Marie de Clèves

Marie de Clèves 1553-1575 (Also found as Marie de Nevers) was the Princess of Condé and Countess de Beaufort. She was born the daughter of Francois I de Clèves, Duke of Nevers and Marie of Albret.

In 1574 she married Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, Duc d'Enghien.

Known for her beauty, Marie caught the eye of the young Henry, Duke of Anjou, the future Henry III of France, sometime before 1574. Upon ascending the throne later that year, Henry intended to procure Marie a divorce from her husband and marry her himself. However Marie would die before he could implement his plan. Sources vary on her cause of death but it is given as either a lung infection or complications from childbirth as Marie had recently given birth to her and Henri's first child, Catherine (1574-1595), Marquise d'Isles.

Henri would go on to remarry Charlotte de la Tremouille (1568−1629) while the now King Henry III would mourn for several months, and eventually marry Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont who greatly resembled Marie.

References

www.guide2womenleaders.com [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1570.htm]