Henrietta Maria of France
| Queen Henrietta Maria, painted by Peter Lely, 1660. |
| |
Queen
Henrietta Maria (
November 25,
1609 –
September 10,
1669) was
Queen Consort of
England,
Scotland and
Ireland (
June 13,
1625 -
January 30,
1649) through her marriage to
Charles I. The
U.S. state of
Maryland (in
Latin, "Terra Mariae") was so named in her honour by
Cæcilius Calvert, son of
George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore[1]. Cape Henrietta Maria, at the western meeting of
James Bay and
Hudson Bay in
Northern Ontario, is also named for her.
Born as
Henriette-Marie de Bourbon, Princess of France, she was the youngest daughter of
Henry IV of France and
Maria of Medici and the sister of the future
Louis XIII of France. Her father was killed before she was one; her mother was banished in
1617.
She was born at the
Louvre Palace and brought up as a
Roman Catholic. This made her an unpopular choice of wife for the English King, whom she married by
proxy on
May 11 1625, shortly after his accession to the throne. They were married in person at
St Augustine's Church,
Canterbury, Kent, on
June 13 1626. However, her religion made it impossible for her to be crowned with her husband in an
Anglican service. Initially their relationship was cold. Henrietta Maria had brought many servants with her from France, all of them
Catholic, and all costing the King a lot of money to maintain. It is said that eventually Charles sent this retinue home, only allowing his teenage bride to retain her
chaplain and two ladies in waiting. Finding her sadly watching the retinue depart for France at the window of a palace, Charles angrily and forcibly dragged his wayward
queen away. Charles had intended to marry a daughter of
Philip III of Spain, but a mission to Spain in
1623 had failed. Every time the two would meet, they would start arguing, and would separate, not seeing each other for weeks. They would meet again, and have to separate again, because they could not stop arguing.
Henrietta Maria was not close to
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, the King's favourite. However, after Buckingham was murdered by
John Felton in August
1628, her relationship with the King improved and they finally found deep bonds of love and affection. Her refusal to give up her Catholic faith alienated her from many of the people and certain powerful courtiers such as
William Laud,
Archbishop of Canterbury and
Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. Charles, on the other hand, had definite leanings towards Catholicism, and, once he had reached maturity, did not share his father's sexual ambivalence.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|
| Charles James, Duke of Cornwall | 13 March, 1629 | 13 March, 1629 | Died young. No issue. |
| Charles II, King of England | 29 May, 1630 | 6 February, 1685 | Married Catherine of Braganza (1638 - 1705) in 1663. No issue. |
| James II, King of England | 14 October, 1633 | 16 September, 1701 | Married (1) Anne Hyde (1637 - 1671) in 1659. Had issue;
Married (2) Mary of Modena (1658 - 1718) in 1673. Had issue. |
| Henry, Duke of Gloucester | 8 July, 1640 | 18 September, 1660 | Died young. No issue. |
| Mary, Princess Royal | 4 November, 1631 | 24 December, 1660 | Married William II, Prince of Orange (1626 - 1650) in 1648. Had issue. |
| Elizabeth, Princess of England | 29 December, 1635 | 8 September, 1650 | Died young. No issue. |
| Anne, Princess of England | 17 March 1637 | 8 December 1640 | Died young. No issue. |
| Catherine, Princess of England | 29 January, 1639 | 29 January, 1639 | Died young. No issue. |
| Henrietta Anne, Princess of England | 16 June 1644 | 30 June 1670 | Married Philip I, Duke of Orléans (1640 - 1701) in 1661. Had issue |
Henrietta Maria increasingly took part in national affairs as the country moved towards open conflict through the
1630s. She allied with
Puritan courtiers to deflect a diplomatic approach to Spain and sought a coup to pre-empt the Parliamentarians. As
war approached she was active in seeking funds and support for her husband, but her concentration on Catholic sources like
Pope Urban VIII and the French angered many in England and hindered Charles' efforts.
In August
1642, when the conflict began, she was in
Europe. She continued to raise money for the Royalist cause, and did not return to England until early
1643. She landed at
Bridlington in
Yorkshire with troops and arms, and joined the Royalist forces in northern England, making her headquarters at
York. She remained with the army in the north for some months before rejoining the King at
Oxford. The collapse of the king's position following Scottish intervention on the side of Parliament, and his refusal to accept stringent terms for a settlement led her to flee to France with her sons in July
1644. Charles was executed in
1649, leaving her almost destitute.
She settled in Paris, appointing as her chancellor the eccentric Sir
Kenelm Digby. She angered both Royalists in exile and her eldest son by attempting to convert her youngest son, Henry, to Catholicism. She returned to England following the
Restoration in October
1660 and lived as 'Dowager Queen' at
Somerset House in London until
1665 when she returned permanently to France. Her financial problems were resolved by a generous pension. She founded a covent at Chaillot, where she settled.
Henrietta Maria died at Château de Colombes, and was buried in the royal tombs at
Saint Denis Basilica near
Paris.
*A short profile of her alongside other influential women of her age:http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1600.htm
