For nearly thirteen years she was the uncrowned queen of France. The court flatterers sang this elderly woman as the ideal of goodness and beauty. She really was beautiful and, in addition, power-hungry, wise and calculating. But all this, as happens in history, was forgotten, only the legend of love remained, which still lives on, many centuries after the death of Diana de Poitiers, Duchess de Valentinois.
Fatal duel
On June 30, 1559, all of Paris rushed to the Rue Saint-Antoine. On the occasion of the conclusion of peace with Spain, King Henry II decided to arrange a knightly tournament and personally take part in it. For this, the pavement was dismantled on a narrow street and stands for noble fans were built. Now they were dazzled with the outfits of courtiers and the gilded dresses of the ladies, and behind the ropes of the fence the gray mass of the common people swayed. The crowd whispered alarmingly, wondering why the king needed to revive half-forgotten fun. With the advent of firearms, the age of the knights is a thing of the past. Tournaments also ceased, although from time to time they were held out of respect for the old days. But Heinrich was not distinguished by such respect: everyone knew that he preferred completely different activities to military amusements. The eyes of the Parisians involuntarily turned to the velvet-covered box, where the old lover of the monarch, Diane de Poitiers, was seated. She recently turned sixty, but her face and lithe figure remained flawless. It was even said that she bathed in the blood of babies in order to preserve her youth.
Duchess de Valentinois, Diana de Poitiers
Queen Catherine de 'Medici, sitting in the next podium, was only forty, but she looked almost older than her rival. Plump, dark, with thin hair and bulging eyes, the Italian looked a little like a toad. From time to time she threw malicious glances at Diana, which she tried not to notice. The Parisians did not like both of them and pitied their good king, who had to constantly appease the quarrels of absurd women. It is no wonder that he seeks solace from others: only recently, another maid of honor gave birth to a baby, like two drops of water similar to a king. Before that, he seduced the governess of his daughter-in-law Mary Stuart, and the young Scotswoman herself, according to rumors, breathed unevenly towards her father-in-law - after all, her husband, the foolish Prince Francois, was indifferent to love joys.
Catherine de Medici
The herald's horn sounded, and the knights rushed into battle. As expected, the opponents collided at full gallop, trying to knock each other off their horses with heavy spears. The blows hit the chest, shoulders and even in the face, but all this was reliably protected by armor, and the spears were specially blunted, so there were practically no deaths at tournaments. Having withstood the fights with the Dukes of Savoy and de Guise, the king wished to fight a new enemy and ordered the 30-year-old Scottish captain Gabriel Montgomery to take a fighting position. At this time, the servant conveyed to him the request of his wife: out of love for her, stop the dangerous game. "Tell the queen that for the love of her I will win this fight!" - exclaimed the king. Hearing this, the queen turned pale: she remembered the prediction of the astrologer Gorik, who threatened the king with death from a head wound at the age of forty-one. Heinrich turned forty exactly three months ago. In another prophecy of a certain Nostradamus, it was said that a young lion would knock out the eye of an old one in a golden cage, and the royal helmet was just gilded ... Henry heard these predictions, but now he has forgotten about them. Why be careful when so many beautiful ladies are looking at you! And above all, the one under whose sign his whole life passed - Diane de Poitiers. No wonder he wore her colors at the tournament - white and black.
Henry II
Opponents collided, and a polyphonic shout swept over the tournament field. From the blow that hit in the face, the visor of the king was opened and the spear entered his right eye. Heinrich drenched in blood rushed for another 10-15 meters and slid from his horse into the arms of the courtiers who surrounded him. "I'm dying," he whispered. All eyes were fixed on him, and no one noticed the other participants in the game, which suddenly grew into a tragedy. Taking advantage of this, Captain Montgomery turned his horse around and at full gallop rushed to his castle Lorge, hoping later to justify himself. This did not help - five years later he was lured to Paris and beheaded, never believing that the fatal blow was struck by accident. While Henry was dragged on a stretcher to the nearby castle of Tournelle, the queen lay in a swoon. Diana did not lose consciousness: she just stood and watched as her lover was carried by.
Fatal duel
Recovering herself, Catherine rushed into the castle and, first of all, ordered her not to let her rival go there. Then she called the famous surgeon Ambroise Paré and asked him to do everything to save the king. Aesculapius examined the wound and made a disappointing conclusion: the spear hit the brain, where fragments of bones fell. There was no hope. Hearing this, the queen sent a messenger to Diana, who withdrew to the castle of Ane. She demanded that the mistress return all the values and possessions given to her by the king. Oddly enough, she agreed. In her reply she wrote: "My grief is so great that no amount of oppression and resentment can distract me from it." On July 10, Henry died after a long agony, and on the same day Catherine received a weighty chest of jewelry and keys to the magnificent Chenonceau castle. All the rest of Diana's property was preserved, having set one condition - never to appear at court. Fate gave her another seven years of life, which became a dreary epilogue to her fairy tale
Diana Poitiers' estate - Anet's castle, where she spent the last years of her life. The legacy of her husband Louis de Brese
Education of the senses
It all began in March 1526 on the banks of the Bidasoa River, which divided France and Spain. From the French side, a cavalcade drove up to the coast, led by a handsome bearded man - King Francis I. Most recently, he was in Spanish captivity and was forced to sign a humiliating and extremely unprofitable treaty. The royal sons - nine-year-old Francois and seven-year-old Heinrich - became hostages of its execution. Now they were brought to the border and put in a boat to take them to a foreign hostile country. The youngest of the princes, just a child, could hardly hold back his tears. Noticing this, a beautiful lady from the royal retinue went up to him and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. The boat departed, and for many years this kiss became for Henry the sweetest memory of his homeland.
Diane de Poitiers
He did not know that the lady, who turned 27 years old, was the daughter of Baron Jean de Poitiers. As a child, she lost her mother, and a couple of years ago her father was sentenced to death for participating in a conspiracy. Trying to save her father, Diana then rushed to the Louvre to visit King Francis, a famous womanizer, who at the first meeting appreciated the beauty: tall, slender, with full lips and a lush mane of brown hair. The king knew that at the age of fifteen she was married to the 56-year-old Baron Louis de Brese, the great seneschal of Normandy. The gloomy baron paid little attention to his young wife, spending time on military campaigns. Diana gave birth to two daughters and led the usual life of a provincial noblewoman - household chores, sewing, long masses on Sundays. True, there were oddities in her behavior. Justifying her name, taken from the goddess-huntress, she loved to race at full speed on a horse, driving game. And in the morning I swam in a spring with ice water - and this is in an era when even the nobility considered washing unnecessary.
Francis I
Rumor called Diana a faithful wife, but Francis was not used to retreating and led a systematic siege. He appointed the daughter of the conspirator one audience after another, transparently hinting that only her compliance could save her father. Further, the opinions of historians diverge. Some believe that the beauty succumbed to the harassment of the monarch, which is why he pardoned Jean de Poitiers when he had already climbed the block. Others are sure that Diana remained as unapproachable as her divine namesake. Otherwise, why did Francis commission the court painter of her portrait with the caption "Inaccessible to seduction"? One thing is certain: since then, the king began to respect Diana and more than once asked her for advice. Soon the Seneschal de Brese died and the young widow left his gloomy castle of Ane, at the invitation of the king to the Louvre. But she did not become an official favorite, this place was taken by the young Duchess D'Etamp, who firmly seized the heart of Francis. Diana was bored, not forgetting to take care of herself, because beauty was her main weapon in the fight for a place in the sun.
Anne de Pissleux, Duchess d'Etampes.
In the summer of 1530, the king paid a huge ransom to the Spaniards, and his sons returned to their homeland. The long separation from their homeland did not benefit them - François soon died of consumption, and Henry became withdrawn and silent. He willingly learned to fence and ride a horse, defeated his peers in any competition, but at the same time he never smiled and avoided communication. The prince showed warm feelings only for one person - the lady who once kissed him on the cheek. At his first tournament on the same ill-fated rue Saint-Antoine, he approached Diana and confessed his love to her in front of everyone. Noticing this, the king asked the widow to be more kind to his son - in fact, to become his mentor in love affairs, which was necessary, since soon Henry was to marry and continue the royal family. In 1533, a bride arrived in Paris - the heiress of the Medici bankers in Florence. After the wedding, Francis, who needed an alliance with the pope, personally made sure that his son fulfilled his conjugal duty.
