Henriette of Cleves

Henriette de La Marck (31 October 1542 – 24 June 1601), also known as Henriette of Cleves, was a French noblewoman and courtier. She was the 4th Duchess of Nevers, suo jure Countess of Rethel, and Princess of Mantua by her marriage with Louis I of Gonzaga-Nevers. A very talented landowner, she was one of France's chief creditors until her death.

Henriette of Cleves

31 October 1542
La Chapelle-d'Angillon, Cher, France

24 June 1601(1601-06-24) (aged 58)
Hôtel de Nevers, Paris, France

Nevers Cathedral

La Marck

Louis I of Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers

Catherine, Duchess of Longueville
Marie Henriette, Duchess of Mayenne
Frederic Gonzaga
Francois Gonzaga
Charles I, Duke of Mantua

Francis I of Cleves, 1st Duke of Nevers, Count of Rethel

Marguerite of Bourbon-La Marche

(21 January 1568 - 1 December 1629): Married Henry I, Duke of Longueville,^[1] by whom she had one son, Henri II d'Orléans, Duke of Longueville.

Catherine de Nevers

Maria Henrietta (3 September 1571 - 3 August 1601): Married .^[1]

Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne

Frederick (11 March 1573 - 22 April 1574): Died in infancy.

Francis (17 September 1576 - 13 June 1580): Died in childhood.

(6 May 1580- 20 September 1637): Succeeded his parents as Duke of Nevers, Rethel, Mantua, and Montferrat. Married Catherine Mayenne,^[1] daughter of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne and Henriette of Savoy, Marquise of Villars, by whom he had six children, including Charles II Gonzaga and Anna Gonzaga.

Charles

Rumors[edit]

It was rumoured that Henriette became lovers with Annibal de Coconas, a Piedmontese adventurer who was beheaded in 1574, along with Joseph Boniface de La Môle, for participating in a conspiracy against King Charles IX which was supported by the Duke of Alençon.^[2] It was alleged that she and Marguerite (now Queen of Navarre) woke up the middle of the night, removed the heads which had been placed on public display, embalmed them, and buried them in consecrated ground.^[5]

Henriette of Cleves is a character in the book by Alexandre Dumas.

La Reine Margot

Henriette of Cleves, played by , has an important role in the movie La Reine Margot.

Dominique Blanc

Boltanski, Ariane (2006). Les ducs de Nevers et l'État royal: genèse d'un compromis (ca 1550 - ca 1600) (in French). Librairie Droz.

Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah, eds. (2000). . Yorkin Publications.

Women in World History: Harr-I

Elliott, Lisa Keane (2012). "Charitable Intent in Late Sixteenth Century France: The Nevers Foundation and Single Poor Catholic Girls". In Scott, Anne M. (ed.). Experiences of Poverty in Late Medieval and Early Modern England and France. Routledge.

Strage, Mark (1976). . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 9780151983704.

Henriette of Cleves