Charlotte Brabantina of Orange-Nassau

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Princess Charlotte Brabantina of Orange-Nassau, later Duchess of Thouars

Charlotte Brabantina (born September 17, 1580 in Antwerp ; † in August 1631 at Château-Renard ) was a daughter of Prince William I of Orange-Nassau , the silent , (* 1533; † 1584) and his third wife Charlotte de Bourbon -Montpensier (* 1546; † 1582).

Life

At the age of 13, Charlotte Brabantina went to Paris with her stepmother Louise de Coligny and her sister Elisabeth so that the two princesses could be married to powerful allies in France. Charlotte's sister Elisabeth married Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , in 1595 . Charlotte Brabantina met her brother-in-law's cousin, Claude de La Trémoille, duc de Thouars (1566–1604), and married him on March 11, 1598.

Charlotte Brabantina's relationship with the House of Orange played an important role in the diplomacy of French Protestants. She was able to dissuade her husband from participating in the Duke of Biron's plot against King Henry IV and to insist on loyalty to the king.

Charlotte Brabantina was described as very beautiful, her sister usually called her "la belle Brabant". After six years of marriage, the Duchess was widowed in 1604 and spent the rest of her life mostly with her sister Elisabeth. In 1619 the sisters' children finally married on the advice of the king . Eight years later, Charlotte Brabantina's son converted to Catholicism , which led to a break with his Protestant mother.

As the administrator of her husband's property, the Duchess managed to get after the death of Count Guy XX. von Laval in 1605 to double the family's estate from his inheritance. She was considered the patroness of the Huguenot communities in Thouars and Vitré.

progeny

literature

  • Olaf Mörke : Wilhelm von Oranien (1533–1584). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2007.
personal data
SURNAME Charlotte Brabantina of Orange-Nassau
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Princess of Orange-Nassau, by marriage Duchess of La Trémoille and Thouars
DATE OF BIRTH September 17, 1580
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH August 1631
Place of death Château-Renard