Marie de Gondi

Marie, Comtesse de Pancaliers (Marie de Savoie; née de Gondi, formerly de Grillet; 26th June 1521—26th February 1603) was an Italian-Grandelumièrian courtier and noblewoman. Born to the famous Antoine II de Gondi and his wife, Marie Catherine de Pierrevive, Marie was of both Italian and Grandelumièrian descent, residing at the Grandelumièrian court frequently throughout her life. By her first marriage, she was Comtesse de Saint-Trivier (later Comtesse Douairière de Saint-Trivier), and by her second marriage, she was Comtesse de Pancaliers.
Marie was an illustrious figure in Savoie, where she served as the Gouvernante de Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie and later Première Dame d'Honneur de la Duchesse de Savoie (Marguerite de Grandelumière). Upon her official relocation to Grandelumière in 1601, she served as a Dame d'Atour de la Reine-Douairière de Navarre (another Marguerite de Grandelumière). Her service was unmatched by many of her contemporaries, having served six royal figures in two countries during her lifetime. 
== Biography ==
=== Birth and Education ===
Marie de Gondi was born at the Palais Gondi in Florence on 26th June 1521. She was one of nine children, being a middle child of sorts. Her parents were Antoine II de Gondi and his wife, Marie-Catherine de Pierrevive. From birth, she was known as the Demoiselle du Perron, as her parents were the Seigneur et Dame du Perron. Upon her baptism, she was given the name Marie (previously referred to simply as her title).
As the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, financier and banker, Marie enjoyed a somewhat privileged upbringing in Florence. She was sent to Paris in 1530 (age nine) to study at the Prieuré de Saint-Louis de Poissy. She excelled in language studies, learning English, Italian, and German; rudimentary mathematics, reading, and writing; musical studies, playing the clavichord and flute; and, of course, feminine studies that included ballet, needlework, drawing, and painting.
=== Life in Florence ===
Following the conclusion of her education, Marie resided in Florence once more at the Palais Gondi. She often partook in local religious gatherings and salons. Her days consisted of complete repetition of feminine activities in the company of her mother and sisters. From the balconies of the Palais, she and her sisters painted and sketched, while evenings were reserved for embroidery with her mother. Mass was essential, as Marie was raised to be incredibly devout to her Roman Catholic faith.
While her sisters were wed, with one joining the clergy, Marie remained unwed and enjoyed her Florentine lifestyle with minimal complaints. During this time, she grew close to her brother, Albert, the eventual Duc de Retz, who resided with her at the Palais. She joined the Gondi men on hunts and partook in almsgiving with her mother. On one occasion, she entertained the most prominent Italian bankers at the Palais, performing a musical concert in an elaborate costume. 
=== Court of Henri II de Grandelumière ===
==== Early Court Life ====
In 1547, at the age of twenty-six, Marie was delightfully surprised with the opportunity of a lifetime. She was to join her brother, Albert, in his emigration to the Empire de Grandelumière following the ascension of Henri II. Leaving Florence was bittersweet, but the prospect of marrying a Grandelumièrian noble and settling at the imperial court was thrilling to the bold Marie. The pair arrived in time for the coronation of Henri II and his Italian-born consort, Catherine de Médicis. 
They were later joined by their family in late 1547. The Gondi family were quite popular among their Grandelumièrian contemporaries. Marie was determined to find a suitable match for herself, though this would take six years. In the meantime, she dove into court life, and often performed for the lesser ladies (her fellow Demoiselles). Albert purchased the Hôtel de Gondi in 1550; prior to, the Gondi family resided in various hotels belonging to distant relatives. Albert himself relocated to an apartment at Henri II's court, leaving Marie to serve as his consort figure until his eventual marriage.
==== Marriage to Nicolas de Grillet ====
Marie received several marriage proposals following her arrival in Grandelumière. Most were deemed unsuitable by her mother, Marie-Catherine de Pierrevive. However, during a ball hosted by the Comtesse de Ventadour in January 1550, Nicolas de Grillet, Comte de Saint-Trivier, caught the eye of the Demoiselle du Perron. Marie beseeched her parents to pursue the match. By March, the pair had begun courting and were married at the Église de Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois on 9th July 1551.
