Anna of Lorraine was born on 25 July 1522 as the daughter of Antoine the Good, Duke of Lorraine and Renée of Bourbon-Montpensier. Not much is known of her youth.
On 22 August 1540, she married René of Châlon, Prince of Orange at Bar-le-Duc. They had one daughter together who was born in 1544 and was named Maria. Tragically, she lived for only for a few weeks. Maria was buried in the Grote Kerk in Breda. Not much later, René took part in the siege of St. Dizier in the service of Emperor Charles V and was killed. He was buried with Maria in Breda.
René had inherited the principality of Orange from his maternal uncle, but he left no surviving children, and in his last will, he left his possessions to the son of his father’s brother, William of Nassau-Dillenburg – later better known as William the Silent, Prince of Orange. Thus, the new Prince of Orange had no connection to the original House of Orange.
Anna was left a widow at the age of 22, and she remarried four years – on 9 July 1548 – to Philip II, Duke of Aarschot. They had one son together, who was born on 1 September 1549, but he would not know his father who had died in April 1549. After this, Anna did not remarry, and she devoted her life to her son’s education.
Anna died in Diest on 15 May 1568.
Anna of Lorraine seems like a decent and law-abiding lady who lived life as it came to her. It must have been horrible to have been left an young widow and then to lose her second husband as well. At least she had a son with her second husband.