Amélie de Bretagne

## Amélie, Princesse de Bretagne

Portrait offert aux Français, vers 1617. Par Charles Halliér.

La signature de la Princesse de Bretagne.

**Amélie de Bretagne**, Princesse de Bretagne (20 June, 1602) was a Breton princess as the youngest daughter of Henri II of Brittany, formally known as the sovereign Duc de Bretagne to his friends and foes. The young princess would arrive in France with the goal of marrying the Dauphin's second son, the Comte de Provence, after a short betrothal. Back at home, she was as beloved as they came, and was ultimately doted on by her mother as her father's early death prevented her from truly knowing him. Known for her devotion to the arts, and her dislike of politics, the eventual **Comtesse de Provence** was a gracious patroness and made for an altruistic ally at French court.

## Personality

The princesses contemporaries wrote of her as a pleasant woman, especially in her youth. She was known to mix and match various materials and learned to sew just so that she could pass the time. This resulted in her getting a somewhat reputation for her creativity. Moreover, she was a patron of the arts, and talked about the establishments of more theatres around Brittany, taking inspiration from Shakespeare's Globe in London. Whenever she held salons in Paris, a plethora of actors and actresses were often invited to have tea with and entertained her with their latest scripts.

Although she was not particularly charitable to the poor, Amélie was kind and intelligent, believing that the right to water and food are integral in any human's upbringing. There were no known records or accounts of her ever visiting the poverty-stricken districts of Paris – she was very overwhelmed by France's population. Back in Brittany, however, she did her best to retain her reputation. One could say that the princess was far more bothered about her reputation at home than abroad.

## Childhood

Amélie was born the second child and daughter to Henri II, Duc de Bretagne and his Portuguese wife, Isabelle de Bragance. She was a happy infant, crying very little in comparison to the other children. However, with Henri's death no more than a year after Amélie's birth, Isabelle became distressed. The now dowager was forced into a life of misery as she struggled to bring up her youngest whilst also supporting her eldest as regent of Brittany. This did not dampen Amélie and Adélaide's relationship, though, and the sisters were actually latched at the hip throughout their early childhood.

Whereas they were once inseparable, the two girls would eventually grow apart when Adélaide was tossed into other rooms with far more tutors than Amélie could handle. She did not enjoy learning about politics as much as she enjoyed the art of diplomacy; for her, it was far easier to sit down with another person and have a heart-to-heart as opposed to arguing in a council room filled with hot-headed nobles.

As a result, Amélie would much rather play with all of the other young girls at court – even if it meant missing dinner time. Isabelle oft had to send the guards after Amélie, for her more mischievous friends attempted, over and over, to smuggle her into the nearby villages. She adorned herself in a plethora of gowns, always gem-studded, eventually growing an appreciation for the finer things in life.