Catherine de' Medici
Suddenly the floorboard creaked. It can’t be—Henry has come! " Oh darling, I hope I've pleased you? - he only exhaled, having fulfilled his marital duty. — Diana scolds me. He says I must come to you every night until you give us an heir." Heinrich kissed his wife indifferently and left.
Catherine sobbed into her pillow. What a shame! The husband comes to her at the insistence of his mistress!.. How did this witch bewitch him? But it won’t always be on top - time flies! Soon Diana will grow old and shrivel, and Catherine will blossom. It’s not for nothing that the best healers, whom she gathered in the palace, prepare love potions and rejuvenation rubs for her. She will become a beauty! We just have to wait...
Francis I
On January 19, 1544, in the 11th year of marriage, the first-born of Catherine and Henry was born. Of course, he was named after his grandfather - Francis. But the birth of a son did not change the habits of the “knight of Diana.” And it couldn’t change: Catherine was just an imposed dynastic wife. Diana - with her whole life. Leaving her even for a day, Heinrich sent countless letters. And in these chaotic letters, the gloomy and uncommunicative Henry became a verbose and ardent romantic:
« I beg you to remember that I have known only one God and only one Friend...», « Most of all in life I want to try to become useful to you, because I cannot live for a long time without seeing you...“The answer to these letters was the motto that Diana took for herself: “ Sola vivit in illo» — « I live only in it».
Chenonceau Castle
It is not surprising that when Francis G died in 1547, the newly-minted King Henry II presented his favorite with lands, jewelry and even the most luxurious castle on the banks of the Loire - the legendary Chenonceau. As if Diana, and not Catherine, is the Queen of France. But it was so: Diana did not own the country, but the heart of the king.
ANCIENT PROPHECY
Diana woke up before Henry. He was breathing peacefully next to me - young, beautiful. He gets so excited when he sees Diana naked. But soon she will turn 50. What then? No magic can stop time. It’s just the eccentric Catherine who relies on all sorts of healers, magicians, and astrologers. But by the way,” Diana sat up on the bed, “there are true wizards!”
Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard "Portrait of Henry II and Diane de Poitiers in Jean Goujon"
Artists, sculptors, poets - that’s who can stop time and forever capture its beauty in poetry, canvases, sculptures! She would become a nymph of the royal palace of Fontainebleau and a patron of the arts. Once upon a time, at birth, an old sorceress predicted that a girl born in the fall of 1499 to Jean de Poitiers and who would be called Diana would rule over everyone.
Great prophecy. But Diana did not strive for power. But if her descendants call her a patroness and inspirer of the arts and say that it was during the time of the beautiful Diana that the golden age of the French Renaissance began, this will be the pinnacle of her life.
Since then it has been like this. Diana invited the best architects to build new palaces and restore old ones; the best painters to paint the vaults of these palaces, placing portraits of her, Diana, on the walls; the best poets and musicians, so that they too glorify her love with Henry.
Bedroom of King Henry II's favorite, Diane de Poitiers
well and royal life was still going for three. Catherine gave birth regularly. Diana raised the royal offspring. Both women always behaved within the bounds of decency. Until, at the end of 1558, Catherine intervened in a political situation that Henry and Diana started. Ah, this damned politics!..
Diane de Poitiers dressed as the patroness of hunting
The king shouted at his wife. She, swallowing tears, pretended to take up the book. “What are you reading, madam?” - Wanting to make peace, asked Diana. And then the former quiet woman exploded: “I read the history of France and see that here the kings have always been ruled by whores! Diana couldn’t help herself: “ Don't shout about sluts, madam! And so everyone sees that your children bear little resemblance to Henry!»
The fireplace in Diane de Poitiers' bedroom, ironically, above the fireplace is a portrait of his legal wife, Catherine de' Medici.
It was an unfair accusation. And Diana knew this very well, but she really wanted to hit this ungrateful woman at least once. After all, how many times did Henry want to get a divorce, but it was Diana who did not allow it! And now the rivals stood opposite each other, with their hands on their hips, like market women. They forgot that they stuck to it for 25 years good manners for the sake of her only man. And now the stock of manners is over...
Diana decided to leave the courtyard. Henry was horrified: "I can not be without you!“Indeed, as long as he could remember, he could not live without her. What he told his wife is a mystery, but Catherine again began to smile at her rival. Delighted by the reconciliation, Henry decided to organize a knightly tournament.
On the third day of the holiday, June 30, 1559, he rode out on a prancing stallion with strange name Trouble. The squire placed a huge golden helmet on the monarch's head. Diana gasped. She suddenly remembered an old prophecy made by an old fortune teller. How did it start there?
“The one who will be born in the autumn of 1499 and who will be called Diana ... - and further, - will save the snowy head, and then lose the golden one. Both losing and gaining, she will shed many tears. But rejoice—she will rule over everyone!”
And life showed that the fortune teller was not mistaken...
Diana’s fate indeed contained many joys and losses. And the “snow head” was found. When Diana was 25 years old, her father, Jean de Poitiers, became embroiled in a conspiracy against King Francis. And only the intercession of the Breze couple saved the father’s gray head from the chopping block. Diana saved the snowy head. But Diana never met the “golden head”. But it’s destined to lose her. And here is Henry in a gilded helmet!..
Diana screamed at the top of her lungs: “ Stop, sir!“But the king was already rushing towards his rival - the young captain Montgomery. A few moments later they collided. The captain's spear broke, but its fragment, lifting the visor of the royal helmet, pierced straight into Henry's eye.
The bleeding king was carried to the palace. Diana, in despair, clutched the handrails of the platform and repeated: “The one who will be called Diana will lose golden head!..” Catherine fainted. And when she came to her senses, she remembered the prediction of her astrologer Luka Goriko: “ A king must avoid fighting in his 41st year" She also remembered the quatrain famous doctor and the predictor Nostradamus:
The young lion will defeat the old one
On the battlefield, one on one.
