Descendants of Henry II of France explained
Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici were married on October 28, 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 illustrious 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 who were the 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/Notes |
|---|
| Francis II, King of France | | January 19, 1544 | December 5, 1560 | Married Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) on 24 April 1558. They have no children. |
| Elizabeth of France | | April 2, 1545 | October 3, 1568 | Married Philip II, King of Spain (1527–1598) on 22 June 1559. They had six children but only two daughters survived. |
| Claude of France | | November 12, 1547 | February 21, 1575 | Married Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (1543–1608) on 19 January 1559. They had nine children. |
| Louis, Duke of Orléans | | February 3, 1549 | October 24, 1550 | Died young; no issue. |
| Charles IX, King of France | | June 27, 1550 | May 30, 1574 | Married 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 France | | September 19, 1551 | August 2, 1589 | Married Louise of Lorraine on 15 February 1575. Had no issue. Briefly King of Poland in 1574. |
| Margaret of France | | May 14, 1553 | March 27, 1615 | Known as "Queen Margot". Married Henry IV, King of France on 18 August 1572 and divorced on 17 December 1599. No issue. |
| Hercules, Duke of Anjou | 120px | March 18, 1555 | June 19, 1584 | Later known as Francis, Duke of Alençon and Anjou. No issue. |
| Victoire of France | | June 24, 1556 | August 17, 1556 | Died young. |
| Jeanne of France | | June 24, 1556 | June 24, 1556 | Stillborn | |
Descendants of Elizabeth of Valois
Progeny of Catherine Michaela of Spain
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|
| Catherine Michaela of Spain | | October 10, 1567, Elisabeth of Valois and Philip II of Spain | Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
10 children | November 6, 1597 | |
| Isabella of Savoy | | 11 March 1591, Daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michaela of Spain | Alfonso III d'Este
14 children | 28 August 1626 | |
| Francesco I d'Este | | September 6, 1610, Son of Alfonso III d'Este and Isabella of Savoy |
| October 14, 1658 | |
| Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy | | 8 May 1587, Son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michaela of Spain | Christine Marie of France
8 children | 7 October 1637 | |
| Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy | | 20 June 1634, Son of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of France | Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
Marie Jeanne of Savoy
1 child | 12 June 1675 | |
| Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia | | 14 May 1666, Son of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy and Marie Jeanne of Savoy | Anne Marie d'Orléans
Anna Teresa Canalis di Cumiana
5 children | 31 October 1732 | |
| Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy | | 6 November 1636, Daughter of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of France | Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
4 children | 18 March 1676 | |
| Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria | | 28 November 1660, Daughter of Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria | Louis, Dauphin of France
3 children | 20 April 1690 | |
| Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria | | July 11, 1662, Son of Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria | Maria Antonia of Austria
Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska
5 children | February 26, 1726 | |
| Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal | | | Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua
1 child | 26 June 1655 | |
| Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of Montferrat | | 29 July 1609, Daughter of Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal and Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua | Charles II Gonzaga
2 children | 14 August 1660 | |
| Eleanor Gonzaga | | | Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
2 children | 6 December 1686 | |
| Eleonora Maria of Austria | | 31 May 1653, Daughter of Eleanor Gonzaga and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor | Michael Korybut
Charles V, Duke of Lorraine
2 children | 17 Dec 1697 | |
| Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano | | December 21, 1596, Son of Catherine Michaela of Spain and Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy | Marie de Bourbon, Countess of Soissons
3 children | January 22, 1656 | | |
Descendants of Claude of Valois
Progeny of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine
| Name | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|
| Henry II, Duke of Lorraine | | November 8, 1563, Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | Catherine of Navarre, Duchess of Lorraine
Margerita Gonzaga
2 children | July 31, 1621 | |
| Nicolette of Lorraine | | October 3, 1608, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita Gonzaga | Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
No Issue | February 2, 1657 | |
| Claude of Lorraine | | 6 October 1612, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita Gonzaga | Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine
1 child | 2 August 1648 | | |
Progeny of Christine of Lorraine
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|
| Christina of Lorraine | | 16 August 1565, Daughter of Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
5 children | 19 December 1637 | |
| Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany | | 12 May 1590, Son of Ferdinando I de' Medici and Christina of Lorraine | Maria Maddalena of Austria
8 children | 28 February 1621 | |
| Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany | | 14 July 1610, Son of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Maddalena of Austria | Vittoria della Rovere