Henry II in his youth
It was indeed a duty that Henry avoided under any pretext. His heart was given to Diana, and the little plump Italian woman could not excite him in any way. Catherine, who had an extraordinary mind, honestly tried to please the prince: knowing that she had beautiful legs, she was the first to start riding like a man in flirty pants, which received the Italian name "underpants". All in vain - the desired heir was never born. The courtiers, led by Duchess D'Etamp, accused Catherine of infertility, which was a sufficient reason for a divorce.
Catherine de Medici
But Diana stood up for the princess and decided to take up the sex education of young spouses herself. Perhaps Henry's loving glances melted her heart. But the desire to be closer to the throne also played a significant role, pushing the hated D'Etamp away from it. Be that as it may, but in the spring of 1534, Henry and Diana went hunting together in the castle of Ecuan. The prince returned from there so joyful and refreshed that Catherine exclaimed: "Oh, your highness, you need to be in nature more often!" Henry diligently followed this advice, and then, forgetting caution, began to visit Diana in her chambers.
The main secret of beauty
The lessons of the wonderful mentor were not in vain: soon Catherine de Medici became pregnant and since then regularly gave birth to heirs. Diana was present at childbirth every time, personally picking up midwives and wet nurses for babies. Moreover, she appointed the prince the days in which he had to share a bed with his wife, which he still did not really want. But he was inseparable from Diana, despite the twenty-year age difference. Poor Catherine went out of her way, trying to find out why this "old woman" was so attracted to her husband. The famous gossip writer Brantom narrates a story according to which she once ordered to punch a hole in the ceiling of her rival's bedroom for observation. “She noticed a very splendid lady, white-skinned, delicate and very fresh, dressed only in a short shirt. She caressed her beloved, they laughed and joked, and the lover answered her just as passionately, so that in the end they rolled off the bed and, as they were, in only shirts, lay down on the shaggy carpet next to the bed ... So, the princess, seeing everything , with annoyance she began to cry, moan and grieve, saying that her husband never allows himself such madness with her as with this woman. "
Diana's portrait
Jealousy did its job: the princess's warm feelings for Diana soon grew into cold hatred. Many years later, she wrote to her daughter, the famous Queen Margot: “I cordially welcomed Madame de Valentinois, because the king forced me to do this, and at the same time I always made her feel that I was doing this to my greatest regret, for never a wife who loves her husband , did not love his whore, otherwise you cannot name her, no matter how painful it is for the people of our position to pronounce such words. " According to rumors, Catherine even kept a bottle of nitric acid in her boudoir, so that she could splash it in the face of a love-lover at the right time. But she never splashed, she must have realized that, having lost her beauty, Diana is unlikely to lose the prince's love.
Catherine de Medici
In the spring of 1547, Francis, as they say, died of syphilis, not yet old Francis, and Henry II ascended the throne. A real golden shower immediately poured on Diana: she was given the entire tax "for confirmation of powers", which all officials paid when the monarch changed, as well as part of the tax that was imposed on all Parisian bells. The wise mistress was given all the estates of the defeated Duchess D'Etamp and her jewelry, including a huge diamond. And three months later, she got an even more expensive treasure - the Chenonceau castle on the Loire. To top it all off, she was made the Duchess of Valentinois - for the first time the ducal title went to a woman not by right of inheritance.
Chenonceau castle on the Loire
castle bedroom
Diana became a true queen. Together with Henry, she received ambassadors, replaced him at meetings of the royal council, went on trips around the country. At this time, Catherine was locked up in the chambers assigned to her, surrounded by numerous children. Her husband visited her only to conceive another heir. But he was inseparable from Diana and, with infrequent partings, bombarded her with letters. Here is what the king wrote after learning about her poor health: “Lady of my soul, I humbly thank you for the work that you have taken upon yourself in order to send me a message about your news, for it has become the most pleasant event for me. I cannot live without you ... I remain forever your insignificant servant. " Foreign ambassadors complained that they could not get an audience with the king, since he spent all the time with Madame de Poitiers. The diplomat, who was lucky enough to break through to the favorite, describes the picture he saw: "He sits down next to her with a zither in his hands, plays, often asks the constable and Omal if Diana is still beautiful, and from time to time touches her chest."
Diane de Poitiers in the costume of the patroness of the hunt
However, time passed. The favorite turned fifty, and she took all measures to preserve the outgoing youth. Of course, no makeup or wigs - the same cold baths, exercise and a cup of goat's milk in the morning. To refute the rumors about her aging, Diana ordered to paint her portrait in the nude and - unheard of insolence! - put it on public display. She also tried to surround herself only with beautiful objects that emphasized her attractiveness. One of the first in Paris, she began collecting antiques and paintings, turning her Louvre chambers into a real museum. In Chenonceau, on her orders, a marvelous "Garden of Delights" was set up, where rare varieties of apples, peaches and plums were brought from all over the world. In the center of the garden was the "Diana's Flower Garden", where the king's white lilies and scarlet roses, which the mistress of the castle considered her talisman - a flower of love, mixed together..
View of the Chenonceau castle from the garden of Diane de Poitiers
Roses to the lovely lady
Diana was not only concerned with herself - the lion's share of her time was devoted to management issues. With royal bounties she got two dozen castles with vast lands, and she constantly visited them, scolding negligent managers and counting supplies with peasant meticulousness. In the Chateau Étoile, she set up an office, where she personally pored over the accounting books. The affairs of the kingdom also did not go unnoticed: Diana received ministers and gave them very practical instructions. Unlike other favorites, she did not have numerous greedy relatives. But the countless gifts that the king in love showered her with were expensive for the treasury. As a result, taxes rose, and the people, as a result, blamed the uncrowned queen for everything. Then rumors spread about her witchcraft and witchcraft power over the king.
But it was not she who was to blame for the turmoil that gripped the country. The long-standing enmity between Catholics and Protestants increasingly resulted in armed clashes. In Paris, opponents of the Catholic faith were hanged and burned at the stake. The kind-hearted Heinrich never attended the execution, although he regularly signed death sentences.
And Diana looked at the torture of the condemned with curiosity and even laughed. Today it is difficult to say what caused this behavior - the general "rudeness of the era" or the desire to demonstrate loyalty to the king. But this only increased the number of opponents of the favorite and gave courage to Catherine de Medici. At the end of 1558, the queen for the first time dared to object to her rival on some issue. The king cut her off roughly, and the offended Italian buried herself in the book. "What are you reading, madam?" - asked Diana, trying to smooth over the situation. “The history of France! - Ekaterina rapped out. "It says here that the affairs of this kingdom have always been ruled by whores!" Diana burst into tears and announced that she was leaving the yard. Henry fell to his knees, begged her to stay, promised that he would no longer allow the queen to offend her only love. Diana stayed.
And then the unfortunate tournament happened. Going into exile along the roads of Normandy soggy from summer rains, Diana told herself that she had nevertheless defeated her rival. She remained beautiful, and Catherine de Medici, in her forty years, on the contrary. Isn't that why she was malicious, unleashed a war with the Protestants, staged the bloody Night of St. Bartholomew? Taking turns enthroning her three sons, as predicted by Nostradamus, she lost them all and at the very end of her life saw the collapse of the Valois dynasty. She went down in the history of France as a murderer and poisoner. They said that Catherine poisoned Diana too, but this is hardly true. After all, Diana, though still hated, was now safe.
The aforementioned Brant, who visited Diana in the castle of Ane a year before his death, wrote with admiration: “Her beauty is such that it would touch even a stone heart ... I think that if this lady had lived another hundred years, she would not have aged at all neither the face, so beautiful it is, nor the body, which is undoubtedly no less beautiful, although hidden under the clothes. It is a pity that such a body will nevertheless be buried. "
It happened in the early April morning of 1566. Diane de Poitiers died in her sleep, smiling, as happens with happy people. In the church of Ane, a monument of white marble was erected to her, as a real ancient goddess. It still stands, and for the fifth century in a row, lovers bring to it two white roses - one from themselves, the other from Henry, who remembered his Beautiful Lady while he could breathe. It is no coincidence that he once wrote to Diana truly prophetic lines:"My love will protect you from time and from death itself." (with)
Diane Poitier went down in history not only as one of the most beautiful women of her era, but also as the uncrowned Queen of France. The significant age difference did not prevent her from becoming the favorite of King Henry II and keeping him near her for a long time. However, it is in vain to look for self-interest or a thirst for power in her actions: unlike the subsequent mistresses of the French (and not only) monarchs, Diane de Poitiers loved in Henry not a king, but a man.