In a golden cage he will gouge out his eye,
And he will die a cruel death.
How could such an avalanche of prophecies fail to come true?!
The Diana of Anet 1550-54
ROSES OF ETERNITY
« Due to the harmful influence, you are moving away from the yard!“- the new king of France, Francis II, muttered, looking contemptuously at his father’s favorite. And Diana suddenly remembered how this eternally sick young man suffered from a terrible rash. Everyone was afraid to approach him, and only she had the courage to change his bandages. But she didn't even think about gratitude. Moreover, Catherine de Medici now stood behind the throne, having received the title of Queen Mother.
She finally managed to get rid of her rival. But it seems it's too late...
The next day after her son’s coronation, she, washing the blush off her face, was horrified: she was only 40, and the mirror showed a wrinkled old woman. And no magical rubbing helps.
And Diana, who left for her castle Ane, attracted the eyes of men even in her seventies. One day, the court writer Pierre Brantôme asked her to reveal the secret of eternal youth.
« There's nothing surprising about this- Diana answered. — I get up at 6 am and take a cold bath. Then I get on the horse and gallop at full speed. At 8 I return and go to bed to rest a little. I have a light breakfast and lunch and drink goat milk for dinner. But the main thing is this: every day you need to do something pleasant and fall asleep joyfully, without holding heavy thoughts in your head».
. 
Benvenuto Cellini. Tomb of Diana de Poitiers
On the night of April 25, 1566, Diana de Poitiers fell asleep, remembering her Henry with a smile. And she didn’t wake up anymore. In the Ane Church they erected a monument made of white marble to her, like a true ancient goddess.
And for the fifth century now, on the day of her repose, mysterious admirers have brought two white roses to this monument - one from themselves, the other from Henry. No wonder he once wrote to his beloved: “ My love will protect you from time and from death itself».
Elena Korovina
Portraits of Diana de Poitiers can still be seen today in all museums in France: regular facial features, beautiful skin color, pitch-black hair... Her contemporaries called her “a blossoming flower of beauty.”
Fifteen-year-old (according to other sources, thirteen-year-old) Diana was married to Count Louis de Brezé de Maulevrier, the Grand Seneschal of Normandy. He, the grandson of Charles VII and Agnes Sorel, was fifty-six at that time. Nevertheless, as they said, young Diana remained faithful to him and was known as a very caring wife. However, her contemporaries, not to mention historians, stubbornly did not believe this fact...
According to some information, the seneschal admired his wife’s beauty, respected her intelligence and always listened to her opinion. According to others, he did not appreciate at all that he was the owner of a flower of such rare beauty and charm.
Be that as it may, Diana gave birth to eight children during her marriage, of whom only two daughters survived. Having become a widow after nineteen years of marriage, the beauty mourned her husband for a long time.
But a new love was waiting for her in the guise of the heir to the throne, the future King Henry II, and then... an eleven-year-old boy.
By the way, her relatives denied that there was an intimate relationship between Diana and the king. The fact that there was a relationship between them was cited as evidence. a big difference aged.
She was indeed much older than Henry - by eighteen years, but her extraordinary attractiveness brightened up this “flaw”. “In those days when women were considered old women at thirty, such a woman seemed amazing and even unusual,” notes historian Guy Breton. “That’s why there were rumors that she uses potions.” Her secret was simple..."
Even at the most cold weather Diana washed herself with water from the well. Rising at six o'clock in the morning, she went for a horse ride. After traveling two or three miles, she returned home and ate light breakfast- vegetables and dairy products - and read until noon, lying in bed. This beauty did not use any cosmetics, neglecting even blush, which, as she believed, could fade her freshness.
“I am sure that if this lady had lived another hundred years, she would not have aged either in face or in body...” wrote historian Pierre Brantôme.
The Dauphin did not part with her even after his marriage to the young Catherine de Medici. And he always decorated his dress with a black and white color scheme (black and white are the colors of his beloved). When Henry ascended the throne after the death of his older brother, Diana became more than a queen. She held the fate of the state in her hands: she distributed posts, transformed ministries and parliament, and managed finances. And Henry unquestioningly carried out her will, asked her advice on various issues. In fact, she, and not the queen, was his co-regent on the throne. Often the honors due to the queen according to palace etiquette were also given to the favorite. This, for example, happened during the ceremonial entry of the king into Lyon, accompanied by Catherine de Medici, Diana and the court.
But, according to the historian Brantome, when Henry wanted to legitimize one of the daughters he had from Diana, she proudly said: “I was born in order to have legitimate children from you. I don’t at all want Parliament to declare me your partner.”
Henry, as if inviting his subjects to share his delight in owning a beautiful woman, repeatedly ordered nude portraits of his beloved, and also ordered her image to be carved from marble and cast in silver. The famous Italian sculptor and jeweler Benvenuto Cellini, who admired Diana’s beauty and intelligence, made sculptural portraits of her many times.
The ladies of the French court copied Diana Poitier's gait, her gestures and hairstyle. Thanks to her, the canon was established female beauty, unchanged for a century and a half.
A beautiful woman should have:
three white things - skin, teeth, hands;
three black - eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes;
three pink – lips, cheeks, nails;
three long ones - body, hair, fingers:
three short ones - teeth, ears, feet;
three thin ones - lips, waist, ankle;
three full - arms, thighs, calves;
three small ones - nose, chest, head.
The Queen hated her favorite with all her heart, but, madly in love with her husband and always afraid of losing him because of some mistake, she eventually became close to Diana and began to behave with her as a friend.
