Claude Marguerite de Gondi

Claude Marguerite de Gondi, Marquise Douairière de Pienne et Maignelay (December 29th 1570 – September 8th, 1633) was an Italian-French noblewoman and eldest daughter of Albert de Gondi, Duc de Retz and Claude Catherine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Duchess of Retz, she formerly served Isabelle Claire Eugénie d'Autriche as a Dame d'Honneur prior to Isabelle's arrest.
Claude Marguerite de Gondi was born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany and was later moved to France to join the Grandelumièrian court alongside her relatives during a time in which they were gaining influence and positions within the Empire at the acceptance of Catherine de Medici, Impératrice-Mère de Grandelumière who was an Italian just like the Gondi family and therefore they saw an easy gain of favour and trust through their cultural and historical connections as the Gondi and Medici families were banking partners. 
When Claude Marguerite de Gondi arrived at the court of Grandelumière as the Mademoiselle de Retz, she saw an obvious cultural division between her and other courtiers and though they were gaining prestige and had a shining future, the Gondi family were still considered outsiders at French court to many and this altered their decisions when it came to court politics.
== Biography ==
=== Birth ===
On a warm winter night on the 29th of December, 1570, within the chambers of the Duchesse de Retz at the Palazzo Gondi in Florence, Claude Marguerite de Gondi was born into the world after hours of labor as the second child and eldest daughter of Claude de Clermont-Tonnerre and Albert de Gondi where she was styled as the Mademoiselle de Retz.
Due to the birth of her brother the earlier year, her gender was not a disappointment to her parents and they adored their newborn daughter greatly with the Duchesse de Retz remarking that she had the features of an Italian girl but the elegance of a French one.
=== Infancy ===
During her infancy, Claude Marguerite de Gondi remained in Italy as she was taught how to talk, walk, and learn basic words. She was kept under the supervision of Italian maids and governesses who were keen on having her maintain her cultural roots and thus did not hesitate to have her first language be Italian through careful and constant teaching.
Claude de Clermont-Tonnerre, her mother, often doted upon Marguerite and made sure she was developing properly with the constant fright or worry that she would die of illness or suffer some sort of accident if she had no eye kept on her for long periods of time. This caused Marguerite to grow a fondness for her mother but at the same time, a constant paranoia of being reliant on her approval and tarnished signs of being independent anytime in the near future.
=== Childhood ===
At 7 years of age, Claude's instructions started to incorporate learning formal decorum to show at court and she even took dancing lessons which communicated her lively characteristics which she infrequently demonstrated before in life to seem elegant. What's more, by the age of 12, Claude Marguerite was also as well-spoken and as taught as a noblewoman in her 20s, having continually dazzled her tutors over and over and particularly her mother who continually got the uplifting news of her scholarly brilliance and accomplishments indicating that she would before long be fit for the court.
=== Adolescence ===
In 1585, by age 15, Claude Marguerite was introduced to the court during the reign of Charles IX & I where she quickly impressed her mother and Gondi family by her well-executed mannerisms and respect but also began to develop her political faction identity as the religious turmoil ran rampant in court due to the difficult division of the Christian faith between the Huguenots and Catholics.
== Religion ==
Claude Marguerite is an open-minded supporter of Catholicism knowing it is the original and direct form of Christianity, in contrast to different deviations, in any case, not at all like her more seasoned brother who is a fiercer supporter of Catholic control, she developed to have a marginally progressively tolerant acknowledgement of the Protestants which incredibly focused on her mother who detested the Gondi family's Politique thoughts and needed to guarantee that her kids were brought to be Catholic supporters. Claude, regardless of her mother's teachings, has demonstrated to be a Politique because of her interactions with Huguenots at court, and her more tolerant attitude towards Protestants.
== Marriage ==
In 1589, at age 19, Claude Marguerite de Gondi wedded Florimond d'Halluin, Marquis de Pienne which earned her the title of Marquise de Pienne. Her marriage is currently observed to be an upbeat one in spite of her geographical separation to her significant other, she eventually had a son (who became the heir) in 1590 and a daughter in 1592. Claude Marguerite had later lost both her husband and her son during the 1590s and this caused her to focus all her attentions educationally to her daughter to make sure she was presentable at court.
