Marguerite de Montmorency

Marguerite de Montmorency, Duchesse Douarière de Ventadour (12th February 1572 - present) was a Grandelumièrian noblewoman, courtier, and heiress holding the titles of suo jure dame de Lers et de Gourville. She was nicknamed "La Bonne Duchesse" for her kind nature and charitable acts. During her youth she was one of the beauties of the court, often remarked for her pleasing looks. She served as lady to Marguerite de Valois in the 1590s and later Anne d'Austriche in the 1610s-50s.
Marguerite de Montmorency was the daughter of Henri I de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency who was Maréchal de Grandelumière and a prominent member of the Politiques during the wars of religion and his first wife, Antoinette de La Marck. She was sister to Henri II de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency et Damville and later inherited the duchy of Damville upon his execution. She later ceded and transported the ducal peerage and lordships of Damville to her son François Christophe de Lévis.
== Biography ==
=== Birth and Childhood ===
Marguerite was born on February 12, 1572, at her parents' Château in Mignovillard. She was the eldest daughter of her father, Henry I, Constable of Montmorency, with Antoinette de La Mark-Arenberg. She was accompanied by 4 older and younger siblings - 2 girls and 2 boys. She was baptized a week after her birth, as "Marguerite de Montmorency". Her father was not very faithful to her mother and, during his infidelity, he had relations with Charlotte des Essarts, Louise de Budos-being his second wife in 1592-and Catherine Guillens de Castellet-being his first mistress. This made her have several half-brothers and sisters, with Charlotte des Essarts being Marie de Montmorency her eldest half-sister. With Louise de Budos, her half-siblings were Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency and Henri II de Montmorency. And finally with Catherine Guillens de Castellet, Splendian de Montmorency died in 1645, and Jules de Montmorency. Marguerite was very well liked by her father, as she developed a great love of horses, and her favorite activity on Wednesday afternoons was riding in the beautiful fields surrounding where they lived. She also had a good skill at sewing, embroidery and croxing, and later forte-piano and as every court girl should have - in her mother's opinion - a talent for painting.
=== Adolescence ===
During her childhood she lived under the gaze of her dear mother and surrounded by her dear brothers, like every mother who has a favorite son, her mother was sure that Marguerite would be proud of her in the future. As a teenager, Marguerite was already well established at court, and very well educated, speaking fluent German, Latin and Italian. Her tutors always praised her for her commitment to her studies. She was described as one of the most beautiful women at court, making some other young women jealous. It gave her a lot more credit for finding a good husband, even if he was one of her own family. In the face of her striking beauty, she was asked to marry nothing more, nothing less, than her own first cousin, Anne de Lévis, who belonged to the rival family of her father, the Lévis Family, a family that emerged for the prominence during the Albigensian Crusade, serving under Simon IV de Montfort. The House of Lévis split into several branches over the years, but the Ventadours gained superiority in the 16th century with the possession of the dukedom. His aunt, Catherine de Montmorency was in favor of the marriage, but her uncle, Gilbert III de Lévis, the Duc de Ventadour was against it on the grounds that the Montmorency and Lévis were rivals. Which was stupid on both their parts, as there had already been marriages between the two families.
=== Marriage ===
Anne, cared a lot about her family, however, her heart spoke much more, and the same happened with Marguerite, who even though they were cousins, were attracted to each other. Her future husband, who was for the time the Comte de la Voulte, held many important branches of the court, his honorary titles being Chevalier de l'Ordre du Saint-Esprit - later after his father's death he would also receive the honorary title of Peer de France, and also during his 53 years, Gouverneur du Limousin, et par et lieutenant-general pour le roi en Languedoc. In the end, Gilbert III de Lévis died in 1691, which paved the way not only for the marriage of Anne and Marguerite, but also for Anne, who would be titled as Duc de Aventadour. After two years, when everything was resolved, on June 25, 1693, at the Château de La Grange-de-Prés, in Pézenas, Anne and Marguerite were married.
During their marriage, Marguerite chose to always spend at least an hour or two with her children, which was enough, and she also decided to raise them outside the Parisian court, choosing to educate her children in the countryside. She also began to do many charitable acts for the most needy people of Paris, and also throughout the Grandelumièrian territory, even more especially for the people of the Duchy, which made her very dear to the people. As late as the 1590s, the then Duchess of Ventadour, Dame de Damville, de Lers et de Gourville, would serve Marguerite de Valois as Maid of Honour.
