Claude de France
Claude of France (14 October 1499 ? 20 July 1524), was also known as Claude de France or Claudia of Valois.
Birth
Claude was born on 14 October 1499 in Romorantin, France, and was the daughter of Louis XII, King of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany.
Marriage
On 18 May 1514 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, Claude was married to Francis, Count of Angouleme, the heir to her father?s throne, who would later become Francis I, King of France and make her his Queen Consort. Their marriage was a dynastic attempt to merge the duchy of Brittany, of which Claude was the heiress, with the French monarchy.
Issue
Claude did not have any political power and became one of the least prominent Queens of France. She did however produce several children including Henry II, King of France, her heir, Madeleine of France, who later married James V, King of Scotland and Margaret of France, who married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.
Notable Events
During the Treaty of Blois (1504), Claude?s mother Anne, who was anxious to keep Brittany out of the hands of the French, arranged for Claude to be married to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The duchies of Brittany and Milan were promised as part of Claude?s dowry in the Treaty of Blois. This proved to be unpopular with the French people, who were loathe to lose the duchy of Brittany, and Claude was instead engaged (1506) to the future Francis I, King of France.
Claude became the Duchess of Brittany on her mother?s death (1514). This fact, along with her marriage, meant that Brittany was definitively joined to the French throne.
Death
Claude died on 20 July 1524 in the Chateau de Blois, Blois, France. She was interred in the Saint-Denis Basilica, Saint-Denis, France, where she was later joined by her husband.
