Charlotte of Bourbon
| Charlotte of Bourbon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Princess consort of Orange | |
| Tenure | 24 June 1575 – 5 May 1582 (6 years) |
| Born | 1546/1547 |
| Died | 5 May 1582 (aged 35–36) Antwerp |
| Spouse | William I, Prince of Orange |
| Issue |
Louise Juliana, Electress Palatine Elisabeth, Duchess of Bouillon Catharina Belgica, Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg Countess Charlotte Flandrina Charlotte Brabantina, Duchess of Thouars Emilia Antwerpiana, Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken-Landsberg |
| House | Bourbon-Montpensier |
| Father | Louis, Duke of Montpensier |
| Mother | Jacqueline de Longwy |
Charlotte of Bourbon (1546/1547 – 5 May 1582), was a Princess consort of Orange as the third spouse of William the Silent, Prince of Orange, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish. She was the fourth daughter of Louis, Duke of Montpensier and Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine.
Her paternal grandparents were Louis, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon and Louise de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier. Her maternal grandparents were John IV de Longwy, Baron of Pagny, and Jeanne of Angoulême, illegitimate half-sister of King Francis I of France.
Her mother, Jacqueline, was a believer in the Reformed doctrines, and she secretly taught them to her children. By some accounts, Charlotte's father determined to thwart his wife's influence by sending three of his daughters to convents. Charlotte was then only thirteen years old and begged to be allowed to stay with her mother, who died during the time Charlotte was in the convent. Her father, influential in the court of Catherine de' Medici, placed her in the royal convent of Jouarre, near Meaux, to be raised as a nun. When she was professed as a nun at the age of thirteen, she made a formal written protest.
Other sources claim that Louis simply wanted to avoid paying dowries in order to conserve his only son's patrimony. Charlotte was first sent to Jouarre, where her aunt was abbess, as an infant. The plan for Charlotte was to renounce her inheritance and succeed her aunt. This plan was carried out upon the aunt's death, against Charlotte's wishes, and despite her being only 12. While abbess, Charlotte was secretly instructed in Calvinism by a dissident priest.
The young Charlotte shocked both her family and the royal court by escaping the convent in 1572, announcing her conversion to Calvinism and, on the advice of Jeanne d'Albret, fleeing to the Electorate of the Palatinate, well beyond her parents' reach.
...
Wikipedia