Origin and early life
According to specialists in the field of genealogy, the Poitiers clan is much older than the royal one, which is a side branch of the more ancient Capetian clan. In any case, there were connections between the two noble dynasties: Aimar de Poitiers was married to Marie of Valois, who was the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XI (1461-1483). Their son, Jean, married Jeanne de Batarnay, a representative of another noble French family. Their first child was Diane de Poitiers.
Unfortunately, the exact date of her birth is unknown. There are two options that are equally popular with historians: either September 3, 1499, or January 9, 1500. Close ties with the ruling dynasty allowed the early deceased Jeanne de Batarnay to entrust the care of Diana to another daughter of King Louis - Anne de Beauje.
One of the main concerns of the girl's teacher was finding a suitable husband for her. This was found quickly enough: at the age of thirteen, Diana married Louis de Brese. This marriage, it is assumed, was no different from other marriage unions of the Middle Ages: Diana's feelings were not taken into account, it was only about making a good party. Louis de Brese was 56 years old at the time of the marriage.
Happy marriage
Paradoxically, such an unequal marriage became a happy one for Diane Poitier. According to the testimony of contemporaries, the young wife was distinguished by fidelity, rare for that time. During the marriage that lasted nearly eighteen years, she cheated on her husband only once, but this episode also happened against Diana's wishes.
In 1525, the constable (the highest state office in what was then France) Charles de Bourbon joined the troops of the main enemy of France - the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Karl of Habsburg. On charges of high treason, not only the criminal was punished, but also his closest friends, namely, that was the father of Diana de Poitiers. To save her father, she immediately went to Paris and secured an audience with the king. Jean de Poitiers' life was saved at the cost of his daughter's betrayal of her husband. The friend of the traitor was pardoned. But after that, Jean de Poitiers, just in case, isolated his daughter in the remote castle of Saint-Valier: the risk that she would replenish the staff of the king's numerous mistresses was too high.
Louis de Brese forgave his wife. In the summer of 1531, he died at an advanced age. From this marriage, two daughters remained: Louise and Françoise.
Political battles and the first meeting
As already mentioned, in the first half of the 16th century, the political life of Europe took place under the sign of the confrontation between France and the vast territories of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain united under one scepter. Charles V of Habsburg sought to encircle France with his lands and thereby deprive her of independence.
In 1525, the Battle of Pavia, unsuccessful for France, took place. The king's army was utterly defeated, and he himself experienced an unprecedented humiliation, being in captivity. Among the conditions imposed by Charles was the payment of a huge indemnity and the marriage of Francis to his sister. While in captivity, Francis could not fulfill the demands of the winner, therefore he was released, but as a pledge of the execution of the contract he had to send his children as hostages.
The princes were escorted by a huge retinue, among which, as the maid of honor of the queen, was Diane de Poitiers. All the attention of the courtiers was directed to Francis - the eldest son and heir to the throne: he was encouraged in every possible way, given advice on how to behave in captivity. Henry didn’t seem to exist. Only Diana kissed the eleven-year-old prince and uttered a few parting words.
Younger son
If the French nobility knew that Francis the Younger would never become king, but would die in 1536 after drinking a cup of cold water, then Henry would get much more attention. But the little prince was unlucky: first his mother died, then four years of Spanish captivity. And if everyone was worried about the health and fate of the Dauphin, then Henry was remembered only for the sake of politeness.
Contemporaries note the striking change that happened to the prince during the years of captivity. As a child, he was a cheerful and sociable boy, but he returned as a sullen and reserved young man who clearly harbored a grudge against his father. The king, worried about his son's condition, asked Diane de Poitiers to take care of his upbringing. According to another version, Henry himself asked his father about it.
The fact that the young prince has certain feelings for a woman much older than himself became clear to the entire court during the knightly tournament of 1531. Under the terms of such fights, each knight had to choose a lady for whose honor he promised to fight. Heinrich, without hesitation, chose Diana.
The widowed Diane de Poitiers with two children in her arms could not in any way become the wife of the prince of the blood, and everyone understood this. Perhaps Henry dreamed of such an outcome, but the strength of tradition was so great that no love could break it. After a careful study of foreign policy problems and genealogical trees, King Francis appointed his youngest son Catherine, an Italian from the noble Florentine Medici family, to his youngest son.
Sources unanimously claim that Catherine was extremely ugly. The surviving portraits seem to confirm these assessments, but at the same time the prince's wife was smart, knew how to behave and was pleasant to talk to. King Francis nevertheless preferred to see that the prince would spend his wedding night in bed with his wife.
The relationship between Catherine and Diane de Poitiers, of course, was not smooth. Particularly offensive to the prince's wife was the fact that Henry wore the colors of his mistress (Diana never parted with white and black clothes until death as a sign of mourning for her husband), decorated her things with the monogram DH (the initials of the names Diana and Henri) and even at her coronation gave the favorite a place of honor than his wife.
Fighting favorites
The French court of the 16th century is a rather eclectic phenomenon: medieval simplicity was not yet abundant, but the trends of luxury from the times of absolutism have already appeared. Even a century earlier, it would have seemed reprehensible to show the royal mistresses outright in public. King Francis, a lover of sensual pleasures, did not particularly care for word of mouth. His favorite Anne d'Etampes not only kept court life under control, but also actively intervened in politics. Either because she sympathized with the Protestants, or because of her faded beauty, the king's mistress was nicknamed the Old Mushroom.
Meanwhile, the position of Diane de Poitiers at the court strengthened so much that Anna was seriously afraid for her title of the first beauty of France. She tried in every possible way to denigrate her rival, not disdaining a custom-made pamphlet, which ridiculed Diana's contrived attempts to hide her age with various cosmetics. Apparently, the conjectures of Anna d'Etampes were so strongly in conflict with reality that the pamphlet had no success.
The dispute between the two favorites was resolved by time: in 1547, King Francis died. He was the only one who connected Anna with the court world, and her position was immediately shaken. It soon became clear that shortly before the death of her lover, Anna established contact with his worst enemy, Charles V, hoping to secure a comfortable old age for herself. Heinrich immediately sent his father's favorite from Paris and took away the diamonds, which he presented to Diana Poitier. She, contrary to the expectations of the public, did not take revenge on her rival.
Diane de Poitiers: the secret of beauty
Paflet of Anna d "Etampe is interesting in that it slipped the accusation of witchcraft. For the medieval world, this is a very serious accusation, for which they could easily send to the scaffold. The beauty of forty-year-old Diana really caused a lot of questions and a desire to imitate her. However, no magic secret of youth Diane Poitier didn’t possess. Her secret was only careful self-care and exercise. For example, Diana's morning began with a bath of ice water, after which she went on a horse ride in any weather, which lasted at least three hours.
Subsequently, Diana's beauty became canonical. All noble ladies have long tried to comply with the following rules:
- skin, teeth, hands should be white;
- eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes - black;
- lips, cheeks, nails - pink;
- body, hair, fingers - long;
- teeth, ears, feet - short;
- lips, waist, feet - thin;
- arms, hips, calves - full;
- nipples, nose, head - small.
Queen without a crown
When King Francis died and Henry inherited the throne, Diane de Poitiers was at the pinnacle of power. Even during her husband's life, she showed that in addition to beauty, she had a remarkable mind, giving him valuable advice related to the management of estates. Now Diana has proved to be an important political player.
Never before has the favorite reached such heights. Even the participation of Anne d "Etampes was limited to her concern for the Protestants and recommendations, which Francis listened carefully, but did not always follow. Many foreign monarchs, knowing about Diana's influence on French policy, entered into correspondence with the favorite. Even the Pope did not stand aside.
