Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici were married on 28 October 1533, and their marriage produced ten children. Henry and Catherine became the ancestors of monarchs of several countries.
Background, pedigree and family ties Both Henry and Catherine were from distinguished families and had notable people in their respective family trees.
Henry II of France Henry's father was Francis I of France, the patron of Leonardo da Vinci and a member of the Valois-Angoulême branch of the House of Valois. His maternal grandfather was Louis XII of France, the conqueror of the Neapolitan Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan. Both Kings of France were descendants (in the male line) of Charles V, King of France, and as such represented, as the only extant line of the House of Valois, the descent of Charles, Count of Valois, fourth son of King Philip III of France, from the House of Capet.
Henry's maternal grandmother was Anne of Brittany, the defiant Duchess Regent of Brittany and Queen of France twice over. Her grandmother was Eleanor of Navarre, the daughter of John II of Aragon and half-sister of Ferdinand II of Aragon. Therefore, this made Henry a distant half-cousin of his son-in-law Philip II of Spain. This also made him a second cousin once-removed of his other son-in-law, Henry IV of France, who was also a distant cousin through their common male-line ancestor, St. Louis of France.
Catherine de' Medici Catherine's father and grandfather were Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino and Piero the Unfortunate, respectively. The latter was a son of Lorenzo il Magnifico, the great Renaissance ruler of Florence. This made Catherine a scion of the illustrious House of Medici. Also her guardian till her marriage was Pope Clement VII, formerly Giulio De'Medici, illegitimate son of Giuliano De'Medici, brother of Lorenzo il Magnifico. Therefore, from her father's side, Catherine had high Italian ancestry.
Her mother was from the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, her father being the last Count of Boulogne from the aforementioned House. Her maternal grandmother Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendôme was a direct patrilineal descendant of Louis, the first duke of Bourbon. This made Catherine a direct descendant of Louis IX of France, and of the House of Capet, albeit through a female line. Also this made her a 7th cousin, once removed of her husband Henry and a 6th cousin, 3 times removed of Henri of Navarre, her son-in-law.
Ultimately both Henry and Medici, through Louis IX and the House of Capet, descended from Hugues Capet, the King of the Franks.
Children During their marriage, the royal couple faced health problems with their children: their fourth child, Louis, died when he was a baby and Catherine almost died giving birth to her youngest children, twins, Jeanne and Victoire. After their birth, the doctors told Henry and Catherine that their marriage should not produce more children.
The following table lists all the children of Henry and Catherine.
Name Portrait Birth Death Marriages and Issue/NotesFrancis II, King of France19 January 15445 December 1560Married Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) on 24 April 1558. No issue.Elizabeth of France2 April 15453 October 1568Married Philip II, King of Spain (1527–1598) on 22 June 1559. They had six children but only two daughters survived. Claude of France12 November 154721 February 1575Married Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (1543–1608) on 19 January 1559. They had nine children. Louis, Duke of Orléans3 February 154924 October 1550 Died young; no issue.Charles IX, King of France27 June 155030 May 1574Married Elizabeth of Austria (1554–1592) on 26 November 1570. Had one legitimate daughter (the only Valois grandchild of his parents) who died young.Henry III, King of France19 September 15512 August 1589Married Louise of Lorraine on 15 February 1575. Had no issue. Briefly King of Poland in 1574.Margaret of France14 May 155327 March 1615Known as "Queen Margot". Married Henry IV, King of France on 18 August 1572 and divorced on 17 December 1599. No issue.Hercules, Duke of Anjou18 March 155519 June 1584Later known as Francis, Duke of Alençon and Anjou. No issue.Victoire of France24 June 155617 August 1556 Died youngJeanne of France24 June 155624 June 1556 Stillborn
Descendants of Elizabeth of Valois
Progeny of Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain Name of Descendant Portrait Birth Marriages and Issue Death Miscellaneous Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain12 August 1566, Daughter of Elisabeth of Valois and Philip II of SpainAlbert VII, Archduke of AustriaNo surviving Issue1 December 1633 co-sovereigns of the Spanish Netherlands
Progeny of Catherine Michaela of Spain Name of Descendant Portrait Birth Marriages and Issue Death Miscellaneous Catherine Michaela of Spain10 October 1567, Daughter of Elisabeth of Valois and Philip II of SpainCharles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy 10 children6 November 1597Philip Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont2 April 1586, Son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michaela of SpainUnmarried, No issue9 February 1605Isabella of Savoy11 March 1591, Daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michaela of SpainAlfonso III d'Este14 children28 August 1626Francesco I d'Este6 September 1610, Son of Alfonso III d'Este and Isabella of SavoyMaria Caterina Farnese Vittoria FarneseLucrezia Barberini
6 children14 October 1658Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio2 February 1634, Son of Francesco I d'Este and Maria Caterina FarneseLaura Martinozzi 2 children16 July 1662 Isabella d'Este, Duchess of Parma3 October 1635, Daughter of Francesco I d'Este and Maria Caterina FarneseRanuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma 3 children21 August 1666Eleonora d'Este2 January 1643, Daughter of Francesco I d'Este and Maria Caterina FarneseBecame a Carmelite nun; No issue24 February 1722Maria d'Este, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza8 December 1644, Daughter of Francesco I d'Este and Maria Caterina FarneseRanuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma 7 children20 August 1684Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio 26 April 1655, Son of Francesco I d'Este and Lucrezia BarberiniCharlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg 8 children26 October 1737Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy8 May 