Anna d'Este
| Anna d'Este | |
|---|---|
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Duchess consort of Nemours prev Duchess consort of Guise |
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Portrait of Anna d'Este by an unknown artist, 2nd half of the 16th century, oil on wood. Versailles, Musée du Château
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| Born |
16 November 1531 Ferrara, Italy |
| Died | 17 May 1607 (aged 75) Paris, France |
| Spouse |
Francis, Duke of Guise Jacques, Duke of Nemours |
| Issue |
Henry I, Duke of Guise Catherine, Duchess of Montpensier Charles, Duke of Mayenne Louis II, Cardinal of Guise Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Nemours Henri I, Duke of Nemours |
| House | House of Este |
| Father | Ercole II d'Este |
| Mother | Renée of France |
Anna d'Este (16 November 1531 – 17 May 1607) was an important princess with considerable influence at the court of France and a central figure in the French Wars of Religion. In her first marriage she was Duchess of Aumale, then of Guise, in her second marriage Duchess of Nemours and Genevois.
Anna d'Este was born on 16 November 1531, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ferrara Ercole II (son of Lucrezia Borgia and grandson of Pope Alexander VI) and his wife, Renée of France (daughter of King Louis XII of France). She grew up in Ferrara, where she received an excellent education. The future writer and scholar Olympia Fulvia Morata was chosen as one of her companions at court.
In 1548, after long and difficult negotiations, her marriage was arranged with the French prince Francis, Duke of Aumale, son of the Duke of Guise. The contract was signed in Ferrara on 28 September and the marriage was held in Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris on 16 December. The princess was never to return to Italy. Anna was the granddaughter of the French king Louis XII and therefore related to Henry II and his sons.
By her marriage she had become a member of the powerful Guise family, and because of her Italian roots she had especially close ties to the queen and later queen-mother, Catherine de' Medici. For these reasons, her position at court was outstanding. Duchess of Guise after the death of her father-in-law in 1550, she governed the family estates and the enormous fortunes of the Guise with the help of her mother-in-law, Antoinette de Bourbon. She was active on behalf of her father and acted as mediator between the courts of France and of Ferrara. She gave birth to seven children, four of whom reached adulthood.
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Wikipedia