One day, however, Catherine made an attempt to separate her husband from his favorite and she herself pushed him towards the young and very beautiful governess of the young Mary Stuart, who lived at the French court, the green-eyed blonde Lady Fleming. Once Diana carelessly fell from her horse, and therefore was forced to lie in bed for several days in her castle. During this short time, Henry became close to the Englishwoman and even managed to understand: it was so pleasant to caress a beautiful girl twenty years younger than Diana! Having learned about this connection, the favorite was furious: the young rival was removed from the French court. She left the king pregnant and after the allotted time gave birth to a son, Henri, the future great prior of France... And although it was not possible to remove the hated favorite by many, the mere thought that the king dared to cuckold Madame de Valentinois made life extremely pleasant for many people for several days. yard
When Catherine fell ill with an unknown illness in 1550, most of the courtiers and ladies-in-waiting left her, fearing infection. Next to the queen then only three faithful servants remained, and among them was Diana de Poitiers, whom Catherine considered her worst enemy. But it was her husband’s favorite who organized proper round-the-clock care for the queen and sent for the outstanding doctor of the time, Ambroise Paré. The queen's life was saved.
There is nothing worthy of admiration in this act, historians explain: it was dictated solely by elementary fear. After all, the not very attractive queen was simply... necessary for Diana. She could not allow Catherine to die, otherwise Henry could remarry one of the young and beautiful women of any European court.
Nevertheless, the recovered Catherine never forgave Diana. Her hatred for her rival only intensified...
One of the astrologers, Lukas Gorik, once informed the queen that a certain battle would put an end to both her husband’s reign and his life:
“All duels in confined spaces should be avoided, especially when the king is forty-one years old, since at this period of his life he is in danger of a wound to the head, which could lead to blindness or death.”
Nostradamus, whom Catherine invited to court in 1556, published a book containing the following poetic warning:
The lion cub will prevail over the old lion.
There will be a duel on the tournament square.
And in a golden cage he will knock out his eye.
Death can be painful sometimes.
Moreover, on the eve of the tournament at which Henry II was mortally wounded, Catherine clearly dreamed of the moment of the fatal blow. Her soul foresaw trouble... Catherine begged her husband not to take part in the tournament. It was all in vain - Heinrich inevitably walked towards his own death!
“Under the scorching sun, the king rode onto the lists in black and white - the colors of Diane de Poitiers. The duel began immediately, writes Breton. – Everything was going great. However, when he wiped away his sweat after the second fight, Catherine asked him to tell him “so that he no longer fights for the sake of love for her.”
“Tell the queen that it is for the sake of love for her that I want to enter into this battle,” said the king...
And then, before the eyes of the deathly pale queen, the prophecies were fulfilled: the fighters rushed towards each other, and Montgomery’s spear broke on the king’s helmet with such force that the visor opened.
A scream rang out from the crowd and the queen collapsed unconscious.
Henry II clung to his horse with a bloody face. Everyone ran to him; the tip of the spear pierced his right eye and penetrated his skull.
“I’m dead,” he whispered.”
Catherine forbade her rival to be allowed to see the dying Henry. When the king died without regaining consciousness, she received a humble letter signed by Diane de Poitiers.
“For the first time in her life, the former favorite was humiliated with her head down,” says the historian. “She, who only a few weeks ago spoke of the royal family as “we,” who put her signature on official letters next to the king’s name, who gave orders to ministers and generals, was just an anxious old woman whose future depended on the one who hated her most in the world. light. And she asked the queen for forgiveness for the insults she had caused and “offered her her property and life.”
Catherine showed generosity: “I only want “Mother Poitiers” to never appear at court again,” she firmly stated. And she resolutely took up state affairs, including the coronation of her fifteen year old son Francis.
The young king ordered to announce to Diana that, due to her harmful influence on his father, she deserved severe punishment, but he only demands that the favorite return the jewelry received from Henry...
In the last years of her life, Diana founded several hospitals and orphanages and maintained them with her own money. From the poor and orphans there, only one thing was required: to pray for the soul of the late King Henry II, to whom she gave almost thirty years of her life...
On January 9, 1500, Jean Saint-Vallier, the favorite of King Francis I of France, gave birth to his daughter Diana. Her mother came from the Poitiers family, which was rightfully proud of its family tree. The girl, born at the dawn of a new century, never forgot about it. When she turned fifteen, she was married to the Grand Seneschal of Normandy, Louis de Brezé, who was forty-one years older. From the marriage of Diana and Louis de Breze, two daughters were born, and, despite the incredible age difference even at that time, the couple lived in perfect harmony. Thus, already in her blooming youth, Diana learned some secret, thanks to which age ceased to matter to her.
Meanwhile, in the spring of 1519, King Francis I's second son, Henry, was born. At the very beginning of his life, fate prepared an incredible test for the child. In the spring of 1524, his father lost the Battle of Pavia and was captured. The condition for release was Francis's agreement to hand over his two sons as hostages. One of them was the young Prince Henry.
The brothers remained in captivity for four whole years. Of course, the memory of this time was forever preserved by Henry of Orleans, and, probably, it was captivity that made him an unusually courageous man, a fearless warrior who despised danger. It can be assumed that already in early childhood he realized that there are things worse than death.
In 1533, Prince Henry of Orleans married a distant relative of Diana de Poitiers, Catherine de' Medici. Like all marriages of European monarchs, it was a dynastic union. There could be no talk of love, at least at the time when the fourteen-year-old boy became a husband.
Three years later, Henry's elder brother suddenly dies, and the king declares him Dauphin, that is, heir to the throne. Intrigues begin at court, caused by the fact that the Dauphin's wife, Catherine, has not yet given birth to a child. The infertility of the heir's wife led to the fact that Francis' mistress, the Duchess d'Etampes (in whose arms the king found solace while his sons were in captivity), started talking about unsuccessful marriage. The word of the Duchess d'Etampes had the force of law. But then the wife of the great seneschal of Normandy, Diana de Poitiers, emerged from the shadows. She was a lady close to the court, and from time to time she gave the Dauphin Henry wise worldly advice. The Dauphin endlessly trusted her, fascinated not only by her intelligence and devotion, which he never had a chance to doubt: Diana was dazzlingly beautiful.
