Loading article…
Catherine of Bourbon (7 February 1559 – 13 February 1604) was a Navarrese princess regent. She was the daughter of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and King Antoine de Bourbon. She ruled the principality of Béarn in the name of her brother, King Henry III of Navarre, from 1576 until 1596.
Catherine was born on 7 February 1559 to Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and her husband and co-ruler, Antoine of Bourbon.[1] She was named after her godmother, the French queen Catherine de' Medici.
Jeanne converted to Calvinism a year after Catherine's birth and declared it the official religion of the Kingdom of Navarre. Antoine, conversely, remained a Catholic and turned against his wife and threatened to divorce her. He died fighting for the Catholic cause on 17 November 1562. Catherine was with her mother and elder brother, Henry, as they fought for the Protestant cause. The Queen died on 9 June 1572, and Catherine's custody was assigned to Catherine de' Medici and Charles IX. During the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Catherine and her brother were forced to convert to Catholicism. After the death of Charles IX in 1574, the new king, Henry III, considered marrying Catherine. She almost married James VI of Scotland, and her brother sent ambassadors to Edinburgh to advocate the marriage, including Claude de l'Isle, François de Civille, and Jérôme Groslot.[2][3]
Catherine's brother, successor of Queen Jeanne III, was generally absent from the principality. After his escape from captivity in 1576, he entrusted Catherine with the government of Béarn. She served almost continuously as regent until 1596, where among her other responsibilities, she, a staunch Protestant, hosted Antonio Perez, a famous Spanish Catholic refugee from King Philip II. After the accession of her brother Henry to the French throne in 1589, as Henry IV of France, she was created Duchess of Albret and Countess of Armagnac. Appointed by her brother to sit on his Council as a representative of French Protestant interests in 1598, she set about persuading the Huguenots to agree to the Edict of Nantes.
フランス国王アンリ4世とロレーヌ公シャルル3世の間で締結されたサンジェルマン・アン・レー条約の一環として、国王の妹カトリーヌがシャルルの長男アンリ・ド・ロレーヌ（1563年- 1624年）と結婚することが合意された。 [ 1 ]結婚協定は1598年7月13日に署名された。しかし、カトリーヌは敬虔なカルヴァン主義者であり、ローマ・カトリックへの改宗を拒否したが、夫は敬虔なカトリック教徒であり、かつては神聖同盟のメンバーであった。
そのため、二人が結婚するには教皇の許可が必要だったが、1598年12月29日、教皇クレメンス8世は結婚に反対を表明した。これに不満を抱いたアンリ4世は、ランス大司教を脅迫して結婚の許可を与えさせた。これは1599年1月31日にサン＝ジェルマン＝アン＝レーで行われた。アンリは最終的に教皇の同意を得た。1601年9月27日に甥が生まれるまで、彼女はナバラ王位の推定相続人であった。しかし、カトリーヌは結婚後まもなく、子供を残さずに亡くなった。彼女の夫は、マリー・ド・メディシス（アンリ4世の2番目の妻）の姪であるマルゲリータ・ゴンザーガと再婚した。