HENRIETTA MARIA, QUEEN-CONSORT OF CHARLES THE FIRST, KING OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. CHAPTER I. Henriette Marie, princess of France-Youngest daughter of Henry IV. and Marie de Medicis Baptism - Present at her mother's coronation-Assassination of her father-Infancy-Education-First lover-Charles, prince of Wales, visits Paris- Henrietta regrets his engagement to the Infanta - It is broken- The prince proposes for the princess Henriette - She borrows his picture-Ambassador's letters on her beauty and graces-Pope Urban objects to Henriette's marriage-Accession of Charles I.-His marriage with the princess Henriette - Her splendid progress to England-Farewell letter of her mother-Queen's interview with Charles I. at Dover-Remarried at Canterbury-Enters London by the Thames-Residence at Hampton Court-Queen's alleged penances-Dismissal of her confessor-Court at Whitehall-Description of the queen's person-Jealousies regarding her French household-Differences between the king and queen-Her bigotry. -Refuses to be crowned Her angry dialogue with the king-Expulsion of her French household from Whitehall - Her violence-Her French servants leave England - Her hatred to Buckingham-Bassompierre sent from France to right her grievances - Her interview with him-Bassompierre reproves her- Quarrels with the 'king-Sharply rated by Bassompierre-Her grievances redressed-Personated by an impostor-Consults a noble prophetess-Birth and death of a princeBirth of a prince of Wales (Charles II.) — Letters from the queen-Birth of the princess royal (Mary)—Birth of prince James (James II.), &c. WHEN the beautiful daughter of Henry the Great became the bride of Charles I., two centuries had elapsed since France had given a queenconsort to England. The last was Margaret of Anjou - that of queen tears. Perhaps the crowned miseries of Margaret had offered an alarming precedent to her country-women of high degree, for though several French princesses had been wooed by English monarchs, not one had accepted the crown matrimonial of England; till in 1625, Henrietta Maria wedded Charles, and at the same time became the partaker of a destiny so sad and calamitous, that she, in the climax of her sorrows, surnamed herself La reine malheureuse. The father of this princess was the most illustrious sovereign in Europe; she was the youngest child of Henry IV. of France, and of his second wife, Marie de Medicis. Unfortunately the mind of the Italian queen was by no means congenial with that of the royal hero of France; she was weak, bigoted, and petulant, and to the failings in her character most of the future misfortunes of her children may be traced. Neither was Marie de Medicis well treated by her husband, and per petual jealousy and flagrant wrongs did not improve her disposition. One great point of dispute between the royal pair, was that Henry IV. had never permitted his wife to be crowned, although she had brought him a beautiful family, consisting of three living sons and two daughters. He used to say himself, "that his children were the prettiest creatures in the world, and that his happiest moments were passed in playing with them; nevertheless, a weak superstition prevented this great monarch from settling some disputes regarding his marriage with their mother, by consenting that her coronation should take place. The queen obtained this concession just before she added to his family a sixth child and third daughter, by the birth of the subject of this biography The princess was born at the Louvre, Nov. 25, N. S., 1609. The king, his ministers, and council, with all the princes of the blood, were, as usual, present at the birth of the royal infant, who was, according to custom, presented to her father before being dressed. Henry took the babe, held it up, acknowledged her as his offspring, and then delivered her to the royal governess, madame de Monglat, who had thus received all her brothers and sisters at the time of their births; this lady then retired to dress the little princess. The babe was reared in the same nursery with her brother Gaston, who was at that time an infant about fifteen months old. While the queen kept her chamber after the birth of this child, by her tears and importunities she induced her royal husband to give orders1 that her coronation should take place directly after her recovery. Meantime the infant had a grand baptism; she was presented at the font by the Cardinal Maffeo Barbarini, the papal nuncio at Paris, afterwards the celebrated pope Urban VIII., who was one of the most learned men in Italy, and an elegant poet. This sponsor gave the princess the name of Henrietta Maria, called in France, Henriette Marie. She was the most lovely of a lovely family; she was the darling of her illustrious father, being the child of his old age, his name-child; and she resembled him in features and liveliness more than any other of his family. Henriette was just five months old when all the preparations for the long-delayed coronation of her mother were completed at the abbey of St. Denis. Henry IV. still put off this ceremonial as long as he could, for some fortune-tellers, who were most likely bribed by his audacious mistress, madame de Verneuil, had predicted that he would not survive his queen's coronation one day. Strange it is that the mind of so great a man should be liable to such weakness, but so it was. It is probable that the rumour of this prediction, and of the importance that the king 'See a quotation from one of his letters in the Mémoires de Sully. 2 Mémoires de Sully, vol. ii. The disputes arose from his pre-contract with his insolent mistress, Verneuil. Official memoir of the births of the children of Henry IV. by the medical attendant. 'Bossuet, Funeral Oration on Henriette Marie. 5 For some months before it took place, Sully in his memoirs mentions repeatedly the prediction, and Henry's reluctance to the queen's coronation. Sully was quite as superstitious as his master; but this is a weakness they shared with queen Elizabeth, and all the leading characters of their day. |