Many appointments passed through the hands of Diane Poitier. She personally determined to whom to give this or that position. The real queen remained on the sidelines all this time. But Diana was not at all indifferent to her fate. On the contrary, knowing that Catherine, for some reason, could not give France an heir, the omnipotent favorite undertook to personally deal with this problem. She gave various advice to the unlucky rival, did not allow Henry to come to her, insistently demanding that he fulfill his marital duty. As a result, Diana managed to find a certain doctor who was able to help. Catherine de Medici gave birth to ten children. Diane de Poitiers was tasked with raising them.
Unexpected ending
Deprived of access to politics, Catherine gathered around her a society of various fortune-tellers and fortune-tellers. Among them was the famous Nostradamus, who made several vague prophecies. Among them was the prediction of Henry's death at the age of forty.
Brought up on romance of chivalry, Heinrich loved to organize tournaments in compliance with all medieval rules. The year 1559 was no exception, when he turned forty. Catherine begged her husband to refuse to participate this time. Even Diana seemed to believe the predictions, but Henry was adamant.
The belief in predictions was very strong in those days. Gabriel Montgomery - the knight Henry was supposed to fight - refused to enter the battlefield, fearing that he was destined to kill the king. The angry king ordered the knight to immediately enter the battlefield.
At the tournaments, they fought with wooden weapons, and the participants were protected by real armor. But the count unsuccessfully threw the spear: it broke, and one of the splinters stuck directly into the king's eye. He only managed to say that Montgomery was innocent, and lost consciousness. The agony lasted ten days, and on July 10, 1559, the king died in inhuman torment.
Last years
Catherine de Medici finally had the opportunity to get even with her favorite. First of all, she forbade Diana to be allowed into the room where the dying king was. Some time later, according to the tradition adopted in France, she demanded from Diana the return of all jewelry and real estate donated to her. The strangeness was that Catherine demanded back even what Heinrich had given Diana Poitiers from personal funds. The favorite uncomplainingly returned all the items on the list. The vengeful queen took even Chenssonneau, Diana de Poitiers' favorite castle.
The story of Diana and Heinrich has attracted the attention of novelists for many centuries. Since platonic love was not in honor in those years, many of them argued that Henry was the father of the son of Diane de Poitiers. However, this is not true. Whether the love between them was platonic or carnal is still a matter of controversy. But it is hard to believe that from all the records that curious contemporaries left on any occasion, mention of such a high-profile event as the birth of a royal bastard has disappeared. As already mentioned, Diane Poitier had two children, and they were born legally married to Louis de Brese.
The uncrowned queen spent the last six years of her life in the castle of Ane. She devoted them to the opening of various shelters, from which she required only one thing: to pray for the soul of Henry. Eyewitnesses reported that until her death, Diana retained her beauty. At the age of sixty-six, she did not change her habit and went on a horse ride. The horse Diana was riding stumbled, and the former favorite, falling off her, broke her hip. The recovery was very difficult. Sensing an imminent death, Diana ordered a tombstone for the sculptor. She died on April 26, 1566.
Time turned out to be even more merciless for Diana than Catherine de Medici. For over two hundred years, her embalmed remains were in the Cathedral of Ane. But during the Great French Revolution, when the rebels wanted to destroy not only the monarchy, but everything connected with it, the temple was ravaged, and the remains of Diana de Poitiers were buried in a common grave. They were discovered only in 2008.
... A thin face, a Greek profile, jet black hair and eyes filled with compassion. Seven-year-old Henry of Orleans remembered this lady for the rest of his life. She was the only one who tried to comfort them and her brother before the long separation from their family.
The fact is that in the spring of 1524, their father, King of France Francis I, having experienced the bitterness of defeat at Pavia, being himself twice wounded, was taken prisoner by the Spaniards. To gain freedom, he had to give hostage to his sons - Dauphin Francis and his brother Henry, Duke of Orleans. That is why on March 17, 1526, the entire French court gathered on the banks of the Bidasson River, more precisely, on boats in the middle of the river, where the ceremony of transferring the hostage princes was to take place. And no one came to mind to feel sorry for the poor children, little princes, who were sent from their homes to Spanish captivity. Henry suffered more than his brother, because he was younger, he was not even seven years old. And only this lady came up to him and kissed him, comforting him. It was the first kiss given to the future King Henry II by Diane de Poitiers. She was then twenty-seven.
After the death of his spouse, the great seneschal
Normandy, Louis de Brize, almost viceroy of the most significant province of the French kingdom, Diana at the age of 31 became a widow and wore black and white robes, and her heraldic emblems were decorated with an inverted torch, a sign of inconsolable widowhood.
Black and white colors were repeated in the architectural elements of her castle, right down to the leash of her beloved dog. Probably, this style of her was formed not without the influence of her respected husband, who had considerable life experience (he was 40 years older than her).
Despite the incredible age difference even at that time, the spouses lived in perfect harmony. From the marriage of Diana and Louis de Brese, two daughters were born.
Little Heinrich remembered the kiss and the charming lady for life.
Returning to France as a gloomy teenager, Heinrich again admired Diana.
It seemed that time had no power over her. And subsequently, she retained her beauty for much longer than all imaginary limits. As time went on, her face became more and more charming. This could not but cause surprise, and at that time it was easy to assume that she gave her soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. Today we can explain this by a healthy lifestyle: she got up at 6 in the morning, took a cold bath, sometimes with ice, and then for three hours, in any weather, she arranged for herself a horse ride. When she returned, after a light breakfast, she basked in bed with a book in her hands. She almost did not use cosmetics, believing that the freshness of her skin could fade from her.
which was in her naturally pleasant color.
Young ladies at the king's court strove to imitate Diana, copying her hairstyle, gestures, and gait. By almost general opinion, she was the standard of beauty.
And the standard was as follows:
Three things must be white: skin, teeth, hands;
three are black: eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes;
three red: lips, cheeks, nails;
three - dyne: body, hair, fingers;
three short: teeth, ears, feet;
three - narrow: mouth, waist, ankles;
three full: arms, thighs, calves;
three - small: nose, chest, head.
Diana was kind, knew how to find and invent joy and entertainment. She had an extraordinary mind. And she knew how to weave intrigues with such subtlety that their results looked quite natural.
Once Francis I complained to Diana about the silence and isolation of his younger son.
Heinrich was already fourteen years old by that time. The king grumbled:
- He spends all the time alone, communicates little with the courtiers.
And the young man with zeal improved his swordsmanship, was a good rider, but never smiled. The four years spent in captivity in Spain made the boy withdrawn. What is there to be surprised at! Diana calmed the king:
- Entrust him to me, and I will make him my knight!
Of course, she talked about disinterested love for a lady, about the passion of the mind, not feelings, because she was 20 years older than him.
Diana, being a lady close to the court, from time to time gave the Dauphin Heinrich wise everyday advice. The Dauphin trusted her endlessly, fascinated by her intelligence, devotion and beauty.
In 1533, Prince Henry of Orleans (14 years old) married Catherine de Medici.
Naturally, this was a dynastic union. Catherine de 'Medici was the niece of Pope Clement the 7th, and a considerable dowry was promised for her (Clement died without fulfilling his promise about the dowry of his niece). And although she possessed charm and grace, the prince did not love his wife: for him there was no other woman except Diana, and he with all his might sought her reciprocal feelings. The love affair between Heinrich and Diana began when he was 19 years old, Diana was approaching her fortieth birthday.
Catherine did not roll up the scenes, realizing how much she could lose.
She was patient and waited, maintaining a good relationship with her rival.
Diana forced Henry to spend time with his legal wife.
After becoming king, Henry spent most of his free time with Diana.
Once the queen decided to spy on what these two were doing, why her husband was so attached to this lady. She saw a love game, not on the couch, on the floor.
At the royal court, there were many doctors, alchemists and soothsayers, who were patronized by the queen. One of them was the famous Michel Nostradamus, who predicted the death of Henry II during the tournament. Another astrologer, Luke Gorik, even named the time of the death of the king. Queen Catherine asked King Henry to cancel all tournaments or not participate in them, but Henry did not believe the predictions. And in 1559, at the age of 41 (this is the age indicated by the predictors), he went to fight on spears with Count Mongomeri. The count refused a dangerous honor, but the king insisted. In a collision, the count interrupted the king's spear, and a fragment of it hit Henry in the eye.
