Diane de Poitiers, duchess de Valentinois

Diane de Poitiers, duchess de Valentinois

(born Sept. 3, 1499—died April 22, 1566, Anet, France) Mistress of King Henry II of France. Diane came to the French court as a lady-in-waiting, where Henry, 20 years her junior, fell violently in love with her. After the death of her husband, Diane became Henry's mistress from c. 1536. Throughout his reign (1547–59) she held court as queen of France in all but name, while the real queen, Catherine de Médicis, was forced to live in comparative obscurity. Beautiful and cultivated, Diane was a patron of poets and artists.