Diana managed to convince Henry that Catherine was loving wife, talk about her infertility is just false slander. Thus, she not only prevented discord in the royal family, but also made Catherine de Medici her ally in order to resist numerous palace intrigues with her. Could Catherine have known that this was just the beginning...
The Dauphin, losing his head from a sudden surge of passion, finally confessed his love to Diana. Diana did not hesitate to make it clear that she was ready to accept this priceless gift. And so the heir to the throne, who knew nothing but the inept caresses of his wife and the fleeting embraces of sutlers during frequent military expeditions, tastes the honey of true passion. The poems that Henry dedicates to Diana say that it was she who turned him into a man and from now on she is a goddess, and he is her faithful knight.
Alas, my God, how I regret
About time lost
in youth:
How many times have I dreamed
To make Diana mine
only lover
But I was afraid that she
being a goddess
Won't stoop so low
To notice me
who without it
I knew no pleasures,
no joy...
Diana was thirty-nine years old. She was almost twenty years older than Henry. Her main rival, the Duchess d'Etampes, believed that such a difference would be deadly and would soon lead to the fall of the beauty who had been elevated to the foot of the throne. Who would have believed then that Diana would not hesitate to accept the challenge and the sweetest of victories would be the reward for this courage.
By this time, Diana had long been a widow, and all her heraldic emblems were decorated with an inverted torch, a sign of inconsolable widowhood.
The question of the birth of an heir worried all members royal family. At first, suspicions fell on Heinrich, because, as doctors found out, he suffered from hypospadias, that is, an incorrect location of the seminal opening. However, a short affair with the sister of one of the friends ended with the birth of a daughter, who was given to Diane de Poitiers to raise. From then on, all eyes turned to Catherine. The sorcerers suggested trying the ashes of a burnt frog and mule urine, hare blood mixed with an extract from the left hind leg of a weasel soaked in vinegar. However, the most effective remedy was proposed by Diana, who took an active part in the Dauphin’s marriage affairs. Every night she sent her beloved Heinrich to the marital bedroom, providing him with many useful tips. The help of the widow of the great seneschal of Normandy turned out to be so fruitful that over time King Henry II awarded her a huge reward “for the kind and useful services previously rendered to the queen.”
Bedroom key
In the spring of 1547, Francis I died and Henry became king. His coronation turned into a triumph for Diana, who was elevated to stratospheric heights at the new court. Henry showered her with priceless gifts: to the most enviable crown jewels, he added a huge diamond, with difficulty snatched from the defeated favorite of the deceased king, the Duchess d'Etampes. Diana also inherited all her castles, as well as the Parisian mansion of her once obstinate rival. Soon Diana was granted another, hitherto unheard of, benefit. In accordance with tradition, when changing reigns, officials were required to pay a huge tax “for confirmation of authority.” This time, golden rain fell not on the royal treasury, but on Diane de Poitiers. Moreover, from now on she was supposed to receive part of the tax on bell towers, about which there is a very clear hint in the famous book of Rabelais, namely in the story of Gargantua, who hung the Parisian bells around the neck of his mare. Three months after the death of his father, Henry II gave his beloved the castle of Chenonceau. The magical beauty of this castle cannot be described; only poets could do it.
Catherine, outwardly always reserved and unperturbed, was insanely jealous of the king for the unfading Diana. In the famous “Collection for Ladies” by Brantôme there is an episode whose heroine is Queen Catherine and... yes, exactly Diana de Poitiers, Duchess of Valentinois.
“One of the rulers of this world deeply loved a very beautiful, honest and noble widow, so they even said that he was bewitched by her... This made the queen pretty angry. Having complained about such treatment to her beloved court lady, the queen conspired with her to find out why that widow so seduces the king, and even to spy on the games that the king and his beloved were amusing themselves with. For this reason, several holes were made above the said lady’s bedroom in order to spy on how they lived together and to laugh at such a spectacle, but they saw nothing but beauty and grace. They noticed a very beautiful lady, fair-skinned, delicate and very fresh, dressed only in a short shirt. She caressed her beloved, they laughed and joked, and her lover answered her just as passionately, so in the end they rolled out of bed and, as they were, in their shirts, lay down on the shaggy carpet next to the bed... So, the queen, having seen everything , out of frustration, began to cry, moan, sigh and be sad, saying that her husband never treats her like that and does not allow himself to be as crazy as he does with this woman. For, according to her, nothing like this had ever happened between them. The queen just kept saying: “Alas, I wanted to see something that I shouldn’t have, because the sight caused me pain.” Years later, Brantome never ceased to admire the devotion of “the greatest sovereign, who so ardently loved a noble widow of mature years that he left both his wife and others, no matter how young and beautiful they were, for the sake of her bed. But he had every reason to do so, for she was one of the most beautiful and amiable ladies that had ever been born. And her winter undoubtedly cost more than the springs, summers and autumns of others.”
The third one is not superfluous
Catherine de' Medici, wife of King Henry II of France, lived in a world in which all objects bore the visible or secret imprint of his love for Diana. Tapestries, draperies, upholstery, hunting flags, dishes - everything was decorated with the monograms of the Duchess of Valentinois or allegorical paintings from the life of the ancient goddess Diana. The queen saw everything, knew everything, but it was not in her power to change the order of things. Moreover, Diana’s advice was not in vain - numerous heirs began to appear. Ten times Diana was present at the birth of royal children, she always personally chose nurses for them, decided when it was time to wean the child, and kept order in the castles that she looked for for the summer or winter stay of the royal chicks. Diana ordered portraits of the children to be made so that their parents would always have them when they were away.