Diana de Poitiers' "reign" ended in 1559 when Henry II was accidentally killed in a tournament by the Comte de Montgomery.
Michel Nostradamus predicted the death of Henry II during the tournament.
Another astrologer, Luke Gorik, even named the time of the death of the king. Queen Catherine asked King Henry to cancel all tournaments or not participate in them, but Henry did not believe the predictions. And in 1559, at the age of 41 (this is the age indicated by the predictors), he went to fight on spears with Count Mongomeri. The count refused a dangerous honor, but the king insisted. In a collision, the count interrupted the king's spear, and a fragment of it hit Henry in the eye.
The king died 11 days later, forbidding the pursuit of Michel Nostradamus.
The king was still alive when Queen Catherine de Medici, showing weakness, ordered Diana to leave Paris, having first given all the jewelry given to her by Henry. It was an ancient tradition: with the death of the king, all his entourage (including mother, wife, children ...) returned jewelry that belonged to the royal treasury. Diane de Poitiers gave a very worthy answer: "... as long as I have a master, I want my enemies to know: even when the king is gone, I will not be afraid of anyone." Diana returned the casket with jewelry only the day after the death of Henry II. Diana de Poitiers retired to her castle, Anet, where she died at the sixty-seventh year of her life, remaining the owner of amazing beauty until her death.
Diane de Poitiers
(3.9. 1499 - 22.4.1566)
Reviews
Longevity recipe:
Don't consume more calories than you are spending.
Eat an apple every day.
Drink frozen water and herbal infusions.
Work actively.
Shower daily.
Sleep in a cool room.
On weekends, walk or cycle 10-15 km.
Surround yourself with friends, rejoice, laugh, do not give up sex.
Never think or say that you are getting old.
Take time to laugh. This is the music of the soul.
Take time to think. This is the source of strength.
Find time to be playful. This is the source of inexhaustible youth.
Take time to read. This is a fountain of wisdom.
Take time to dream. This is the greatest power on earth.
Take time to love and be loved. This is your privilege and your gift.
Take time to be friendly. This is the road to happiness.
Take time to give. Life is too short to be selfish.
Take time to work. This is the price of your success.
Believe in yourself and act! After all, you deserve it.
"Movement as such can in its action replace any medical device, but all medical devices in the world cannot replace the action of movement."
Tissot, 8th century French physician.
For five centuries, the mystery of the love of Henry II and his favorite Diane de Poitiers excites the minds of researchers and lovers. Heinrich declared Diana a Beautiful Lady when he was already married to Catherine de Medici. This almost fantastic story about deep feelings has amazed people for several centuries ...
Before that, Diana had been the wife of the great Seneschal of Normandy Louis de Brese, the grandson of Charles VII, for sixteen years. This marriage was arranged by her father, Count Valentinois, when Diana was 15 years old, and Louis de Brese was 56. Beauty and the Beast - Diana was beautiful and majestic, and Louis de Brese is old and ugly, but reliable, like a rock against which all blows break fate.
Born September 3, 1499 Belonged to the oldest family of Dauphine. In 1515 she married Louis de Vrese. Widowed in 1531 From 1539 - beloved and official favorite of King Henry II of France. Actively engaged in politics. Died on April 26, 1566.
Its testimonies are still alive throughout France: on the walls of Versailles, the castles of the Loire and the town of Ane, you can see frescoes, sculptures and portraits of Diana de Poitiers and King Henry II of France. On the pediments of the Parisian and Lyon buildings - their venues: double Latin letters "DH", Diana and Heinrich (Henri). As if it only happened yesterday. Meanwhile, it all began in the distant 16th century.
In the spring of 1525, general despondency reigned at the French court. How else, if the country was left without a monarch. The extravagant king Francis I, who got involved in the war with the Spaniards, was not only defeated at the Battle of Pavia, but also captured. A colossal ransom was demanded for him. However, to collect money, they were even ready to release the king if he sent hostages to Spain - his sons, the 8-year-old heir Dauphin Francis and his younger brother Henry, who was not even 7 years old.
THE LITTLE PRINCE
At the beginning of March 1526, the Parisian court went to the Spanish border: to pick up the king and give the small captives to the Spaniards. The road was terrible, the weather was pro-brain. The princes coughed. The ladies of the court did not leave the carriages. And, in order to brighten the way, the gentlemen tried to flirt with the only beauty who was not afraid to catch a cold - the main maid of honor of the royal court, Diane de Poitiers. By the way, Francis himself once tried to look after her, but to no avail.
He only drew a portrait of a beauty - a graceful posture, an expressive face, wide eyebrows and brown eyes, in which intelligence and mystery shone - and signed: “ Her face is beautiful. Her company is pleasant "... But even the loving monarch did not dare to do more: Diana from the first days at court kept herself aloof, she was even nicknamed the Ice Maiden.
Diane de Poitiers
On March 29, 1515, she married a friend of her father, 56-year-old Louis de Brese, Great Seneschal of Normandy. And everyone was waiting for the 15-year-old beauty to make herself a lover. But she gave birth to her husband two daughters and flatly refused any extraneous courtship. And now, having moved from a carriage to a hardy horse, 26-year-old Diana indifferently listened to the compliments to her beauty exuded by the court helipads galloping on either side of her.
She just wondered to herself: really no one cares that tiny children will have to be taken hostage, who were guilty only by the fact that their reckless father-king wanted to fight.
By the morning of March 15, we finally reached the border river Bidassoa. It was here that the exchange of the king for the hostage princes was to take place. Squinting, Diana saw the barge sail from the Spanish coast. Everyone rejoiced: the king was on board. The children immediately began to hastily put into the barge from the French side. Everyone scurried around the Dauphin - last instructions and hugs. How - the future king.
Henry II in his youth
No one approached the tiny Heinrich. He stood alone, bravely holding back tears. Diana's heart ached. She rushed to the boy, pressed him to her chest and kissed him. " You have to hold on! She whispered. - We will wait for you!».
Then she learned that the Spaniards had thrown the children in jail. They were beaten and starved to death. At night, Diana dreamed of Henry with huge haunted eyes. And she began to pray for him as for her own child.
Only four years later, Francis I was able to ransom the princes. In honor of their return and the marriage of the king, a tournament was held. Francis and the Dauphin bowed to the new queen. But Henry bowed his banner to ... Diane Poitier. The court gasped: she is already 31 years old, and the prince is not yet twelve! But, apparently, they grow up quickly in captivity: the young knight won his duel.
And after 3 months the Grand Seneschal of Normandy Louis de Brese died. And Diana put on a widow's garment - black and white. Now this is her outfit for life ...
THE WEDDING NIGHT
In the summer of 1531, the courtyard drove around the Lois-re. In the famous rose garden of the Chenonceau castle, the king beckoned Diana to his place. She came up lightly and gracefully. The king was amazed - at the 32nd year of her life, Diana blooms like a young girl. After the death of her husband, she returned her maiden name, although she did not take off her mourning. But, damn it, how attractive this woman is in her black and white dress!
Bathing Diana. OK. 1550-1560
« The damned captivity acted too gloomily on Henry! - said the co-role. - He is only 13 years old, and he looks twice as old. But most importantly, in captivity, the boy forgot how to smile. But I saw how he looks at you ... A drop of live flirting - that's all I ask!»
Diana breathed in the scent of roses. A little bit of flirting - is that reprehensible? It's just a game of knight and a beautiful lady. Young Heinrich will present a rose to Diana. And she will dry it in her favorite volume of poetry ...
And now Heinrich scribbles enthusiastic sonnets and raises the standards of the black and white flowers of his lady of the heart. And at night Diana dreams of Henry. And in her sleep she forgets that she is already a widow and that her daughter Françoise is older than this strange young man.
Meanwhile, the king was carrying out his plans for his son. In 1533, a bride arrived from Italy - Duchess Eka-terina Medici, heiress of the richest banking house. The 14-year-old girl gazed adoringly at the handsome young groom. But how could she, ugly and short, kindle his conjugal passion?
