Christina of Denmark – So great a lady (Part four)




christina of denmark
(public domain)

Read part three here.

Unfortunately, by April 1545, Francis was seriously ill again. Some were convinced he had been poisoned, but he was well enough to make his entry into Nancy on 16 April. On the advice of his physicians, he went to Blamont, where the air was better. However, he grew weaker by the day and suffered frequent fainting fits. On 12 May, Christina gave birth to a second daughter, who she named after her sister, Dorothea. The stress over her husband’s health was said to have affected the baby’s health, and she was a “cripple” from birth.1 At the end of May, Francis was carried in a litter to Remiremont, his favourite shooting lodge. He made his will, in which he appointed Christina regent for their son and guardian of their children. He then received the sacraments and died on 12 June 1545. His reign had lasted just one year, and Christina was now a widow again at the age of 23.

Christina’s sole regency was immediately challenged by her brother-in-law, and they eventually agreed to be joint regents. Christina settled into the ducal palace at Nancy, where her sister-in-law, the widowed Princess of Orange, spent a lot of time with her. Soon, there were rumours that Christina was to marry again to Claude of Guise, Duke of Aumale. However, Christina was determined not to marry again. She took on the motto Accipio nullas sordida turris aves (A ruined tower, I gave shelter to no birds), and her device was a solitary tower with doves circling barred windows.

By 1551, there was the threat of a French invasion. Christina anxiously awaited the events as they unfolded and began to fear for her son’s future. Despite having the Holy Roman Emperor as her uncle, there was little he could do. His armies were busy defending the Low Countries. Desperate, Christina sought an audience with King Henry II of France in April 1552. She asked him to take her son into his protection and reminded him of the family bonds – her son’s grandmother was a Princess of the blood – Renée of Bourbon. She then pleaded her case and told him that she had been slandered. One observer wrote, “So great a lady must have been very reluctant to plead so humbly, and I doubt if she would ever have taken a step so contrary to her natural inclination if her uncle had been able to give her help.”2 He replied that he held no ill-will against her but that he needed to protect the borders. He even alluded to a match between his daughter, Claude, and her son.

In the end, the French invaded and King Henry entered Nancy at the head of his army in April. She received him graciously, but she was informed the following day that she was relieved of the regency and that her son was to leave. She drew up a protest, dressed in a black gown and a white veil and threw herself at the French King’s feet. She did not want to be separated from her son, but her protest went unheard. Many tears were shed as they said their goodbyes.

Christina later wrote to her aunt Mary, “The extreme grief and distress which the King’s violence has caused me prevent me from writing to you fully as the occasion requires.[..]Now, in reward for the good cheer which I made him, he has carried off my son by force, with a violence which could not have been great if I had been a slave. Not content with this, he has deprived me of the chief part of my authority so that I can hardly remain here with honour and reputation, and, what is worse, I shall no longer have the power of doing Your Majesty service.”3 Even her sister-in-law wrote to Mary about the horrible situation in which Christina had been placed.

Christina, her two daughters, and her sister-in-law headed to Blamont to remain for the time being as they waited out the events. When the French King arrived after a few days, they went to Deneuvre to avoid meeting him. The events had strained Christina’s health, and she became seriously ill. The campaign went on, and when Christina was found to have written a cypher letter, King Henry ordered her to leave Lorraine altogether. She found refuge in Alsace, and her aunt Mary begged her to come to Flanders. Travelling to Flanders would be no easy task.

Instead, Christina and her daughters found a place to stay with her sister Dorothea at Heidelberg, at least until the end of 1552. In early 1553, she was finally able to travel to Brussels and moved into the rooms she had lived in before her marriage to Francis. She received regular updates from her son, but she wanted nothing more than to be reunited with him. She would have to wait for quite a while.

In 1556, Christina’s aunt Mary retired with her brother Charles to Spain, and Christina found that Brussels just wasn’t the same without her. Peace had finally been signed, and she hoped to be able to return to Lorraine.

In May 1558, Christina’s wish finally came true. Shortly after the wedding celebrations for Mary, Queen of Scots and the Dauphin, a meeting was arranged between Christina and her son. She travelled to Cambray with her daughters and sister-in-law and met with Charles on the 15th. Upon arrival, Charles jumped from his horse and rushed into his mother’s arms. Christina burst into tears and was unable to speak for several minutes. His marriage to Princess Claude had been set for the following spring, and he talked about how well he had been treated at the French court. They spent two days together before he returned to court.

Read part five here.

  1. Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522-1590 by Julia Cartwright p.160
  2. Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522-1590 by Julia Cartwright p.190
  3. Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522-1590 by Julia Cartwright p.193






About Moniek Bloks 2905 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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