Filippa Duci
Italian courtesan, mistress of French King Henry II
Filippa Duci | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1520 Moncalieri, Duchy of Savoy |
| Died | 1586 Tours, Kingdom of France |
| Nationality (legal) | Italian (Piedmontese) |
| Known for | Courtesan |
| Spouse | Jean Bernardin de Saint-Severin. |
| Partner | Henry II of France |
| Children | Diane de France |
Filippa Duci or Filippa Ducci (French: Philippe Desducs; 1520, Moncalieri, Piedmont – before October 1586, near Tours),[1] dame de Couy, was a French (originally Italian) courtesan. She was the mother of Diane de France.[2]
Life
Her father was Gian Antonio Duci. During the Italian Wars in 1537,[3] the French dauphin Henry (later Henry II of France) stayed with a squire, Filippa's brother, Gian Antonio Duci.[4] Henry was seduced by Filippa on first sight, and she became his mistress.[5] When Henri heard Duci was pregnant, he arranged for her to be maintained until she gave birth.[6] Duci gave birth to their daughter, Diane de France, in Paris in 1538.[2] This proved that Henry was not sterile;[7] he had been married to Catherine de Médici, yet had still not produced an heir due to urological problems.[8] The baby was named Diane after Henry's love, his mistress Diane de Poitiers,[9] who raised the child along with her own two children.[10]
In 1541, Francis I of France granted Duci 400 livres tournois a year for life in an Ordinaire de Touraine and allowed her to retire to a convent.[11] She married the Italian gentleman and privy councillor Jean Bernardin de Saint-Severin in 1546.[1] After Diane was legitimized, Filippa was known as dame de Bléré en Touraine.[1] In 1582, she became a lady in waiting to queen dowager Catherine de Médici.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Filippa Duci, première maitresse d'Henri II - Les Favorites Royales". favoritesroyales (in French). 20 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ a b Kent 2005, pp. 182–183.
- ^ "Filippa Duci et autres "amourettes" de Henri II". roisetreines.e-monsite.com (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ Kent 2005, p. 181.
- ^ Marshall 2006, p. 74.
- ^ "Les Valois". chrisagde.free.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ Kent 2005, p. 182.
- ^ Jennifer Gordtesky; Ronald Rabinowitz; Jeanne O'Brien. "The "infertility" of Catherine de Medici and its influence on 16th century France" (PDF). Department of Urology - University of Rochester. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ Stedall 2012, p. 52.
- ^ Carroll 2010.
- ^ Frieda 2018.
Bibliography
- Carroll, Leslie (2010). Notorious Royal Marriages: A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire. Penguin. ISBN 9781101159774.
- Frieda, Leonie (2018). Francis I: The Maker of Modern France. Orion. ISBN 9781474605588.
- Kent, Princess Michael of (2005). The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743251068.
- Marshall, Rosalind Kay (2006). Queen Mary's Women: Female Relatives, Servants, Friends and Enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots. John Donald. ISBN 9780859766678.
- Stedall, Robert (2012). The Challenge to the Crown: Volume I: The Struggle for Influence in the Reign of Mary Queen of Scots 1542-1567. Book Guild Publishing. ISBN 9781846246463.
