Margaret of Valois (välwä`), 1553–1615, queen of France and Navarre, daughter of King Henry II of France and of Catherine de' Medici. She was known as Queen Margot. Her wedding (1572) with Henry, Protestant king of Navarre (later Henry IV of France), which was intended to mark the peace between Roman Catholics and Protestants, instead was a prelude to the massacre of Protestants on Saint Bartholomew's Day Saint Bartholomew's Day, massacre of, murder of French Protestants, or Huguenots , that began in Paris on Aug. 24, 1572. It was preceded, on Aug. 22, by an attempt, ordered by Catherine de' Medici , on the life of the Huguenot leader Admiral Coligny .
..... Click the link for more information. . The marriage was one of mutual toleration. Margaret took part in the intrigues of her husband and her brother Francis Francis, 1554–84, French prince, duke of Alençon and Anjou; youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Although ill-shapen, pockmarked, and endowed with a curiously formed nose, he was considered (1572–73) as a possible
..... Click the link for more information. , duke of Alençon and Anjou. In 1583 her brother King Henry III exiled her from Paris because of her promiscuous conduct. Estranged from both her husband and her brother, she took up arms against them and seized Agen. She was taken prisoner by royal troops (1586) and confined at the castle of Usson, but she soon became mistress of the castle. Although sympathetic with the Catholic League League or Holy League, in French history, organization of Roman Catholics, aimed at the suppression of Protestantism and Protestant political influence in France.
..... Click the link for more information. , she took little part in the succeeding troubles. She refused to agree to Henry IV's demand for the annulment of their marriage so he could marry his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées Estrées, Gabrielle d' (gäbrēĕl` dĕstrā`)
..... Click the link for more information. , although she finally consented (1599) to the annulment after Gabrielle's death. In her retirement at Usson (1587–1605), she maintained a small court, in which men of letters were prominent. Her own memoirs (tr. 1892), correspondence, and other writings show considerable literary ability. She spent her last years in Paris. Margaret plays a conspicuous role in literature and legend.

Bibliography

See biographies by H. N. Williams (1907), J. H. Mariéjol (1928, tr. 1929), and C. Haldane (1968).

Margaret of Valois

or Margaret of France French Marguerite known as Queen Margot

(born May 14, 1553, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France—died March 27, 1615, Paris) Queen consort of Navarra who played a secondary part in the Wars of Religion (1562–98). The daughter of Henry II of France, her relations with her brothers Charles IX and the future Henry III were strained, and she had an early affair with Henri, duke de Guise, leader of the extremist Catholic party. She was married in 1572 to the Protestant king of Navarra, the future Henry IV of France, to seal the peace between Catholics and Protestants, but days later the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day began. Aware of her involvement in conspiracies, Henry III banished her to the castle at Usson in 1586. She granted her husband an annulment in 1600 and lived out her life in Paris. She was known for her beauty, learning, and licentious life; her Mémoires provide a vivid picture of France during her lifetime.