From the 1600s, she saw her first children grow up in health, giving them the attention and love they owed them. Marguerite was always very observant towards her sons, Henri and François Christophe, and hired tutors to give them the necessary knowledge that a perfect boy should have – later they had become her greatest pride. Later, in the following months she received some letters from Henri's tutors that he was a very naughty boy, and didn't mind being punctual to get to classes, so Marguerite, like a good mother, decided to talk to her son, and give her good advice - Which was her husband's duty, but since he paid little attention to their children, she had to play that role - and soon, she discovered that it had had some positive effect on Henri - the same would come to pass happen to some other of your children. During the same decade, she would become Anne d'Austriche's Maid of Honor - and would subsequently hold the post until 1650. At court, she was also highly respected for her calm, polite and very docile manner towards members of the court. cut, which in some, she would receive the beautiful nickname of "La Bonne Duchesse".
=== Grandmother and Widowhood ===
In 1620, her eldest son, Henri, married the honorable Marie-Liesse de Luxembourg, second daughter of Henri de Luxembourg, Duc of Piney-Luxembourg and his wife, Madeleine de Montmorency. Marie-Liesse was the second cousin of her son, Henri. They were married at the Château de La Voulte-sur-Rhône. At first there was some tension between the two due to their age difference, but her son wanted to make his father proud and happy, and Marguerite, being the good person that she was, was more than determined to have a good relationship with her daughter-in-law - Same would happen to the wife of François Christophe. The following year, to Marguerite's happiness, her son and Marie-Liesse had their first child, François Hercule, styled the Prince de Tingry after Marie's suo jure title. From 1622, her dear husband showed some health problems, and always tried to demonstrate that he was fine - even if he wasn't. During the end of November, something spoke in Marguerite's mind that she should spend every moment of the day with her husband. This left her confused, but still, she decided to trust her feminine intuition. It was then that on December 8, 1622, a rather cold night, her dear and beloved husband died of pneumonia. The funeral was held, and so was the succession of the Duc de Ventadour title to his son. Marguerite was 50 years old, and now her title was Duchesse Douarière de Ventadour, and as was her right, she was also Duchesse de Damville, and Suo Jure Dame de Damville, de Lers et de Gourville. In 13th of November, 1645, in the day of the marriage of her son, François Christophe, she decided to cede the Duché de Damville to him. And thus, she became Duchesse Douarière de Ventadour, and Suo Jure Dame de Lers et de Gourville.
== Synopsis ==
=== Appearance and Personality ===
During the 1580s and 1590s, Marguerite was considered one of the finest court diamonds. Which gave her the upper hand on having a good marriage. She is a very calm, polite and docile person with everyone, and as expected, she was nicknamed "La Bonne Duchesse" by the court, and by the people she cares for by doing acts of charity. Marguerite has good taste in everything from literature to furniture, and that's a little pricey, but nothing her position money can't afford.
== Issue ==
During their marriage Marguerite and Anne had more than 8 children, with most surviving their childhood, which was great for the time, demonstrating that the health of the Lévises was satisfactorily strong: 
* Henri de Lévis, 3rd Duke of Ventadour (1596);
* Charlotte de Lévis (1597-†1619);
* Charles de Lévis, Bishop of Lodève (1600-†1649);
* François de Lévis, Bishop of Lodève (†1625);
* François Christophe de Lévis, Duc de Damville from 1632 (1603);
* Anne de Lévis, Bishop of Lodève and later archbishop of Bourges (1606);
* Louis Hercule de Lévis, Bishop of Mirepoix (1613);
* Marie-Françoise de Lévis de Ventadour, Abbess of Avenay (†1649).
== Titles Styles and Heraldry ==
12th February 1572 - 25th December 1593: Mademoiselle de Montmorency
8th December 1622-Present: Sa Grace dela, Madame la Duchesse Douarière de Ventadour, Suo Jure dela Dame de Lers et de Gourville. (Temporarily suo jure Duchesse de Damville)
Category:16th-century births
Category:Births in Aquitaine
Category:House of Montmorency
Category:House of Lévis
Category:Grandelumièrian nobility