The love-affairs of the Condés (1530-1740)Williams, H. Noel (Hugh Noel)
History
The love-affairs of the Condés (1530-1740)
Williams, H. Noel (Hugh Noel)
Conde family; France -- History -- Bourbons, 1589-1789
“Si qu’au premier abord, chacun étoit en peine
S’il voyoit un roi femme ou bien un homme reine.”
[99] The Duc d’Aumale (“Histoire des Princes de Condé”) asserts that he
was also compromised by the confessions of La Môle, but, in justice to
that unfortunate gentleman, we must observe that such was not the case.
La Môle, though most horribly tortured, exhibited remarkable fortitude,
and compromised no one, with the exception of Guillaume de Montmorency,
who had already compromised himself by taking to flight.
[100] Catherine de Bourbon, Marquise d’Isles. She died unmarried in
1592.
[101] Daughter of Nicolas, Comte de Vaudémont, and Marguerite d’Egmont.
[102] It was on the occasion of his marriage that his Majesty made
another attempt to provide Mlle. de Châteauneuf with a husband. This
time, however, he flew at much higher game than a provost of Paris,
his vassal, François de Luxembourg, being his quarry. Luxembourg had
been a suitor for the hand of Louise de Lorraine, and his addresses
had been very favourably received by the lady, until the appearance
of the King of France in the field had put an end to his hopes. The
prince had attended the _Sacre_ and the marriage, and, a day or
two after the latter ceremony, his suzerain drew him aside and said:
“Cousin, I have married your mistress; but I desire that, in exchange,
you should marry mine.” And he offered him the hand of Mlle. de
Châteauneuf. Luxembourg, making, very naturally, a distinction between
the two senses attached to the word “mistress,” thanked the King for
his thoughtfulness, but begged him to give him time to think the matter
over. “I desire,” replied his Majesty, “that you should espouse her
immediately.” The unfortunate prince then “begged very humbly that the
King would grant him a week’s respite.” To which the King answered that
he would give him three days only, at the expiration of which, if he
were not prepared to marry the damsel, something exceedingly unpleasant
would probably befall him. Before another day had dawned, Luxembourg
was riding for the frontier as hard as his horse could gallop.
Soon after this episode, Mlle. de Châteauneuf was expelled both from
Catherine’s squadron and the Court, for impertinence towards the
young Queen. Having thus fallen into disgrace, she condescended to
espouse a Florentine named Antinoti, who was intendant of the galleys
at Marseilles. The marriage, however, had a tragic termination,
for, “having detected him in a compromising situation with another
demoiselle, she stabbed him bravely and manfully with her own hand.”
Shortly afterwards, she married another Florentine, Alloviti by name,
who called himself the Baron de Castellane; but, a few months later,
the baron was killed in a brawl by Henri d’Angoulême, Grand Prior of
France, a natural son of Henri II., by Mary Stuart’s governess, Lady
Fleming, though not before he had succeeded in mortally wounding his
antagonist.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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