Cat's Historical Doodles

Anne (Breton: Anna) was born on 25 or 26 January 1477, in Nantes; she was the eldest daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany, and his second wife, Margaret of Foix. She had a younger sister, Isabelle. Margaret died when Anne was little, and Francis died when Anne was 11 years old. It is likely that Anne learned to read and write in French, and perhaps a little Latin. She was also taught music, dance, and singing. In this period, the law of succession was unclear, but prior to the Breton War of Succession (1341-1365) mainly operated according to semi-Salic Law: women could inherit but only if the male line had died out. The Treaty of Guérande (1365), however, stated that in the absence of a male heir from the House of Monfort, the heirs of Joanna of Penthièvre would succeed. By the time Anne was born, her father was the only male from the House of Monfort, and the Penthièvre heir was a female who had sold her rights over Brittany to King Louis XI of France. The lack of a...

Catherine was born on 27 October 1401, in Paris. She was the youngest daughter of King Charles VI of France and his wife, Isabeau of Bavaria. While it has been suggested that Catherine was neglected as a child by her mother, a more modern examination of the evidence suggests otherwise. According to the financial accounts of Isabeau, toys were purchased, religious texts were provided, and Catherine was sent to a convent to receive a religious education. Early on, there had been a discussion of marrying her to Henry, son of King Henry IV of England, but the King died before negotiations could begin. In 1414, however, the now King Henry V reopened the discussion of the match. Henry V went to war with France, and even after the English victory at Agincourt, plans for the marriage continued. Catherine was said to be very beautiful and when Henry finally met her at Meulan, he became enamoured. In May 1420, a peace agreement was signed (the Treaty of Troyes) and Charles VI of Fran...

Françoise was born on 27 November 1635. Her father was the Huguenot Constant d’Aubigné, who was incarcerated for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu; her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of Constant’s jailer. Jeanne had her daughter baptised in her own Catholic faith. In 1639, Françoise’s father was released from prison, and went with his family to the island of Martinique. Jeanne was a strict mother and gave her children a Protestant education. Constant returned to France, leaving behind his wife and children; Jeanne was forever trying to be “mother and father” to her children. In 1647, she returned to France to join her husband. Within months of the return, Constant died, and Françoise went to the care of Madame de Villette, her father’s sister. The de Villettes were wealthy and took good care of Françoise, but they were ardent Protestants and continued to school Françoise in their beliefs. When this became known, an order was issued that Françoise had to be edu...

Anne was born on 3 April 1461, in Brabant. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis XI of France and his wife, Charlotte of Savoy. She had two siblings: Charles and Jeanne. Initially, Anne was betrothed to Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine. She was created Viscountess of Thouars in 1468 (Anne was just 7!) in anticipation of the marriage, but Nicholas broke the engagement to pursue Marie, Duchess of Burgundy. Nicholas died unexpectedly in 1473 and Anne ended up marrying Peter of Bourbon on 3 November of that year; she took up rule of the Beaujolais at that time. Anne was just 12 years old. During the minority of Anne’s brother, Charles VIII of France, she and her husband held the regency of France between1483 and 1491. Anne’s regency overcame many difficulties, like the unrest among the magnates who suffered under Louis XI’s oppression. Together, Peter and Anne managed to maintain the royal authority and the unity of the Kingdom against the Orléans party. Concessions were made,...

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna was born on 2 November 1755 at the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna. She was the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, and her husband Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Antonia was raised together with her three-year old sister, Maria Carolina, with whom she had a lifelong close relationship. Despite the private tutoring she received, the results of Maria Antonia’s schooling were less than satisfactory. At the age of ten, she could not write correctly in German, French and Italian, and conversations with her were stilted. She was, however, a good musician. She played the harp, the harpsichord and the flute, and she had a beautiful singing voice. Following the Seven Years’ War and the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756, Maria Theresa decided to end hostilities with King Louis XV of France. They sealed their alliance with a marriage: on 7 February 1770, Louis XV requested the hand of Maria Antonia for his eldest son and heir, Louis-Auguste. Upon her a...

Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska was born on 23 June 1703, in Trzebnica; she was the second daughter of Stanislaw I Leszczy ń ski and his wife, Catherine Opali ń ska. She had an older sister, Anna, who died in 1717. She was born the year before her father was made King of Poland by Charles XII of Sweden, who had invaded the country in 1704. In 1709, her father was deposed, and the family was granted refuge by the King of Sweden in the city of Kristianstad. In Sweden, they were welcomed by the dowager queen Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, and became popular members of society life. During this period of her life, Maria began speaking Swedish and later, as Queen of France, she was known to welcome Swedish ambassadors with the phrase Welcome, dearest heart! in Swedish. In 1714, the King of Sweden gave them permission to live in his fiefdom of Zweibrücken, where they were supported by the income of the fiefdom. They lived there until Charles XII died in 1718 and Z...

Marie was born on 22 November 1515, at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine; she was the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, and his wife, Antoinette de Bourbon. When Marie was 5, she joined her grandmother Philippa of Guelders in the convent of the Poor Clares at Pont-à-Mousson. Her uncle Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, and her aunt Renée of Bourbon visited when Marie was about 14 years old. Impressed by her qualities and stature, they took her away and prepared her for life at the French court. In 1531, Marie made her first appearance there, at the marriage between Francis I of France and Eleanor of Austria. She established a friendship with the King's daughters, Madeleine and Margaret. On 4 August 1534, Marie became Duchess of Longueville when she married Louis II d'Orléans; she was 18 years old. Their union was happy but, unfortunately, brief. On 30 October 1535, Marie gave birth to her first son, Francis. On 9 June 1537, sadly, Louis died and left Marie a widow at ...