Margaret of France (1553–1615)
| Margaret of Valois | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of France | |
| Tenure | 2 August 1589 – 17 December 1599 |
| Queen consort of Navarre | |
| Tenure | 18 August 1572 – 17 December 1599 |
| Born |
14 May 1553 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye |
| Died | 27 March 1615 (aged 61) Hostel de la Reyne Margueritte, Paris |
| Burial | Basilica of St Denis |
| Spouse | Henry IV of France |
| House | House of Valois |
| Father | Henry II of France |
| Mother | Catherine de' Medici |
Margaret of Valois (French: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), commonly Margot, was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became queen consort of Navarre and later also of France.
By her marriage to Henry III of Navarre (later Henry IV of France), she was queen of Navarre and then France at her husband's 1589 accession to the latter throne. Their marriage was annulled in 1599 by decision of the Pope. She was the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici and the sister of kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III.
Her marriage, which was to celebrate the reconciliation of Catholics and Huguenots, was tarnished by St Bartholomew's Day massacre and the resumption of the religious troubles which ensued. In the conflict between Henry III and the Malcontents, she took the side of Francis, Duke of Anjou, her younger brother, and this caused a deep aversion of the king against her.
As Queen of Navarre, she also played a pacifying role in the stormy relations between her husband and the French monarchy. Ballotted between the two courts, she endeavored to lead a happy conjugal life, but the sterility of her couple and the political tensions inherent in the French Wars of Religion caused the end of her marriage. Mistreated by a shadowy brother, rejected by an opportunistic husband, she chose the path of the opposition in 1585. She took the side of the Catholic League and was forced to live in Auvergne in an exile which lasted twenty years.
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