The king understood this. And so he himself took the newlyweds into the bedroom and ordered: "Come on, children!" And he stood by the bed until the "children" became husband and wife.
Eka-terina Medici
But in the morning Diana found the "Knight of Henry" in the usual place at the door of her chambers. The young wife did not cure him of romantic sighs. On the contrary, once-hot on their wedding night, he looked at Diana with true passion.
What should she do? How to behave? Every evening Diana prayed: let Henry's heavy passion subside! Let both he and she find peace. And let it be possible to improve relations with Ekaterina, because this poor girl is Diana's distant relative. But, apparently, God did not hear her prayers. Or did God have other plans?
In August 1536, the king's eldest son died suddenly, and 17-year-old Henry became the heir to the Dauphin. Now he, to whom no one had paid any attention before, found himself in the center of palace life. A month later, the courtyard went to the castle of Ecuan to look at the famous stained glass windows about the love of Psyche and Cupid.
Henry II
It just so happened that Heinrich and Diana admired the stained-glass windows together. And, emboldened, the young man hugged Diana. She was embarrassed, but Heinrich whispered, as if in a fever: “ I survived captivity only to return to you!»
They stood at the door open to the garden. The moon shone overhead. And Diana thought: tomorrow the sun will rise, mercilessly illuminate their age difference. But as long as the moon is in the sky, can't they be happy?
That night, Diana realized for the first time that she had not yet truly loved. She respected the good old Seneschal, but there was no love. And so she came ...
ROYAL PASSION
Catherine despaired of waiting for Henry in the bedchamber. For how many years has she been married, the king-father-in-law is demanding an heir, but from where ?! Heinrich sticks out days and nights at the damned Diana!
Catherine de Medici
Suddenly the floorboard creaked. It can't be — Heinrich has come! " Oh darling, I hope I gave you pleasure? - He just sighed, fulfilling his marital duty. - Diana scolds me. Says I must visit you every night until you grant us an heir". Heinrich kissed his wife indifferently and left.
Ekaterina sobbed into her pillow. What a shame! The husband comes to her at the insistence of his mistress! .. How did this witch bewitched him? But it will not always be the top - time is running out! Soon Diana will grow old and wrinkle, and Catherine will blossom. No wonder the best healers, whom she gathered in the palace, prepare love potions and rubbing of rejuvenation for her. She will become a beauty! You just have to wait ...
Francis I
On January 19, 1544, in the 11th year of marriage, the first-born of Catherine and Henry was born. Of course, he was named after his grandfather - Francis. But the birth of a son did not change the habits of the "knight Diana". And she could not change: Catherine was just an imposed dynastic wife. Diana - with her whole life. Leaving her even for a day, Heinrich sent countless letters. And in these chaotic letters, the gloomy and uncommunicative Heinrich became a verbose and ardent romantic:
« I beg you to remember that I knew only one God and only one Friend ...», « Most of all in my life I want to try to become useful to you, because I cannot live long without seeing you ..."The answer to these letters was the motto that Diana took for herself:" Sola vivit in illo» — « I live only in it».
Chenonceau castle
It is not surprising that when Francis G died in 1547, the newly-minted King Henry II presented his favorite land, precious values and even the most luxurious castle on the banks of the Loire - the legendary Chenonceau. As if Diana, not Catherine, is the queen of France. But it was so: Diana did not own the country, but the heart of the king.
OLD PROPHECY
Diana woke up before Henry. He breathed peacefully beside him - young, beautiful. He lights up like that when he sees Diana naked. But she will soon turn 50. Then what? No magic can stop time. It is only eccentric Catherine who hopes for all sorts of healers, magicians, astrologers. By the way, - Diana rose on the bed - there are true wizards!
Alexander-Evariste Fragonard "Portrait of Henry II and Diane de Poitiers in Jean Goujon"
Artists, sculptors, poets - that's who can stop time and forever capture its beauty in poetry, canvases, sculptures! She will become the nymph of the royal palace of Fontainebleau and the patroness of art. Once at birth, the old magician guessed that a girl born in the fall of 1499 to Jean de Poitiers and who is called Diana would rule over everyone.
Excellent prophecy. But Diana did not aspire to power. But if the descendants call her a patroness and inspirer of arts and say that it was during the time of the beautiful Diana that the golden age of the French Renaissance began, this will become the pinnacle of her life.
Since then, it has become the custom. Diana invited the best architects to build new palaces and restore old ones; the best painters, so that they paint the vaults of these palaces, placing portraits on the walls of her, Diana; the best poets and musicians, so that they glorify her love with Heinrich.
Bedroom of the favorite of King Henry II, Diane de Poitiers
Well, the royal life was still "for three". Catherine gave birth regularly. Di-ana brought up royal offspring. Both women have always behaved within the bounds of decency. Until at the end of 1558 Yekaterina intervened in one political alignment that Henry and Diana started. Ah, this damn policy! ..
Diane de Poitiers in the costume of the patroness of the hunt
The king shouted at his wife. She, swallowing tears, pretended to take up the book. "What are you reading, madam?" - wanting to make up, asked Diana. And then the former quiet one exploded: “I read the history of France and see that here whores have always ruled kings! " Diana could not resist: " You shouldn't shout about whores, madam! And so everyone can see that your children bear little resemblance to Henry!»
The fireplace in the bedroom of Diane de Poitiers, ironically, above the fireplace is a portrait of the legal wife, Catherine de Medici.
This was an unfair accusation. And Diana knew this very well, but so she wanted to hit this not-grateful woman more painfully at least once. After all, how many times Henry wanted to divorce, but it was Diana who did not allow! And now the rivals were facing each other, hands on their hips, like bazaar tradesmen. They forgot that they had been good manners for 25 years for the sake of their only man. And now the stock of manners is over ...
Diana decided to leave the courtyard. Henry was horrified: "I can not be without you!“Indeed, for as long as he could remember, he could not live without her. What he said to his wife is a secret, but Eka-terina began to smile at her rival again. Delighted with the reconciliation, Heinrich decided to arrange a knightly tournament.
On the third day of the holiday, June 30, 1559, he rode out on a prancing stallion with the strange name Beda. The squire put a huge golden helmet on the monarch's head. Diana gasped. She suddenly remembered an old prophecy made by an old fortune teller. How did it start?
“The one who will be born in the autumn of 1499 and who will be called Diana… - and further - will save the snow head, and then lose the gold one. Both losing and gaining, she will shed many tears. But rejoice - she will rule everyone! "
And life has shown that the fortune-teller was not mistaken ...
In the fate of Diana, there really were a lot of joys and losses. And the "snow head" was found. When Diana was 25 years old, her dad, Jean de Poitiers, became embroiled in a conspiracy against King Francis. And only the intercession of the Brese couple saved the father's gray head from the chopping block. Diana saved the "snow head". But Diana did not meet the "golden head". But it was predicted to be lost. And here - Henry in a gilded helmet! ..
Diana screamed at her best: “ Stop, sire!"But the king has already rushed to the rival - the young captain Montgomery. After a few moments, they collided. The captain's spear snapped, but a piece of it, lifting the visor of the king's helmet, pierced right into Henry's eye.
The bleeding king was carried to the palace. In despair, Diana squeezed the handrail of the platform and repeated: “The one who will be called Diana will lose her golden head! ..” Ekaterina fainted. And when I came to my senses, I remembered the prediction of my astrologer Luka Goriko: “ The king must avoid bo-ev at 41 years of age". She also recalled the quatrain of the famous doctor and fortuneteller Nostradamus:
The young lion will overcome the old
On the battlefield, one on one.
In a golden cage it will gouge out his eyes,
And he will die a cruel death.
Well, how could such la-wine of prophecy not come true ?!
The Diana of Anet 1550-54
ROSES OF ETERNITY
« Due to the harmful influence, you are moving away from the yard!"- hissed, contemptuously looking at the favorite of his father, the new king of France Francis II. And Diana suddenly remembered how this eternally sick young man suffered from a terrible rash. Everyone was afraid to approach him, and only she had the courage to change his bandages. But she didn't even think about gratitude. Moreover, Catherine de Medici now stood behind the throne, having received the title of Queen Mother.
