History knows many famous and great women. Among them are rulers, scientists, actresses, writers and amazing beauties. Margarita of Navarre did not accomplish great deeds, but many people know about her. In history, several representatives of the fair sex are known under this name. Today we will talk about the first wife of King Henry IV.
Childhood and youth
Margaret of Navarre belonged to the dynasty of French kings. She was the youngest child in the family. Her mother is the famous Queen of France and one of the most influential women in Europe of the 16th century - Catherine de Medici. Father - Henry II of Valois.
From childhood, Margarita was distinguished by beauty and charm. For this, she was called the pearl of France. She captivated not only with her good looks, but also with her wit. Clever beyond her years, the future queen studied literature, philosophy, medicine and spoke several languages: ancient Greek, Italian, Spanish.
Marriage
Parents predicted one of several contenders for Margaret's husband: the King of Portugal, the Spanish heir and the futureKing of Navarre. Rumors about the windiness of the bride destroyed the matrimonial plans with Spain and Portugal, and Margarita was married to Henry of Bourbon. The marriage was a forced political union, and there was no talk of any feelings of the newlyweds.
XVI century in France - the time of struggle between Protestants and Catholics. Two years before her marriage, Marguerite de Valois began a serious affair with Duke Henry de Guise. She was ready to marry him, but her parents forbade even thinking about this marriage. This marriage could upset the delicate balance between the two opposing groups, since the duke was the unspoken head of the Catholics in France.
In 1572, nineteen-year-old Margaret became the wife of Henry of Navarre, one of the leaders of the Protestants (Huguenots). He was 18 at the time.
Blood Wedding
Many Huguenots arrived in Paris for the celebration, including their leaders. This was taken advantage of by Heinrich de Guise and his supporters. The event that took place on August 24, 1572, went down in history as St. Bartholomew's night, when Catholics attacked and killed Protestants who had come to the wedding. Historians believe that Catherine de Medici was the inspirer and organizer of this massacre. Apparently, Margarita of Navarre, whose biography is full of tragic and terrible events, was unaware of the plans of her mother and de Guise. Some researchers are even sure that the Queen of France hoped that her daughter would die with Henry, and this would give her additional trump cards in the fight againsthated Huguenots. But Margarita showed amazing courage and composure. She did not allow her husband to be killed, refusing to divorce him, as the family insisted. The Queen of Navarre also saved some of his people. Whatever their relationship was later, Henry IV never forgot to whom he owed salvation on that terrible night.
Margarita - Queen of Navarre: life under supervision
After the events of August 24, Henry was forced to flee Paris. Margarita remained virtually a hostage to her own family. She was suspected of helping her husband escape. And it was true. Only after 6 years she was able to reunite with her husband, when a temporary peace was concluded between Protestants and Catholics. Until 1582 she lived in Navarre, where she created a brilliant court. At the insistence of her mother, she returned to Paris, but after a quarrel with King Henry III, who believed that she was busy with herself and did little to help her family in political affairs, Margaret went to Navarre to her husband. But Henry was already infatuated with another, and the queen was out of work.
She went to her county, to Agen. Marguerite of Navarre again began a relationship with the Duke of Guise and took part in intrigues against her husband and brother, King Henry III. She spent the next 18 years in the castle of Usson, in which at first she was a prisoner for a short time. With the help of the Duke of Guise, she gained her freedom and became the mistress of the fortress.
Divorce from Henry IV and the last years of life
In 1584, Henry IV was crowned in Chartres Cathedral. Afterquarrels with Margarita in 1585, their relationship was actually broken. A childless king had to take care of an heir. For a large compensation, he achieved a divorce in 1599. Despite the fact that the relationship between Margarita and Henry in marriage was difficult, after his death, the Queen of Navarre (this title was left to her) supported the second wife of her ex-husband, Maria Medici.
Margarita of Navarre, whose biography is extremely interesting, died in 1615 at an advanced age. She spent her last years in Paris and remained an active participant in the political life of France until the end.
Margarita of Navarre and her image in art
During her lifetime, she captivated with her beauty and wit, after her death, the biography of an amazing woman became the inspiration for many works of art. Marguerite of Navarre (Margot) became the central character in the novel by Alexandre Dumas Sr. Her appearance here is highly romanticized, many biography facts are distorted to suit the writer's creative intent or simply invented. But the image turned out to be unusually whole and alive. "Queen Margot" is rightfully considered one of the best novels by Dumas.