The royal children were often sick.
But Diana's health worried King Henry no less. This is what he wrote to his precious beloved, having learned that she was unwell: “Lady of my soul, I most humbly thank you for the effort that you took upon yourself to send me news of your news, for it became the most pleasant event for me. ...I can't live without you. …I remain forever your insignificant servant.”
Adultery under escort
What was he like in life, this servant king? It inevitably comes to mind that this was an extraordinary man in the most authentic sense of the word. The Venetian ambassador Lorenzo Contarini, describing Henry, who was thirty-three years old at that time, says that he was tall and moderately thick, with black hair, that he had a beautiful forehead, lively dark eyes and a wedge-shaped beard. “He is of powerful build, and therefore a great lover of bodily exercises... The king is distinguished by such obvious natural kindness that in this respect it is impossible to compare any prince with him, even if you look for one in extremely distant times... No one sees him in anger, except sometimes during a hunt, when something unfortunate happens, and even then the king does not use rude words. Therefore, we can say that thanks to his character, he is indeed very loved ... "
Did he cheat on the mistress of his heart, Diane de Poitiers, smart as hell and even more seductive?
Changed. I will even say that otherwise the story of this great passion would be implausible. Henry's betrayals were so fleeting and he hid them so carefully from Diana that they seem like the whim of a child fed up with gifts. The most famous story is that of the governess of the little Queen of Scots, who went down in history under the name of Mary Stuart. She, along with her mentor Jane Fleming, lived in the castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where Henry II stayed for a month and a half during his many travels.
Jane Fleming was special with blonde hair and translucent pink skin. Diana was treating her leg, bruised in a fall from a horse, and did not think about the fact that she had a rival. However, well-wishers informed her what was happening at the Castle of Saint-Germain. Diana secretly arrived there and hid at the treasured door. As soon as Henry and his friend Montmorency crossed the threshold of Jane's room, the duchess, almost losing her composure, appeared before them. “Ah, sire,” she exclaimed, “where are you coming from? What kind of betrayal is this and what an insult are you inflicting on the queen and your son, who is to marry a girl who is under the tutelage of this lady!..” Henry said that he came only for a pleasant conversation, but Catherine must have felt funny, if she knew how her rival defended her honor on the threshold of blonde Jane.
The king valued Diana’s company too much, so he endured a sea of her tears and an avalanche of reproaches, asked for forgiveness and tried in every possible way to make amends. However, a pleasant conversation with Jane Fleming ended with the birth of a son, who, of course, was named Henry. The king still continued to visit Diana every day, consulted with her about everything that bothered him, the queen was still on the most pleasant terms with her, and, as one keen observer wrote, this was fair, since “at the insistence of the duchess the king sleeps.” in the marital bed much more often than I would have done it of my own free will.”
After the scandal with Jane Fleming, the king became more circumspect and more skillfully concealed his fleeting hobbies. If he was going to spend the night in someone else's bed, he made his way through secret galleries, and was always accompanied by his trusted footman Pierre de Griffon. Pierre walked ahead with a spear and a lit torch, and the king followed, covering his face and hiding his nightgown and sword under his arm. Having reached the desired bed, the king placed the devoted Griffon at the door. The Duchess of Valentinois never again had cause for jealousy. By that time she was already about sixty.
Last fight
In 1552, the predictions of the famous astrologer, Bishop Gorik of Cittaducale, were published in Venice. While still the Dauphine, Catherine asked her husband, Prince Henry, to cast a horoscope. The astrologer recommended that Henry take special care when he turned forty, because it was at this time that he would be in danger of being seriously wounded in the head.
Catherine was very superstitious, as was Diana. They made amulets and amulets, Catherine constantly prayed for the king’s health, but the king himself blithely brushed aside her warnings.
On June 28, 1559, celebrations began on the occasion of the betrothal of the king's sister Margaret of France, so they decided to organize a five-day tournament. The king announced that he was ready to fight any opponent, be it a prince blue bloods, knight errant or his squire.
For the first two days, the king fought tirelessly with all comers, he was greeted with cries of delight, and Queen Catherine and the Duchess of Valentinois, sitting nearby, looked at him from the royal rostrum.
On the morning of June 30, Henry decided to fight the young Count Gabriel Montgomery. At night, Catherine had a terrible dream: the king with a bloody head was lying lifeless... She tried to restrain her husband, but he did not want to give up his favorite pastime. Everyone knew that he fought fearlessly... At noon he went out to fight. The monarch's clothes were, as usual, two-tone, black and white, these were Diana's colors. The horse that the Duke of Savoy gave him was called Unfortunate. The horsemen crossed spears, but even after three fights the outcome remained unclear. According to the rules, the tournament had to be completed, but the king demanded another duel. This was a violation of tradition, but Henry shouted that he intended to win back at all costs.
He spurred his horse and rushed at the enemy. The spears crossed and flew apart. The king fell. The tip of Montgomery's spear pierced his head. A few days later, Henry II died. He was forty years old. His reign lasted twelve years. All this time Diane de Poitiers reigned.
After the death of her husband, Catherine was silent for a long time, but it was only the calm before the storm. Catherine was impatient to take possession of her rival’s main jewel, the Chenonceau castle, where Henry II loved to visit. However, Diana had no intention of giving up. Henry once gave her this castle, but knowing that at any moment the new ruler could demand the return of the crown’s property, she sold Chenonceau, after which she bought it herself. And for ten years she sought in court to exclude Chenonceau from the royal estates. Thus, she became the rightful owner of the castle.
