Catherine de Clèves known as also Catherine of Nevers , born in 1548 and died in Paris (France) the May 11th 1633, is the girl of François I {{er}} of Clèves, duke of Nevers, count de Rethel and count of Have, and Marguerite de Bourbon, older sister of Antoine of Bourbon. Catherine is thus the German cousin of Henri IV. She is also the sister of Henriette de Clèves and Marie de Clèves.
Biography
After a first marriage, in 1560 with the prince of Castle-Porcien, Antoine de Croy, died in 1567, Catherine de Clèves married the very famous and very powerful duke of Own way, Henri of Lorraine known as the Gash . Catherine become thus duchess of Own way, will give to her husband more than one ten children. The king Henri III called it the mistress of Saint Megrin , to refer to an adventure in love with Catherine who finished badly, the duke of Own way having made kill the importunate one.Catherine never forgave to the king the assassination of her husband with Blois in 1588. She took party savagely, with the Ligue, against Henri III of which she approved the assassination. Duchess of Own way, Catherine tried to emphasize her son Charles, become duke of Own way with died of her father. She in vain supported the candidature of Charles for the crown of France in 1593. She joined with Henri IV only when this one converts with the Catholic religion into 1593.
Catherine de Clèves was thereafter, the first lady-in-waiting of Marie de Médicis, wife of Henri IV. During the disorders of regency, she advised with her Charles son not to take part in risings peerage-books. The Own way were thus one of the firmest supports of the government of Marie de Médicis. Consequently, when Louis XIII seized the power, Catherine de Clèves shared the exile of this one in Blois.
Returned later at the court, Catherine de Clèves continued in spite of her age to defend the interests of the Maison of Own way. The lowering of Large by Richelieu, and the death of his/her daughter the princess of Conti Louise Marguerite, in 1631, carried a very hard blow to him. Catherine withdrew herself then with the castle of Have where she died at the 85 years age. She had made constuire there a sumptuous tomb for her and her late husband.
Marriage and children
Of Henri the Gash, duke of Own way, it had:- Charles I {{er}} (1571 † 1640), duke of Own way
- Henri (1572 † 1574)
- Catherine (1573 † 1573)
- Louis (1575 † 1621), cardinal of Own way, archbishop of Rheims
- Charles (1576 † 1576)
- Marie (1577 † 1582)
- Claude (1578 † 1657), duke of Chevreuse
- Catherine (1579 young †)
- Christine (1580 † 1580)
- François (1581 † 1582)
- Renee (1585 † 1626), abbess of Saint-Pierre with Rheims
- Jeanne (1586 † 1638), abbess of Jouarre
- Louise Marguerite (1588 † 1631), married in 1605 with François de Bourbon (1558 † 1614), prince de Conti
- François Alexandre (1589 † 1614)
Literary inspirations
The character of Catherine de Clèves inspired by works like- Henri III and his court, play of Alexandre Dumas, (1829)
- Fortune of France, the series of Robert Merle in particular in the volume VI and VII (Volte of Vertugadins) where it is one of the main characters.
External bonds
- the castle of Have from which construction began about 1575, on the initiative of Catherine de Clèves and Henri de Guise
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