Diane de Poitiers was born with every advantage. Her father was a French nobleman, and she was educated according to the finest principles of Renaissance humanism. She learned music, manners, hunting, languages — including Greek and Latin, dancing, and the art of conversation. At an early age she was a member of the court of Anne de Beaujeau, the older sister of the French King Charles VIII.
When Diane was 15, she was married to Louis de Breze, who was the grandson of King Charles II, and was 39 years older than his bride. It was apparently a happy marriage, and she bore him two daughters, Francoise and Louise. They were married for 17 years, until Louis’s death in 1531. Afterwards Diane wore only black and white — appropriate colors for mourning, but also the colors of her namesake, Diana, the goddess of the moon. After her husband’s death, Diane had an opportunity to display her keen legal and political acumen, and managed to hold onto her husband’s position as governor and grand-senechal of Normandy.
Diane was a well-known figure in the court of Francis I. Francis had two young sons, Francois and Henri, who had been held as hostages by the King of Spain. The boys were eight and seven years old, respectively, when they left France. Henri was 12 when the boys were returned to their home, and Francis appointed Diane de Poitiers as Henri’s tutor and mentor. Henri had spent much of his time in Spain reading courtly romances, and he was extremely impressed with the older woman, whom he regarded as the epitome of the ideal courtly woman.
In 1533, two years after Henri’s return, he was married to Catherine de Medici, who was a cousin of Diane de Poitiers. Many of the nobles opposed the marriage, since the Medici family was not regarded as an old and respected family. Diane approved the match, however, and encouraged Henri’s visits to his wife’s bedchamber. She knew how important it was that he produce an heir. She also nursed Catherine through a bout of the scarlet fever, and took charge of Henri’s children. Eventually Henri and Catherine produced 10 children together.
It is believed that Diane became Henri’s mistress in 1538. In 1547, Henri became King of France. (His older brother had died in 1536.) She was said to have been a truly beautiful woman, who kept her good looks and excellent physical condition well into middle age. She retained her beauty by daily riding and swimming, and there were even rumors that she enhanced her good looks by drinking a gold elixir. She had a good head on her shoulders, as well, and Henri trusted her completely. She wrote many of his official letters, and often signed them with both their names, combined into the single signature “HenriDiane.”
She wielded considerable authority, and Henri was not shy about showering her with presents. He made a gift to her of the Chateau de Chenonceau, an estate that his queen had desired for her own. He also built the Chateau d’Anet for her, and gave her custody of most of the Crown Jewels. He gave her titles, too: Duchess of Valentinois in 1548, and Duchess d’Etampes in 1553.
Naturally, Queen Catherine was jealous of her, but during Henri’s lifetime there was little she could do about it. In 1559, Henri was injured during a jousting tournament — he was pierced by a lance in the eye, which became infected, and he died of septicemia. Henri called out for Diane repeatedly, it is said, but Catherine barred her from his chambers. After his death, Diane was forced to leave the Chateau de Chenonceau, and Catherine acquired it for herself.
Diane spent a short time at the Chateau de Chaumont (which Catherine had exchanged for Chenonceau), and then retired to her Chateau d’Anet, where she lived out the rest of her years. She died at the age of 66, and was entombed there.
During the French Revolution, Diane de Poitiers grave was opened and her remains were thrown into a mass grave. In 2008, her remains were recovered and reinterred in her tomb, identified by means of carbon dating, the superposition of her skull with portraits of her, and the evidence of two leg fractures, which Diane had received from riding accidents. The most telling evidence, however, may have been the chemical composition of her bones: they contained traces of gold 500 times higher than normal. In fact, the gold may have killed her.
Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events, 2011 Edition: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Special Days, Weeks, and Months, Editors of Chase’s Calendar of Events; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September 3; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_de_Poitiers; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_France ; http://www.dianedepoitiers.sharibeck.com/; http://cmhypno.hubpages.com/hub/Famous-Royal-Mistresses-Diane-de-Poitiers; http://blog.catherinedelors.com/diane-de-poitiers-returns-to-her-grave/; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7140746.ece; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/6865939/French-kings-mistress-poisoned-by-gold-elixir.html; http://madameguillotine.org.uk/2011/03/26/diane-de-poitiers-cougar-gold-drinker-fashionista/.