Catherine realized that she could lose. And she invited her rival to exchange Chenonceau for Chaumont Castle. And Diana, without hesitation, agreed. This was Diana's last victory, since the value of Chaumont's possessions was twice the value of Chenonceau Castle.
Diana de Poitiers died in April 1566, briefly outliving her lover. She was sixty-six years old. Has she managed to grow old? I think that King Henry II would answer this question in the negative.
Material: Olga Boguslavskaya
Atmosphere
from 07/01/2005
Diane de Poitiers:
Primaticcio (1504-1570). Diane de Poitiers dressed as a huntress
Catherine de Medici:
In childhood.
Death of Henry II
Diana's family tree.
Diane de Poitiers is one of the sorceresses of history. Let memoirs and chronicles shout as much as they like that this goddess of love was already an old maid at the very dawn of her reign, posterity still looks at Diana with the blinded eyes of Henry II.
The official mistress of the king, Diana de Poitiers occupied the place of third person in the kingdom between Henry II and his wife Catherine de Medici. The coat of arms of her official adultery - three crossed crescents - adorned the walls of castles, the domes of palaces and the triumphal arches of royal entrances.
The ceremonial entry of Henry II into Rouen on October 1, 1550. Soldiers carry the standard of Diane de Poitiers.
The king wore it openly on his ceremonial robes, which were always studded with crescents of the moon.
Henry II - Dauphin (left) and King (right)
Even during the coronation of Catherine de Medici, Diana's initials, intertwined with Henry's initials, adorned all the decorations of the holiday. And at that ill-fated tournament in which Henry II fell, struck by the spear of the Earl of Montgomery, he still wore her colors. And at that time Diana was no less than sixty years old.
To her— 25.
This is what goddesses look like at 40. At this age, she made Henry II her paladin in love.
Here there are only 50.
How can one explain such a strange and all-consuming passion that one contemporary attributed to the charms of Diana’s enchanted ring? Of course, Diana was beautiful, just like statues carved from marble are beautiful. But even marble that lasts 60 years leaves nicks. On the one hand, the poet Brantôme, who considered her beauty perfect, exclaims: “I saw Diane de Poitiers at the age of 70 with a face as beautiful, as fresh and as charming as at 30.” On the other hand, already on the threshold of her fiftieth birthday, epigrams with cynical rudeness reproach her for “her wrinkles, her flabby skin, her false teeth and White hair” and call the goddess of beauty “Old Mushroom”.
In the image of the goddess Diana
The truth must lie somewhere in between insults and flattery. Perhaps it is to be found in the passionate lines of Henry II:
I am yours, I am yours, I am yours, and you are my destiny,
My most sovereign princess.
Loving you is a solemn mass,
Which will not be interrupted by any cold,
Neither rain, nor heat, nor for long years succession,
Nor eternity the ominous curtain!
1547
Data
The beautiful Diane de Poitiers was born on September 3, 1499 in the family of Jean de Poitiers, lord de Saint-Vallier, who belonged to one of the most ancient families of Dauphiné, whose ancestor was considered Guillaume de Poitiers, the last of the Dukes of Aquitaine. Her life began with a prophecy from a sorceress, which ended with the words: “Rejoice - she will rule over everyone.” The family of Diana de Poitiers was much older than the Valois family, and she remembered this throughout her life.
Allegory of the world
At the age of fifteen, Diana was married to the Seneschal of Normandy, Louis de Brézé, Comte de Maulvrier, grandson of Charles VII on her mother's side. Her husband was forty years older than her. On July 23, 1531, he died, leaving Diana a widow at the age of 31. She erected a majestic tomb for her husband in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen and until the end of her days she did not stop mourning in memory of the deceased. Thanks to her, black and white colors became fashionable at the French court.
The secret of her youth was, apparently, an extremely abstinent lifestyle. Diana had a habit of getting up early and taking a cold bath. This was followed by a two-hour horseback ride, after which she took a nap; Having woken up and had a light breakfast, I sat down to read. Diana never used cosmetics, did not drink wine or smoke.
Under Henry II, Diana took control of all affairs in the kingdom. Historian Guy Chaussinant Nogare notes that not a single favorite has ever managed to achieve such an absolute influence on the king’s person, much less convince foreign sovereigns of her omnipotence. The ambassadors addressed their correspondence to Diana; she corresponded with the Pope himself. The king did nothing without consulting her.
In 1548, Diana received the title of Countess of Valentinois from the king, five years later the king made her Countess d'Etampe and gave her one of the most beautiful castles in France - Chenonceau.
Diana's bedroom in Chenonceau
Queen Catherine de Medici expressed her attitude towards Diana in the following words: “I cordially received Madame de Valentinois, for the king forced me to do so, and at the same time I always made her feel that I was doing this to my greatest regret, for never a wife who loves her husband, didn’t love his whore, and you can’t call her anything else, no matter how painful it may be for people of our position to utter such words.”
Catherine de' Medici
The "reign" of Diane de Poitiers ended in 1559, after Henry II was accidentally killed at a tournament by the Comte de Montgomery. At the insistence of Queen Catherine de' Medici, Diana de Poitiers was forced to retire to her castle of Ane, having first given away all the jewelry given to her by Henry.
Abandoned by everyone, she still managed to found several hospitals. Diana died at the age of 67.
A white marble statue of Diana was installed in the castle church, which was later transported to the Louvre (the original was lost during World War II).
P.S.
In 2009, the remains of Diane de Poitiers were removed from the grave. Pathologist Philippe Charlier and toxicologist Joël Poupon recently published their findings in the British Medical Journal. Scientists have studied Diana's hair and bones. It turned out that the gold content in them was 250 (!) times higher. Scientists suggest that during her lifetime Diana regularly drank a certain drink that contained particles of gold. Perhaps it was prepared especially for her by alchemists who counted gold noble metal- a source of youth and beauty. According to surviving testimony from contemporaries, Diana always had a very fair face, and a few months before her death it literally turned white. Modern scientists suggest that this could have happened due to poisoning of her body with gold.