Finally, she managed to get rid of her rival. But it looks like it's too late ...
The next day after the coronation of her son, she, washing off the blush from her face, was horrified: she was only 40, and the mirror showed a wrinkled old woman. And no magic rubbing helps.
And Diana, who had gone to her castle, Ane, attracted the eyes of men even in her seventies. One day, the court writer Pierre Brantom asked her to reveal the secret of eternal youth.
« There is nothing surprising in this,- answered Diana. - I get up in the morning and take a cold bath. Then I mount a horse and gallop at full speed. At 8 I return and go to bed to rest a little. I have breakfast and lunch lightly, I drink goat's milk for dinner. But the main thing is this: every day you need to do something pleasant and fall asleep joyfully, without keeping heavy thoughts in your head.».
. 
Benvenuto Cellini. Tomb of Diana de Poitiers
On the night of April 25, 1566, Diane de Poitiers fell asleep, remembering her Henry with a smile. And I didn't wake up. In the church of Ane, a monument of white marble was erected to her, as a true ancient goddess.
And now, for the fifth century, on the day of her repose, mysterious admirers bring to this monument two white roses - one from themselves, the other from Henry. No wonder he once wrote to his beloved: “ My love will protect you from time and from death itself».
Elena Korovina
For five centuries, the mystery of the love of Henry II and his favorite Diane de Poitiers excites the minds of researchers and lovers. Heinrich declared Diana a Beautiful Lady when he was already married to Catherine de Medici. This almost fantastic story about deep feelings has amazed people for several centuries ...
Before that, Diana had been the wife of the great Seneschal of Normandy Louis de Brese, the grandson of Charles VII, for sixteen years. This marriage was arranged by her father, Count Valentinois, when Diana was 15 years old, and Louis de Brese was 56. Beauty and the Beast - Diana was beautiful and majestic, and Louis de Brese is old and ugly, but reliable, like a rock against which all blows break fate.
Born September 3, 1499 Belonged to the oldest family of Dauphine. In 1515 she married Louis de Vrese. Widowed in 1531 From 1539 - beloved and official favorite of King Henry II of France. Actively engaged in politics. Died on April 26, 1566.
Its testimonies are still alive throughout France: on the walls of Versailles, the castles of the Loire and the town of Ane, you can see frescoes, sculptures and portraits of Diana de Poitiers and King Henry II of France. On the pediments of the Parisian and Lyon buildings - their venues: double Latin letters "DH", Diana and Heinrich (Henri). As if it only happened yesterday. Meanwhile, it all began in the distant 16th century.
In the spring of 1525, general despondency reigned at the French court. How else, if the country was left without a monarch. The extravagant king Francis I, who got involved in the war with the Spaniards, was not only defeated at the Battle of Pavia, but also captured. A colossal ransom was demanded for him. However, to collect money, they were even ready to release the king if he sent hostages to Spain - his sons, the 8-year-old heir Dauphin Francis and his younger brother Henry, who was not even 7 years old.
THE LITTLE PRINCE
At the beginning of March 1526, the Parisian court went to the Spanish border: to pick up the king and give the small captives to the Spaniards. The road was terrible, the weather was pro-brain. The princes coughed. The ladies of the court did not leave the carriages. And, in order to brighten the way, the gentlemen tried to flirt with the only beauty who was not afraid to catch a cold - the main maid of honor of the royal court, Diane de Poitiers. By the way, Francis himself once tried to look after her, but to no avail.
He only drew a portrait of a beauty - a graceful posture, an expressive face, wide eyebrows and brown eyes, in which intelligence and mystery shone - and signed: “ Her face is beautiful. Her company is pleasant "... But even the loving monarch did not dare to do more: Diana from the first days at court kept herself aloof, she was even nicknamed the Ice Maiden.
Diane de Poitiers
On March 29, 1515, she married a friend of her father, 56-year-old Louis de Brese, Great Seneschal of Normandy. And everyone was waiting for the 15-year-old beauty to make herself a lover. But she gave birth to her husband two daughters and flatly refused any extraneous courtship. And now, having moved from a carriage to a hardy horse, 26-year-old Diana indifferently listened to the compliments to her beauty exuded by the court helipads galloping on either side of her.
She just wondered to herself: really no one cares that tiny children will have to be taken hostage, who were guilty only by the fact that their reckless father-king wanted to fight.
By the morning of March 15, we finally reached the border river Bidassoa. It was here that the exchange of the king for the hostage princes was to take place. Squinting, Diana saw the barge sail from the Spanish coast. Everyone rejoiced: the king was on board. The children immediately began to hastily put into the barge from the French side. Everyone scurried around the Dauphin - last instructions and hugs. How - the future king.
Henry II in his youth
No one approached the tiny Heinrich. He stood alone, bravely holding back tears. Diana's heart ached. She rushed to the boy, pressed him to her chest and kissed him. " You have to hold on! She whispered. - We will wait for you!».
Then she learned that the Spaniards had thrown the children in jail. They were beaten and starved to death. At night, Diana dreamed of Henry with huge haunted eyes. And she began to pray for him as for her own child.
Only four years later, Francis I was able to ransom the princes. In honor of their return and the marriage of the king, a tournament was held. Francis and the Dauphin bowed to the new queen. But Henry bowed his banner to ... Diane Poitier. The court gasped: she is already 31 years old, and the prince is not yet twelve! But, apparently, they grow up quickly in captivity: the young knight won his duel.
And after 3 months the Grand Seneschal of Normandy Louis de Brese died. And Diana put on a widow's garment - black and white. Now this is her outfit for life ...
THE WEDDING NIGHT
In the summer of 1531, the courtyard drove around the Lois-re. In the famous rose garden of the Chenonceau castle, the king beckoned Diana to his place. She came up lightly and gracefully. The king was amazed - at the 32nd year of her life, Diana blooms like a young girl. After the death of her husband, she returned her maiden name, although she did not take off her mourning. But, damn it, how attractive this woman is in her black and white dress!
Bathing Diana. OK. 1550-1560
« The damned captivity acted too gloomily on Henry! - said the co-role. - He is only 13 years old, and he looks twice as old. But most importantly, in captivity, the boy forgot how to smile. But I saw how he looks at you ... A drop of live flirting - that's all I ask!»
Diana breathed in the scent of roses. A little bit of flirting - is that reprehensible? It's just a game of knight and a beautiful lady. Young Heinrich will present a rose to Diana. And she will dry it in her favorite volume of poetry ...
And now Heinrich scribbles enthusiastic sonnets and raises the standards of the black and white flowers of his lady of the heart. And at night Diana dreams of Henry. And in her sleep she forgets that she is already a widow and that her daughter Françoise is older than this strange young man.
Meanwhile, the king was carrying out his plans for his son. In 1533, a bride arrived from Italy - Duchess Eka-terina Medici, heiress of the richest banking house. The 14-year-old girl gazed adoringly at the handsome young groom. But how could she, ugly and short, kindle his conjugal passion?
The king understood this. And so he himself took the newlyweds into the bedroom and ordered: "Come on, children!" And he stood by the bed until the "children" became husband and wife.
Eka-terina Medici
But in the morning Diana found the "Knight of Henry" in the usual place at the door of her chambers. The young wife did not cure him of romantic sighs. On the contrary, once-hot on their wedding night, he looked at Diana with true passion.
What should she do? How to behave? Every evening Diana prayed: let Henry's heavy passion subside! Let both he and she find peace. And let it be possible to improve relations with Ekaterina, because this poor girl is Diana's distant relative. But, apparently, God did not hear her prayers. Or did God have other plans?
In August 1536, the king's eldest son died suddenly, and 17-year-old Henry became the heir to the Dauphin. Now he, to whom no one had paid any attention before, found himself in the center of palace life. A month later, the courtyard went to the castle of Ecuan to look at the famous stained glass windows about the love of Psyche and Cupid.
Henry II
It just so happened that Heinrich and Diana admired the stained-glass windows together. And, emboldened, the young man hugged Diana. She was embarrassed, but Heinrich whispered, as if in a fever: “ I survived captivity only to return to you!»