== Appearance ==
Claude Marguerite has had a disciplined figure that lasted throughout her life, particularly in her face which was viewed as "stern and commanding" as found in her portraits. She stands at 4'10" and has pearly brown eyes and lengthy brunette Italian hair, she utilizes ruffs and her hair to overstate her stature to appear to be taller than she is and ensures her dress elongates her figure. Her skin is on the lighter side yet at the same time keeps up a warm glow. It is said she acquired her French appearance from her mother, however the little subtleties, for example, her eyes or the shade of her hair originated from the Italian heritage of her Gondi father.
== Notable Events ==
=== Catherine de Medici ===
Claude Marguerite met with Catherine de Medici during her teenage years before she had died, she found adoration towards Catherine and was inspired by many of her pieces of advice that she gave to Claude Marguerite, some presumed at court that Claude Marguerite was learning the art of poison from Catherine but however, the true advice given to her was mainly political which formed her tolerant and absolutist political-religious standing. However, the effect Catherine placed upon Claude was minimal due to the brief moments she could only spend with her.
=== Charles IX & I's Funeral ===
Days before the funeral, Claude Marguerite felt heavy influence from the Huguenots at court and began considering her own conversion into Protestantism even if it were to be secret. However, when the funeral of Charles IX & I's concluded and the crowd grew restless from Comte de Roucy's mocking of the Eucharist, he was thrown to the angry mob and lynched without mercy. This greatly shocked Claude Marguerite beyond words and instantly changed her beliefs of conversion and returned to Catholicism entirely but this confession of Protestant sympathy earned her the anger of her mother, father and elder brother.
=== Crisis of 1601 ===
In the year 1601, a crisis would happen within the Gondi family which would cause a familial split between Claude Marguerite de Gondi and her sibling Charles de Gondi, in the wake of constant arguing a physical collapse would befall Claude Catherine de Clermont-Tonnerre which resigned her to rest, joined by Claude Marguerite who felt guilty, yet, before long understood the pressure she was enduring was not of the typical family issues and rather something progressively mysterious, sooner or later the persuasion of Claude Marguerite caused her mother to admit about a blood oath that occurred between her sibling and the Duc de Joyeuse so as to frame the Guises for the assault on the Duc de Bouillon which incited Claude Marguerite to hurry to the Guise and cautioned them of the moronic choices made by both her sibling and the Duc de Joyeuse, this further escalated to the point in which the Emperor, Empress and Empress-Dowager were promptly alerted and took legal action on Marquis de Belle-lle and the Duc de Joyeuse after a time of questioning which brought about their house arrests under charges of paganism, defamation, conspiracy and slander. 
A short time later, Claude Marguerite was accompanied to rest in the Empress' room due to worries of her safety alongside her sister-in-law Antoinette de Orleans-Longueville who was the spouse of Charles de Gondi and soon after their security was guaranteed enough to leave the Empress' protection and proceed with court life regularly, the Gondi reputation was spared from a terrible scandal and regardless of the proceeding with separation between Claude Marguerite and her mother, the family was incredibly relieved and united together.
=== Household of Isabelle Claire Eugénie d'Autriche ===
Due to the declining members in the household of the Impératrice Douairière, Claude Marguerite ascended to the position of Dame d'Honneur to Isabelle Claire Eugénie as she showed great loyalty and competency during the legal issues with her brother Charles de Gondi, she continues to serve her to the present time.
She further developed a strict and well-mannered personality, distancing herself from her Gondi family and focusing on her duties to the Imperials including Margot de Valois, a personal favourite of Claude Marguerite, this familial split was made easy from the different beliefs between Claude and her family and the threatening of Charles de Gondi.
