Marguerite de Valois
| 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 | Valois-Angoulême |
| Father | Henry II of France |
| Mother | Catherine de' Medici |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Margaret of Valois (French: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615) was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became queen consort of Navarre and later also of France.
A daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, Margaret was the sister of kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, and of Elizabeth of Valois as well as Claude of France. Charles IX arranged for her to marry a distant cousin, King Henry III of Navarre, and she thus became Queen of Navarre in 1572. In 1589, after all her brothers had died leaving no sons, Margaret's husband, the senior-most agnatic heir to France (the "Prince du sang"), succeeded to the French throne as Henry IV, the first Bourbon King of France.
A queen of two kingdoms, Margaret was subjected to many political manipulations, including being held prisoner (albeit at a comfortable castle) by her own brother, Henry III of France, for many years. However, her life was anything but passive. She was famous for her beauty and sense of style, notorious for a licentious lifestyle, and also proved a competent memoirist. She was indeed one of the most fashionable women of her time, and influenced many of Europe's royal courts with her clothing. Margaret took many lovers both during her marriage and after its annulment, of whom the best-known are Joseph Boniface de La Môle, Jacques de Harlay, Seigneur de Champvallon and Louis de Bussy d'Amboise. While imprisoned, she took advantage of the time to write her memoirs, which included a succession of stories relating to the disputes of her brothers Charles IX and Henry III with her husband. The memoirs were published posthumously in 1628.
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