Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry of France

Diane de Poitiers

Diane de Poitiers was the mistress of King Henry of France for 25 years.

Their relationship probably started when Henry was between 16-18 years old. It was 'official’ from 1538 when Prince Henry was 19 years old, and Diane almost 40, twenty years his senior! 

She remained his favourite all through his life; It started when he was still a prince. It continued when he married Cathérine de’ Medici in 1533.  When his elder brother died in 1536 and Henry became the Dauphin (successor of the throne), Diane was still by his side. And when he became king of France in 1547 she was still his favourite. 

It ended when King Henry died in 1559.

Henry II (1519–1559) was the King of France

Catherine de' Medici (1519 – 1589), Queen of France

A Seasoned Courtier: The Rise of Diane de Poitiers

Francis I and his courtiers, Diane de Poitiers may very well be among them.

Diane de Poitiers had been a courtier all her life and knew the tricks of the trade. 

She got married at age 15 to Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet. He was 39 years her senior. At age 22 she had two daughters, her husband died in 1531, when she was only 32.

Her years as a lady-in-waiting for powerful women like Queen Claude, Louise of Savoy, and Eleanor of Austria honed her skills in courtly intrigue.

By 1533, the young Maria de Medici arrived to marry the 14-year-old Prince Henry. It was around this time that Diane and Henry embarked on their infamous affair.

Diane couldn't care less about Maria, this was just a young girl that she could control. She was experienced enough to know how to remain Henrie's favourite.

Interestingly, she even encouraged Henry to fulfill his marital duties, further solidifying her influence. She even took an active role in raising the ten children born from Henry and Catherine's union. To further solidify her grip on power, Diane's daughter, Françoise, was appointed head of Catherine's staff.

However, Diane's rise wasn't immediate. While Francis I reigned, his own mistress, Anne de Pisseleu, held court. Only upon Francis I's death in 1547 did Diane truly claim her place. She orchestrated Anne's banishment and even imprisonment, demonstrating her ruthless streak. The next twelve years saw Diane de Poitiers as the undisputed queen of the French court, wielding immense power and influence.

The monogram of Henry II, Symbol of King Henry II and Catherine, or Diane..?

The love triangle between Henry, Catherine and Diane is expressed wonderfully by the Monogram of Henry. It shows an intertwining H and C, or is it H and D?! 

The fact that you can find this monogram all over Chateau de Anet, seems proof that it is, in fact, the symbol of Henry and Diane and not that of Henry and Catherine. Notably, the monogram also appears on Diane's tomb.

Make your own decision, here are some examples to help you.

Girlfight over the Chateau the Chenonceau

Then disaster struck in 1559 when Henri was fatally injured at a tournament. His wife Queen Cathérine was eager to ban Diana de Poitiers from the court, and did not even wait until the king was dead.

According to legend, Henry was crying out for Diane on his deathbed. Catherine would not allow her to enter the royal bed-chamber. Diane had to leave the court and could not say goodbye to her beloved king. 

Chateau de Chenonceau

Diana went to the Château the Chenonceau, which King Henry had given to her. She had always loved this chateau and she was the one that had the arched bridge build that joins the Chateau to the other side of the river Cher. She also was responsible for the extensive flower and vegetable gardens.

Queen Catherine thought this castle (it's the lovely one built in the middle of the Cher River) was too much for the mistress. She forced Diana to trade it for her own castle Château de Chaumont. 

Catherine made Chenonceau her favourite residence during her years as regent of France.

Plan your visit to Chateau de Chenonceau

Ticket fees and opening hours:

Adult ticket  € 13.00 Children € 10.00 Children under 7 years old : Free

The palace is open every day all year long- check accurate opening times on their website.

Hints and tips

Get fantastic aerial views of the Loire Valley Châteaux in a hot-air balloon! Departure from the village of Francueil, near Chenonceau, in the early morning or evening. More information.

Guided tours and Day Trips

Almost all tours to the Loire Valley visit the Chateau de Chenonceau, because it is just one of the most enchanting palaces!

• Day trips to Chenonceau from Paris 
• Day trips to Chenonceau from Tours

How to get there

By Train

Click here for Eurail where you can find Train Tickets and Schedules and Rail passes which allow you to travel across 1 to 30 countries across Europe.

By Car

Chateau de Chenonceau
37150 Chenonceaux
France 

Official website

Where to stay

Chateau de Chissay

Only 5.6 km from Chateau de Chenonceau, (Amboise is 17 km away) you can spend the night in style in this lovely Chateau Hotel. It has an excellent restaurant and friendly, helpful staff. 

Not all rooms are inside the Chateau, so look carefully at the booking details to check where your room will be!

à 3 Place Paul Boncour
41400 Chissay-en-Touraine
France  

La Renaudière

On walking distance, only 500 m from Château de Chenonceau, you will find this 18th-century manor. It is conveniently close to the Chenonceaux train Station (400m). Also close to the city centre whit a wide choice of restaurants. Low rates and big rooms!

24, rue Bretonneau
37150 Chenonceaux
France

Plan your visit to Chateau de Chaumont

Ticket fees and opening hours:

Adult ticket  € 12.00 Children € 4.00 Children under 7 years old : Free

A Multimedia guide for the Château is € 4.00

The palace is open every day all year long- check accurate opening times on their website.

Hints and tips

• If you want to see all the grounds and gardens with exhibitions and installations you need to buy the “Domain” ticket for 1 or 2 days. An adult ticket is 
• Each year the International Garden Festival is held on the Castle grounds of Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. More information can be found on their website.
  

How to get there

By Train

Click here for Eurail  where you can find Train Tickets and Schedules and also Rail passes which allows you to travel across 1 to 30 countries accros  Europe.

By Car

Domaine Régional de Chaumont sur Loire
Le Château
41150 Chaumont-sur-Loire
France

Where to stay

Hostellerie Du Chateau

Comfortable hotel close to the entrance to the Chateau de Chaumont. You can save time buying the entrance tickets from the reception before you visit the Chateau. Also 45 minutes from Chambord.  Nice pool and terrace in the backyard!

2 Rue Du Maréchal De Lattre De Tassigny
41150 Chaumont-sur-Loire
France

More information and reservations

Plan your visit to Château d'Anet

Ticket fees and opening hours:

April - 1st of October - the castle is open every day except Tuesday, between 14,00 - 18,00

In November, and between 1st of February - 31 of March - the castle is open only in the weekend between 14,00 and 17,00.

Hints and tips

• You can only visit this chateau with a guided tour which will take about 1 hour. The guide will most probably speak French!
  

How to get there

By Train

Click here for Eurail where you can find Train Tickets and Schedules and Rail passes which allow you to travel across 1 to 30 countries across Europe.

By Car

Château d'Anet
2, place du château 
28260 Anet
France

Where to stay

Les Chambres de Diane

Nice chambres d'Hôtes in the centre of Anet. The palace is right behind the hotel at walking distance. 

More information and reservations