=== Exit from Court ===
After a series of scandalous pamphlets were released, Isabelle Claire Eugénie d'Autriche and Margot de Valois promptly packed and fled court at 16th of February, 1601, alongside their households and many loyal courtiers which included the Marquise de Pienne who at the time was busy corresponding with Italian sculptors and painters for Margot de Valois, she gathered all her belongings with the help of her dames and accompanied the Impératrice Douairière in a series of carriages to Chenonceau, the carriage party arrived at Chenonceau right before midnight. 
=== Life in Self-Imposed Exile ===
Claude Marguerite de Gondi was heavily loyal to Isabelle d'Autriche during this period of exile, she had constantly sent for her daughter Anne to be kept under her watch or under the observation of one of her own ladies, this put her in a very controversial and dangerous position as the rest of the Gondi family remained at court and maintained support of the Guise and the Catholic League in general, many times during her exile she had contemplated a plan to flee to Florence with her surviving daughter and find sanctuary in the Palazzo Gondi with distant relatives but unfortunately the plan would've costed quite a vast sum and it had risked her own capture under charges of fleeing, which was considered highly treasonous.
=== La Ligue Souverain de la Couronne ===
During this, Isabelle d'Autriche and the nobility that had come with her including the Marquise had formed the faction named La Ligue Souverain de la Couronne and it's main purpose was to restore absolute power to the Emperor and see the Guise removed from influence and better yet, removed from court entirely. When the faction was nearly captured they had all scattered and fled as Isabelle and Margot were both arrested and so the remaining faction members led by the late Duc de Montmorency gathered again in La Rochelle after no longer being affiliated with Isabelle d'Autriche or Margot de Valois.
=== Siege of La Rochelle ===
The siege of La Rochelle caused heavy stress for Claude Marguerite as she often prayed for the survival of herself and her own daughter, she had constantly wondered how her mother would have coped with the thought of her eldest daughter being beheaded and often wondered herself if she would even be given the mercy of a quick and painless beheading, or would she be burned at the stake, all these thoughts placed the Marquise into a brief depression that soon ended when the siege had won in the Guise's favour and the faction members captured.
=== Return to Court ===
With the Duc de Bouillon executed for treason, Claude Marguerite de Gondi was pardoned for her crimes and spared an execution mainly due to the nature of her gender, therefore she had hurried back to court in the Château de Bologne and during that time, she slowly began to reconnect with her family after losing her post as Dame d'Honneur to Isabelle d'Autriche as Isabelle had been imprisoned, one of the Marquise de Pienne's greatest collapses mentally was when her mother the Duchesse de Retz died in 1609 due to consumption and what was also believed to be her advanced age.
== Titles, Styles & Ancestry ==
=== Titles & Styles ===
December 29th, 1570 – August 4th, 1589 - La Mademoiselle de Retz
August 4th, 1589 – February 13th, 1592 - Sa Seigneurie, Madame la Marquise de Pienne
February 13th, 1592 – September 8th, 1633 - Sa Seigneurie, Madame la Marquise Douairière de Pienne et Maignelay
== Issue ==
With her husband, Florimond d'Halluin, Marquis de Pienne et Maignelay, they had two children, her son dying soon after her father and her daughter inheriting the Duchy of Halluin via her grandfather and becoming a suo jure:
Charles d'Halluin, Marquis de Pienne (March 20th, 1591 – October 14th, 1598)
Anne d'Halluin, suo jure Duchesse d'Halluin, suo jure Marquise de Pienne et Maignelay (August 2nd, 1592 – Present)
== Ancestry ==
Claude Marguerite de Gondi descends from various Italian houses via her Gondi descent, including a distant relation to the Medici family, rulers of Tuscany. From her mother (Claude de Clermont-Tonnerre, Duchesse de Retz) she is connected to the Clermont-Tonnerres and various French houses:
Category:16th Century Births
Category:Grandelumièrian Nobility
Category:House of Gondi
Category:Births in Florence
Category:Imperial Courtiers
Category:Grandelumièrian Marquise
Category:Dame d'Honneur
Category:Roman Catholics
Category:Politique