Diane Poitier went down in history not only as one of the most beautiful women of her era, but also as the uncrowned queen of France. The significant age difference did not prevent her from becoming the favorite of King Henry II and keeping him near her for a long time. However, it is in vain to look for self-interest or thirst for power in her actions: unlike the subsequent mistresses of French (and not only) monarchs, Diana de Poitiers loved in Henry not a king, but a man.
Origin and early life
According to genealogists, the Poitiers family is much older than the royal family, which is a side branch of the more ancient Capetian family. In any case, there were connections between the two noble dynasties: Aimar de Poitiers was married to Marie of Valois, who was the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XI (1461-1483). Their son, Jean, married Jeanne de Batarnay, a representative of another noble French family. Their first child was Diane de Poitiers.
Unfortunately, the exact date of her birth is unknown. There are two options that enjoy equal success among historians: either September 3, 1499, or January 9, 1500. Close ties with the ruling dynasty allowed early deceased Jeanne de Batarnay entrusted the care of Diana to another daughter of King Louis, Anne de Beaujeu.
One of the main concerns of the girl’s teacher was finding a suitable husband for her. This one was found quickly enough: at the age of thirteen, Diana married Louis de Breze. This marriage, it is assumed, was no different from other marriages of the Middle Ages: Diana’s feelings were not taken into account, it was only about making a good match. Louis de Brezé was 56 years old at the time of marriage.
Happy marriage
Paradoxical as it may seem, so unequal marriage became happy for Diane Poitier. According to contemporaries, the young wife was distinguished by fidelity that was rare for those times. In a marriage that lasted almost eighteen years, she cheated on her husband only once, but this episode also occurred against Diana’s wishes.
In 1525, constable (the highest government position in what was then France) Charles de Bourbon joined the forces of France's main enemy - the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles Habsburg. On charges of high treason, not only the criminal was punished, but also his closest friends, and this was precisely the father of Diana de Poitiers. To save her father, she immediately went to Paris and obtained an audience with the king. The life of Jean de Poitiers was saved at the cost of his daughter's betrayal of her husband. The traitor's friend was pardoned. But after that, Jean de Poitiers, just in case, isolated his daughter in the remote castle of Saint-Valier: the risk that she would join the staff of the king’s numerous mistresses was too high.
Louis de Breze forgave his wife. In the summer of 1531 he died at an old age. From this marriage there were two daughters: Louise and Françoise.
Political battles and first meeting
As already mentioned, in the first half of the 16th century, the political life of Europe took place under the sign of confrontation between France and the vast territories of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain united under one scepter. Charles V of Habsburg sought to encircle France with his lands and thereby deprive it of its independence.
In 1525, the unsuccessful Battle of Pavia took place for France. The king's army was completely defeated, and he himself experienced unprecedented humiliation, being captured. Among the conditions imposed by Charles were the payment of a huge indemnity and the marriage of Francis to his sister. While in captivity, Francis could not fulfill the demands of the winner, so he was released, but as a guarantee of fulfilling the contract, he had to send his children as hostages.
The princes were escorted by a huge retinue, including Diana de Poitiers as the queen's maid of honor. All the attention of the courtiers was directed to Francis, the eldest son and heir to the throne: they encouraged him in every possible way and gave him advice on how to behave in captivity. It was as if Henry did not exist. Only Diana kissed the eleven-year-old prince and said a few parting words.
Younger son
If the French nobility knew that Francis the Younger would never become king, but would die in 1536 after drinking a cup cold water, then Henry would have received much more attention. But the little prince was unlucky: first his mother died, then four years of Spanish captivity. And if everyone was worried about the health and fate of the Dauphin, then they remembered Henry only for the sake of politeness.
Contemporaries note the dramatic change that happened to the prince during the years of captivity. As a child, he was a cheerful and sociable boy, but returned as a gloomy and withdrawn young man, clearly harboring a grudge against his father. The king, concerned about the condition of his son, asked Diana de Poitiers to take care of his upbringing. According to another version, Henry himself asked his father about this.
The fact that the young prince had certain feelings for a woman much older than himself became clear to the entire court during the knightly tournament of 1531. According to the terms of such fights, each knight had to choose a lady for whose honor he promised to fight. Henry, without hesitation, chose Diana.
The widowed Diana de Poitiers with two children in her arms could not become the wife of a prince of the blood, and everyone understood this. Perhaps Henry dreamed of such an outcome, but the power of tradition was so great that no amount of love could break it. After a careful study of foreign policy problems and family trees, King Francis appointed the Italian Catherine from the noble Florentine Medici family as his wife to his youngest son.
Sources unanimously claim that Catherine was extremely ugly. The surviving portraits seem to confirm these assessments, but at the same time, the prince’s wife was smart, knew how to behave and was pleasant to talk to. King Francis nevertheless chose to ensure that the first wedding night The prince will spend time in bed with his wife.
The relationship between Catherine and Diane de Poitiers, naturally, was not smooth. It was especially offensive to the prince’s wife that Henry wore the colors of his mistress (Diana wore white and black clothes until her death as a sign of mourning for her husband), decorated his clothes with the monogram DH (the initials of the names Diana and Henri) and even at his coronation gave the favorite a more honorable place than his wife.
Fight of the favorites
The French court of the 16th century is a rather eclectic phenomenon: medieval simplicity had not yet been completely eliminated, but trends of luxury from the times of absolutism had already appeared. Even a century earlier, it would have seemed reprehensible for royal mistresses to appear openly in public. King Francis, a lover of sensual pleasures, did not particularly care about people's rumors. His favorite Anna d'Etampes not only controlled court life, but also actively intervened in politics. Either because she sympathized with the Protestants, or because of her faded beauty, the king's mistress was nicknamed the Old Mushroom.