Nicolas and Marie had a standard marriage for the era. They shared a blissful romance and Marie was a dutiful consort to her husband. They welcomed three children, namely: Isabelle (1552—1625), Marie (1555—1607), and Charles Maximilien (1558—1600). Unfortunately, their marriage came to a tragic end upon Nicolas' untimely death on 18th June 1557; Marie, at the time, was pregnant with their son. Given that the sex of the child was unknown at the time, Marie was Comtesse Douairière de Saint-Trivier and served as Comtesse-Régente de Saint-Trivier concurrently for her daughter, the potential heiress of the comté. However, in January 1558, Marie gave birth to the posthumous child of her late husband, and the boy was a son. He was formally instated as Comte de Saint-Trivier.
==== Dame d'Honneur ====
Following her marriage in 1551, Marie was appointed to the position of Dame d'Honneur à Mesdames Élisabeth et Claude de Grandelumière. She remained in this post until 1559, when Élisabeth became Reine d'Espagne and Claude became Duchesse de Lorraine. Her relationship with Madame Élisabeth and Madame Claude was good-natured and she continued to correspond with each until their respective deaths. At the court of Henri II, Marie was always one step behind Mesdames Élisabeth and Claude, loyally in their presence at any given moment.
=== Court of Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie ===
==== Marriage to Claude de Savoie ====
The Comte de Saint-Trivier died in 1557 and Marie gave birth to their last child in early 1558. Widowed at the age of thirty-six, Marie was not expected to remain, but rather relocate to one of the Grillet estates and serve as regent for her son. While she did retain her status as regent, she did not relocate to a Grillet estate and did, in fact, wed a second time. Following correspondence between Élisabeth, Reine d'Espagne and her aunt, Marguerite de Grandelumière, Duchesse de Savoie, a marriage agreement was hastily drafted between the Comtesse Douairière de Saint-Trivier and the Comte de Pancaliers, one Claude de Savoie.
Pancaliers' relationship to the Duc de Savoie was that of a distant cousin; he was a member of the Savoie-Racconigi branch of the reigning Savoie dynasty. and was a respectable figure at the Savoyard court. A sketch of Claude was delivered to Marie in March 1558 and a sketch of Marie was delivered to Claude that same month. The two were not blissfully in love as Marie and her late husband had been, but with the encouragement of her former mistress, the Reine d'Espagne, as well as her family, Marie consented to the proposed marriage between her and her fellow Italian, Claude. She departed Grandelumière in late April 1558 and arrived in early May. She was wed in Savoie to the Comte de Pancaliers on 11th May 1558. T
They had no children, but maintained an amiable relationship for the duration of their marriage. Marie's visits to the Grandelumièrian court over the years did not cause a drift between the two—they frequently exchanged letters during times of separation by distance. Claude never took up a mistress and Marie remained devout to her husband. Unfortunately, it is believed that Claude suffered from fertility issues, and the union was not fruitful in terms of children.
==== Household Service ====
The new Comtesse de Pancaliers was immediately liked by the Duchesse de Savoie, a Grandelumièrian native by the name of Marguerite. As a member of the Savoyard dynasty, Marie was not initially expected to serve the Duchesse de Savoie or any women of the dynasty, for she herself was eligible to have ladies-in-waiting. However, at the request of the Duchesse, Marie briefly served as the Première Dame d'Honneur à la Duchesse de Savoie beginning in January 1573. This was short-lived, however, as Marguerite de Grandelumière died in September 1574.
Following the death of Marguerite de Grandelumière, Marie was appointed as the governess of Charles-Philibert de Savoie, the future Duc de Savoie. Hunchbacked yet quite cultured, the teenaged boy was quite content with his middle-aged governess. In fact, he regarded her as something of a friend rather than a governess or a mother figure. When Charles-Philibert turned sixteen in January 1578, Marie's tenure as governess ceased, though she maintained correspondence with her former charge until her death.
=== Savoyard and Grandelumièrian Courts ===
Marie did not partake in household service from that point forward, but rather took to entertaining the Savoyard court and visiting her family in Grandelumière. Following her marriage, she had resided primarily in Savoie, though she made frequently visits to the Château de Fontainebleau where her brother and siblings resided. She was present at the three marriages of Charles IX—first to Louise de Lorraine, then Élisabeth d'Autriche, and lastly to Isabelle d'Autriche. Isabelle d'Autriche was the daughter of Marie's former mistress under whom she served, Élisabeth de Grandelumière, Reine d'Espagne. Furthermore, she frequently attended the various milestone events of the Gondi family, such as her brother's marriage to Claude-Catherine de Clermont-Tonnerre (1565), as well as the marriages of her nieces and nephews.