1587, Son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michaela of SpainChristine Marie of France8 children7 October 1637Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy27 July 1629, Daughter of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of FrancePrince Maurice of Savoy No issue12 May 1692Her husband was her uncle, he was her fathers younger brotherCharles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy20 June 1634, Son of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of FranceFrançoise Madeleine d'Orléans No issueMarie Jeanne of Savoy1 child12 June 1675Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia14 May 1666, Son of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy and Marie Jeanne of SavoyAnne Marie d'OrléansAnna Teresa Canalis di Cumiana8 children31 October 1732Maria Vittoria of Savoy, Princess of Carignano9 February 1690, illegitimate Daughter of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de LuynesVictor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignan 5 children8 July 1766Vittorio Francesco, Marquis of Susa10 December 1694, illegitimate Son of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de LuynesMaria Lucrezia Franchi No issue20 March 1762Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy6 November 1636, Daughter of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of FranceFerdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria4 children18 March 1676Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria28 November 1660, Daughter of Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and Ferdinand Maria, Elector of BavariaLouis, Dauphin of France3 children20 April 1690Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria11 July 1662, Son of Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and Ferdinand Maria, Elector of BavariaMaria Antonia of AustriaTheresa Kunegunda Sobieska5 children26 February 1726Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Viceroy of Sicily16 April 1588, Son of Catherine Michaela of Spain and Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of SavoyUnmarried, No issue4 August 1624Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal28 April 1589, Daughter of Catherine Michaela of Spain and Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua1 child26 June 1655Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of Montferrat29 July 1609, Daughter of Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal and Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of MantuaCharles II Gonzaga2 children14 August 1660Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat31 October 1629, Son of Charles II Gonzaga and Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of MontferratArchduchess Isabella Clara of Austria 1 child30 August 1631Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat14 August 1665, Son of Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat and Archduchess Isabella Clara of AustriaAnna Isabella Gonzaga Suzanne Henriette of Lorraine
No issue5 July 1708Eleanor Gonzaga18 November 1630, Daughter Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of Montferrat and Charles II Gonzaga Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor2 children6 December 1686Eleonora Maria of Austria, Queen of Poland, Duchess of Lorraine31 May 1653, Daughter of Eleanor Gonzaga and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman EmperorMichał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Charles V, Duke of Lorraine2 children 17 Dec 1697Husband = Charles V, Duke of Lorraine under Progeny of Henry II, Duke of LorraineLeopold the Good, Duke of Lorraine11 September 1679, Son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine and Eleonora Maria of AustriaÉlisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans 14 children27 March 1729 Charles Joseph of Lorraine, Bishop of Olomouc24 November 1680, Son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine and Eleonora Maria of AustriaNo issue4 December 1715Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria20 December 1654, Daughter of Eleanor Gonzaga and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman EmperorJohann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine 2 children, both died in infancy4 April 1689Prince Maurice of SavoySon of Catherine Michaela of Spain and Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of SavoyPrincess Luisa Cristina of Savoy No issue3 October 1657His wife was his niece, the daughter of his brother Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine of FranceThomas Francis, Prince of Carignano21 December 1596, Son of Catherine Michaela of Spain and Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of SavoyMarie de Bourbon, Countess of Soissons7 children22 January 1656Princess Louise of Savoy1 August 1627, Daughter of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano and Marie de Bourbon, Countess of SoissonsFerdinand Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Baden 1 child7 July 1689Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano20 August 1628, Son of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano and Marie de Bourbon, Countess of SoissonsMaria Angela Caterina d'Este 4 children23 April 1709Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons2 March 1635, Son of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano and Marie de Bourbon, Countess of SoissonsOlimpia Mancini 8 children6 June 1673
Descendants of Claude of Valois
Progeny of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine Name Portrait Birth and Parents Marriages and Issue Death MiscellaneousHenry II, Duke of Lorraine8 November 1563, Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of LorraineCatherine of Navarre, Duchess of LorraineMargerita Gonzaga2 children31 July 1621Nicolette of Lorraine 3 October 1608, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita GonzagaCharles IV, Duke of LorraineNo Issue 2 February 1657Claude-Françoise of Lorraine 6 October 1612, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita GonzagaNicholas II, Duke of Lorraine5 children 2 August 1648Charles V, Duke of Lorraine3 April 1643, Son of Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine and Claude-Françoise of LorraineEleonore Maria of Austria 2 childrenHis wife = the Elenore under Progeny of Catherine Michaela of SpainAnne-Marie-Thérèse of Lorraine30 July 1648, Daughter of Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine and Claude-Françoise of LorraineBecame a nun; No issue17 June 1661
Progeny of Christine of Lorraine