Meanwhile, Diana de Poitiers' position at court strengthened so much that Anna seriously feared for her title as the first beauty of France. She tried in every possible way to denigrate her rival, not disdaining a commissioned pamphlet in which Diana ridiculed the far-fetched attempts of Diana to hide her age with various cosmetics. Apparently, Anna d'Etampes's speculations were so much in conflict with reality that the pamphlet had no success.
The dispute between the two favorites was decided by time: in 1547, King Francis died. He was the only one who connected Anna with the court world, and her position immediately shook. It soon became clear that shortly before the death of her lover, Anna established contact with his worst enemy, Charles V, hoping to ensure a comfortable old age for herself. Henry immediately sent his father's favorite from Paris and took away the diamonds that he gave to Diana Poitier. She, contrary to the expectations of the public, did not take revenge on her rival.
Diane de Poitiers: the secret of beauty
Anna d'Etamp's pamphlet is interesting because it contained an accusation of witchcraft. For the medieval world, this was a very serious accusation, for which they could easily have been sent to the scaffold. The beauty of forty-year-old Diana really raised a lot of questions and a desire to imitate her. However, no magical secret of youth Diana of Poitiers did not have it. Her secret was only in careful self-care and physical exercise. For example, Diana's morning began with a bath in ice water, after which she went on a horseback ride in any weather, lasting at least three hours.
Subsequently, Diana's beauty became canonical. All the noble ladies for a long time tried to comply with the following rules:
- skin, teeth, hands should be white;
- eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes - black;
- lips, cheeks, nails - pink;
- body, hair, fingers - long;
- teeth, ears, feet - short;
- lips, waist, feet - thin;
- arms, thighs, calves - full;
- nipples, nose, head - small.
Queen without a crown
When King Francis died and Henry inherited the throne, Diane de Poitiers found herself at the pinnacle of power. Even during her husband’s life, she showed that, in addition to beauty, she had a remarkable mind, giving him valuable advice related to estate management. Now Diana turned out to be an important political player.
Never before has the favorite reached such heights. Even Anne d'Etampes' participation was limited to her concern for Protestants and recommendations, which Francis listened to carefully, but did not always implement. Many foreign monarchs, knowing about Diana's influence on French politics, entered into correspondence with the favorite. Even the Pope did not stand aside.
Many appointments passed through the hands of Diane Poitier. She personally determined who would be given this or that position. The real queen remained aloof all this time. But Diana was not at all indifferent to her fate. On the contrary, knowing that Catherine, for some reason, could not give France an heir, the all-powerful favorite undertook to personally deal with this problem. She gave her unsuccessful rival various pieces of advice and did not allow Henry to come to her, insistently demanding that he fulfill his marital duty. As a result, Diana managed to find a certain doctor who was able to help. Catherine de' Medici gave birth to ten children. Diane de Poitiers was entrusted with their upbringing.
Unexpected ending
Deprived of access to politics, Catherine gathered around her a society of various fortunetellers and soothsayers. Among them was the famous Nostradamus, who made several vague prophecies. Among them was a prediction of Henry's death at the age of forty.
Raised on chivalric novels, Henry loved to organize tournaments in compliance with all medieval rules. The year 1559, when he turned forty, was no exception. Catherine begged her husband to refuse to participate this time. Even Diana seemed to believe the predictions, but Henry was adamant.
Belief in predictions was very strong in those days. Gabriel Montgomery, the knight with whom Henry was supposed to fight, refused to enter the battlefield, fearing that he was destined to kill the king. The angry king ordered the knight to immediately enter the battlefield.
Fought in tournaments wooden weapons, and the participants were protected by real armor. But the count threw his spear unsuccessfully: it broke, and one of the splinters stuck right into the king’s eye. He only managed to say that Montgomery was innocent, and lost consciousness. The agony lasted ten days, and on July 10, 1559, the king died in inhuman torment.
Last years
Catherine de Medici finally had the opportunity to get even with her favorite. First of all, she forbade Diana to be allowed into the room where the dying king was. Some time later, according to tradition accepted in France, she demanded from Diana the return of all the jewelry and real estate given to her. The strange thing was that Catherine demanded back even what Henry had given Diana of Poitiers from personal funds. The favorite meekly returned all the items on the list. The vengeful queen even took Chensoneau, Diana de Poitiers' favorite castle.
The story of Diana and Henry has attracted the attention of novelists for many centuries. Since platonic love was not in favor in those years, many of them claimed that Henry was the father of Diane de Poitiers' son. However, this is not true. Whether the love between them was platonic or carnal is still a matter of debate. But it’s hard to believe that from all the records that curious contemporaries left on any occasion, mention of such a high-profile event as the birth of a royal bastard disappeared. As already mentioned, Diane Poitiers had two children, and they were born in a legal marriage with Louis de Breze.
The uncrowned queen spent the last six years of her life in Ane Castle. She dedicated them to opening various shelters, from which she demanded only one thing: to pray for Henry’s soul. Eyewitnesses reported that Diana retained her beauty until her death. At the age of sixty-six, she did not change her habit and went horseback riding. The horse on which Diana was riding stumbled, and the former favorite, falling from it, broke her hip. The recovery was very difficult. Anticipating her imminent death, Diana ordered a tombstone from the sculptor. On April 26, 1566 she died.
Time turned out to be even more merciless to Diana than Catherine de Medici. For over two hundred years, her embalmed remains were kept in the Ane Cathedral. But during the Great French Revolution, when the rebels wanted to destroy not only the monarchy, but also everything connected with it, the temple was destroyed, and the remains of Diana de Poitiers were buried in a common grave. They were discovered only in 2008.