They stood at the door open to the garden. The moon shone overhead. And Diana thought: tomorrow the sun will rise, mercilessly illuminate their age difference. But as long as the moon is in the sky, can't they be happy?
That night, Diana realized for the first time that she had not yet truly loved. She respected the good old Seneschal, but there was no love. And so she came ...
ROYAL PASSION
Catherine despaired of waiting for Henry in the bedchamber. For how many years has she been married, the king-father-in-law is demanding an heir, but from where ?! Heinrich sticks out days and nights at the damned Diana!
Catherine de Medici
Suddenly the floorboard creaked. It can't be — Heinrich has come! " Oh darling, I hope I gave you pleasure? - He just sighed, fulfilling his marital duty. - Diana scolds me. Says I must visit you every night until you grant us an heir". Heinrich kissed his wife indifferently and left.
Ekaterina sobbed into her pillow. What a shame! The husband comes to her at the insistence of his mistress! .. How did this witch bewitched him? But it will not always be the top - time is running out! Soon Diana will grow old and wrinkle, and Catherine will blossom. No wonder the best healers, whom she gathered in the palace, prepare love potions and rubbing of rejuvenation for her. She will become a beauty! You just have to wait ...
Francis I
On January 19, 1544, in the 11th year of marriage, the first-born of Catherine and Henry was born. Of course, he was named after his grandfather - Francis. But the birth of a son did not change the habits of the "knight Diana". And she could not change: Catherine was just an imposed dynastic wife. Diana - with her whole life. Leaving her even for a day, Heinrich sent countless letters. And in these chaotic letters, the gloomy and uncommunicative Heinrich became a verbose and ardent romantic:
« I beg you to remember that I knew only one God and only one Friend ...», « Most of all in my life I want to try to become useful to you, because I cannot live long without seeing you ..."The answer to these letters was the motto that Diana took for herself:" Sola vivit in illo» — « I live only in it».
Chenonceau castle
It is not surprising that when Francis G died in 1547, the newly-minted King Henry II presented his favorite land, precious values and even the most luxurious castle on the banks of the Loire - the legendary Chenonceau. As if Diana, not Catherine, is the queen of France. But it was so: Diana did not own the country, but the heart of the king.
OLD PROPHECY
Diana woke up before Henry. He breathed peacefully beside him - young, beautiful. He lights up like that when he sees Diana naked. But she will soon turn 50. Then what? No magic can stop time. It is only eccentric Catherine who hopes for all sorts of healers, magicians, astrologers. By the way, - Diana rose on the bed - there are true wizards!
Alexander-Evariste Fragonard "Portrait of Henry II and Diane de Poitiers in Jean Goujon"
Artists, sculptors, poets - that's who can stop time and forever capture its beauty in poetry, canvases, sculptures! She will become the nymph of the royal palace of Fontainebleau and the patroness of art. Once at birth, the old magician guessed that a girl born in the fall of 1499 to Jean de Poitiers and who is called Diana would rule over everyone.
Excellent prophecy. But Diana did not aspire to power. But if the descendants call her a patroness and inspirer of arts and say that it was during the time of the beautiful Diana that the golden age of the French Renaissance began, this will become the pinnacle of her life.
Since then, it has become the custom. Diana invited the best architects to build new palaces and restore old ones; the best painters, so that they paint the vaults of these palaces, placing portraits on the walls of her, Diana; the best poets and musicians, so that they glorify her love with Heinrich.
Bedroom of the favorite of King Henry II, Diane de Poitiers
Well, the royal life was still "for three". Catherine gave birth regularly. Di-ana brought up royal offspring. Both women have always behaved within the bounds of decency. Until at the end of 1558 Yekaterina intervened in one political alignment that Henry and Diana started. Ah, this damn policy! ..
Diane de Poitiers in the costume of the patroness of the hunt
The king shouted at his wife. She, swallowing tears, pretended to take up the book. "What are you reading, madam?" - wanting to make up, asked Diana. And then the former quiet one exploded: “I read the history of France and see that here whores have always ruled kings! " Diana could not resist: " You shouldn't shout about whores, madam! And so everyone can see that your children bear little resemblance to Henry!»
The fireplace in the bedroom of Diane de Poitiers, ironically, above the fireplace is a portrait of the legal wife, Catherine de Medici.
This was an unfair accusation. And Diana knew this very well, but so she wanted to hit this not-grateful woman more painfully at least once. After all, how many times Henry wanted to divorce, but it was Diana who did not allow! And now the rivals were facing each other, hands on their hips, like bazaar tradesmen. They forgot that they had been good manners for 25 years for the sake of their only man. And now the stock of manners is over ...
Diana decided to leave the courtyard. Henry was horrified: "I can not be without you!“Indeed, for as long as he could remember, he could not live without her. What he said to his wife is a secret, but Eka-terina began to smile at her rival again. Delighted with the reconciliation, Heinrich decided to arrange a knightly tournament.
On the third day of the holiday, June 30, 1559, he rode out on a prancing stallion with the strange name Beda. The squire put a huge golden helmet on the monarch's head. Diana gasped. She suddenly remembered an old prophecy made by an old fortune teller. How did it start?
“The one who will be born in the autumn of 1499 and who will be called Diana… - and further - will save the snow head, and then lose the gold one. Both losing and gaining, she will shed many tears. But rejoice - she will rule everyone! "
And life has shown that the fortune-teller was not mistaken ...
In the fate of Diana, there really were a lot of joys and losses. And the "snow head" was found. When Diana was 25 years old, her dad, Jean de Poitiers, became embroiled in a conspiracy against King Francis. And only the intercession of the Brese couple saved the father's gray head from the chopping block. Diana saved the "snow head". But Diana did not meet the "golden head". But it was predicted to be lost. And here - Henry in a gilded helmet! ..
Diana screamed at her best: “ Stop, sire!"But the king has already rushed to the rival - the young captain Montgomery. After a few moments, they collided. The captain's spear snapped, but a piece of it, lifting the visor of the king's helmet, pierced right into Henry's eye.
The bleeding king was carried to the palace. In despair, Diana squeezed the handrail of the platform and repeated: “The one who will be called Diana will lose her golden head! ..” Ekaterina fainted. And when I came to my senses, I remembered the prediction of my astrologer Luka Goriko: “ The king must avoid bo-ev at 41 years of age". She also recalled the quatrain of the famous doctor and fortuneteller Nostradamus:
The young lion will overcome the old
On the battlefield, one on one.
In a golden cage it will gouge out his eyes,
And he will die a cruel death.
Well, how could such la-wine of prophecy not come true ?!
The Diana of Anet 1550-54
ROSES OF ETERNITY
« Due to the harmful influence, you are moving away from the yard!"- hissed, contemptuously looking at the favorite of his father, the new king of France Francis II. And Diana suddenly remembered how this eternally sick young man suffered from a terrible rash. Everyone was afraid to approach him, and only she had the courage to change his bandages. But she didn't even think about gratitude. Moreover, Catherine de Medici now stood behind the throne, having received the title of Queen Mother.
Finally, she managed to get rid of her rival. But it looks like it's too late ...
The next day after the coronation of her son, she, washing off the blush from her face, was horrified: she was only 40, and the mirror showed a wrinkled old woman. And no magic rubbing helps.
And Diana, who had gone to her castle, Ane, attracted the eyes of men even in her seventies. One day, the court writer Pierre Brantom asked her to reveal the secret of eternal youth.
« There is nothing surprising in this,- answered Diana. - I get up in the morning and take a cold bath. Then I mount a horse and gallop at full speed. At 8 I return and go to bed to rest a little. I have breakfast and lunch lightly, I drink goat's milk for dinner. But the main thing is this: every day you need to do something pleasant and fall asleep joyfully, without keeping heavy thoughts in your head.».
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Benvenuto Cellini. Tomb of Diana de Poitiers
On the night of April 25, 1566, Diane de Poitiers fell asleep, remembering her Henry with a smile. And I didn't wake up. In the church of Ane, a monument of white marble was erected to her, as a true ancient goddess.
And now, for the fifth century, on the day of her repose, mysterious admirers bring to this monument two white roses - one from themselves, the other from Henry. No wonder he once wrote to his beloved: “ My love will protect you from time and from death itself».
Elena Korovina
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