2 children | 23 May 1670 | |
| Margherita de' Medici | | May 31, 1612, Daughter of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Maddalena of Austria | Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma
5 children | February 6, 1679 | |
| Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma | | 17 September 1630, Son of Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma, and Margherita de' Medici | Marguerite Yolande of Savoy
Isabella d'Este
Maria d'Este
3 children | 11 December 1694 | |
| Elisabeth of Parma | | 22 October 1692, Daughter of Odoardo II Farnese and Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate-Neuburg
Granddaughter of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma | Philip V of Spain
7 children | 11 July 1766 | |
| Anna de'Medici | | 21 July 1616, Daughter of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Maddalena of Austria | Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria
1 child | 11 September 1676 | |
| Claudia Felicitas of Austria | | 30 May 1653, daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria and Anna de'Medici | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
2 children | 8 April 1676 | |
| Claudia de' Medici | | June 4, 1604, Daughter of Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Christina of Lorraine | Federico della Rovere
Leopold V, Archduke of Austria
5 children | December 25, 1648 | |
| Vittoria della Rovere | | 7 February 1622, Daughter of Claudia de' Medici and Federico della Rovere | Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
2 children | 5 March 1694 | |
| Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria | | May 17, 1628, Son of Claudia de' Medici and Leopold V, Archduke of Austria | Anna de'Medici
1 child | December 30, 1662 | |
| | | Charles III, Duke of Mantua
1 child | c. 1685 | |
| Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat | | August 31, 1652, Son of Archduchess Isabella Clara of Austria and Charles III, Duke of Mantua | Anna Isabella Gonzaga
Susanne de Lorraine
No Issue | July 5, 1708 | |
| Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Further Austria | | 27 November 1630, Son of Claudia de' Medici and Leopold V, Archduke of Austria | Never married
No Issue | 25 June 1665 | |
| | 6 April 1632, Daughter of Claudia de' Medici and Leopold V, Archduke of Austria | Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
1 child | 7 August 1649 | | |
Progeny of Francis II, Duke of Lorraine
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|
| Francis II, Duke of Lorraine | | February 27, 1572, Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | Christina of Salm
3 children | October 14, 1632 | |
| Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine | | April 5, 1604, Son of Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | Nicolette of Lorraine
Béatrice de Cusance
3 children | September 18, 1675 | |
| Anne of Lorraine | | c. 1639, Daughter of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine and Béatrice de Cusance | François Marie, Prince of Lillebonne
3 children | c. 1720 |
| Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine | | 5 April 1664, Daughter of Anne de Lorraine and François Marie, Prince of Lillebonne | Louis de Melun
2 children | 7 March 1748 | |
| Anne Julie de Melun | | c. 1698, Daughter of Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine and Louis de Melun | Jules, Prince of Soubise
3 children | 18 May 1724 | |
| Charles, Prince of Soubise | | 16 July 1715, Son of Anne Julie de Melun and Jules, Prince of Soubise | Anne Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne
Princess Anna Teresa of Savoy
Landgravine Anna Viktoria of Hesse-Rotenburg
2 children | 4 July 1787 | |
| Charlotte de Rohan | | 7 October 1737, Daughter of Charles, Prince of Soubise and Anne Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne | Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé
2 children | 4 March 1760 | |
| Louis Henri, Prince of Condé | | 13 April 1756, Son of Charlotte de Rohan and Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé | Bathilde d'Orléans
1 child | 30 August 1830 | |
| Victoire de Rohan | | 28 December 1743, Daughter of Charles, Prince of Soubise and Princess Anna Teresa of Savoy | Henri Louis, Prince of Guéméné
3children | 20 September 1807 | |
| Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine | | December 12, 1612, Son of Francis II, Duke of Lorraine and Christina Salm | Claude of Lorraine
1 child | January 25, 1670 | |
| Charles V of Lorraine | | April 3, 1643, Son of Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine and Claude of Lorraine | Eleonora Maria of Austria
2 children | April 18, 1690 | |
| Leopold, Duke of Lorraine | | 11 September 1679, Son of Charles V of Lorraine and Eleonora Maria of Austria | Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans
5 children | 27 March 1729 | |
| Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor | | 8 December 1708, Son of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans | Maria Theresa of Austria
16 children | 18 August 1765 | |
| Marguerite of Lorraine | | 22 July 1615, Francis II, Duke of Lorraine and Countess Christine of Salm | Gaston, Duke of Orléans
5 children | 13 April 1672 (aged 56) | |
| Marguerite Louise d'Orléans | | 28 July 1645, Daughter of Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and Marguerite of Lorraine | Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
3 children | 17 September 1721 (aged 76) | |
| Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans | | 26 December 1646, Daughter of Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and Marguerite of Lorraine | Louis Joseph, Duke of Guise
1 child | 17 March 1696 (aged 49) | |
| Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans | | 13 October 1648, Daughter of Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and Marguerite of Lorraine | Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
No Issue | 14 January 1664 | | |
See also
