I watched something earlier about Gabrielle d’Estrées that I had a few issues with!
I’d investigated Gabrielle’s life deeply because I was writing about her two sons and, to my mind, the generation before and the generation after are vitally important to the building of a character.
Gabrielle was almost Queen of France. She played a part in the official Papal negotiations to help Henri IV of France divorce his first wife, Marguerite de Valois. (La Reine Margot.)
Why did she do this?
Because she and Henry had been lovers for many years and she’s already born him two sons and one daughter. The sons were César de Bourbon, Duc de Vendôme and Alexandre. They became two of my favourite characters…loveable rogues who thrived on causing mayhem.
Their father Henri IV had legitimised them although there was very little chance that they’d ever succeed to the throne.
After Gabrielle’s untimely death, Henri married Marie de Medici and she gave birth to the future Louis XIII who had a love/hate relationship with his two older half-brothers that saw César and Alexandre jailed more than once.
What has any of this to do with the video below?
Two strange assassinations.
Henri III was assassinated by a mad monk. And then, a few years later, Henri IV was assassinated by a mad Catholic. Go figure :o)
P.S. I want a house like this. Please?