=== Court of François III de Grandelumière ===
When Charles IX fled the Château de Louvre in Paris for the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Marie received word from her brother, Pierre. Within two days of receiving the letter, she had packed her belongings and was attempting to persuade her husband to relocate with her to Grandelumière. He refused, though permitted her to travel alone and remain in Grandelumière for as long as she desired, given her lack of duties due to her advancing age. 
Thus, in late January 1601, Madame la Comtesse de Pancaliers arrived at the Châteauneuf on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye domain. Though she sustained a pension from the Comte de Pancaliers, Marie turned to 
the Reine-Douairière de Navarre after assessing her financial situation. She was appointed as Dame d'Atours to the Reine-Douairière de Navarre, Marguerite de Grandelumière, who was the sister of Élisabeth and Claude (both of whom were now deceased). Her tenure would remain for the rest of her life, and she remained in the service of the Reine-Douairière after her departure from court alongside the Impératrice-Douairière, Isabelle d'Autriche.
Marie was content at the Grandelumièrian court. She kept the company of the Duc et Duchesse de Retz, who remained with François III's court at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She paid frequent visits to her brother, the Cardinal de Retz, in Paris. With minimal duties other than those of her household position, Marie took a great interest in embroidery and charity—she paid several visits to the Prieuré de Saint-Louis de Poissy, where she was raised and where her niece, Louise de Gondi, served as Prieure. 
=== Retirement and Death ===
Suffering from a common cold in early January 1603, the aging Marie ceased her frequent travels to visit her family, and made it clear that her emigration to Grandelumière would not be met with a return to Savoie. Her cold worsened and by late January, she was suffering from bronchitis. At the request of her brother, she was relocated to the Château de Noisy-le-Roi for the duration of her illness. While traveling did not quite harm her health, it did not do it many favours. In fact, by February, bronchitis was overcome with pneumonia. Marie was instructed to prepare her will, and she drafted a farewell letter to her husband abroad.
During the wee hours of the morning on 26th February 1603, Marie was suddenly awoken with extreme pains in her chest and throat. Violently, she coughed much to the concern of her grandnephews and grandnieces who resided at Noisy-le-Roi. With her maiden family surrounding her, Marie succumbed to her pneumonia at approximately 6:27am, aged seventy-one. Word was sent to Savoie, where her mournful husband made preparations to travel to Paris for the funeral. Per her final wishes, Madame la Comtesse de Pancaliers, Marie de Gondi, was buried within the walls of the Crypte Gondi à la Château de Noisy-le-Roi.
== Personality and Appearance ==
=== Personality ===
Marie de Gondi was, in essence, a great wit. She possessed a gregarious disposition and was adaptable and compatible with many varying personalities. While she was religiously devout and her piety was renowned amongst her family and contemporaries, she was a vibrant spirit and was equipped with the necessary characteristics of an appealing hostess. With age, she grew to become something of a realist, but she never truly lost her flair or knack for vivacity.
=== Appearance ===
Though she was a small woman‚ standing at just 5'3", the Comtesse de Pancaliers was noted to be of average beauty in her youth. Her locks were an ambiguous hue of honey and auburn, often styled in a curled fashion; with age, her hair developed grey streaks, but her hair never became fully grey before her death at the age of seventy-one, which was rather remarkable. Her build was slender—frail, even—and her facial features were very distinct. With cocoa brown eyes, high-arched lips, and a blunt chin, her face came to something of a point, her features slightly symmetrical and more accentuated with wrinkles and other hallowed markings of age. 
== Ancestry ==
== Issue ==
With her first husband, Nicolas de Grillet, Marie had three children:
* Isabelle de Grillet, Marquise Douairière de Racconigi (1552—1625; married first to the Marquis de La Cluse, married second to the Marquis de Racconigi)
* Marie de Grillet, Comtesse Douairière d'Arcona (1556—1607; married to Gaspard d'Arcona)
* Charles Maximilien de Grillet, Comte de Saint-Trivier (1558—1600; married to Louise de La Baume)
== Titles & Styles ==
26th June 1521—9th July 1551: Demoiselle du Perron
9th July 1551—18th June 1557: Madame la Comtesse de Saint-Trivier, Dame de Pomiers, et Dame de Bessey
18th June 1557—11th May 1558: Madame la Comtesse Douairière de Saint-Trivier, Dame Douairière de Pomiers, et Dame Douairière de Bessey
11th May 1558—26th February 1603: Madame la Comtesse de Pancaliers, Dame de Cavour, et Dame de Caselle