Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf

Charles de Lorraine (Joinville, 18 October 1556 - Moulins, 4 August 1605) was a French duke and nobleman. He was marquis of Elbeuf from 1566 to 1582, then duke of Elbeuf from 1582 to 1605 and count of Harcourt from 1566 to 1582, lord of Rieux, baron of Ancenis and peer of France.

Charles
Duke of Elbeuf
Coat-of-arms of Elbeuf
Born	18 October 1556 Joinville, France
Died	4 August 1605(1605-08-04) (aged 48) Moulins, France
Spouse	Marguerite de Chabot
Issue Detail	Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf Henri, Count of Harcourt Claude Éléonore, Duchess of Roannais
Full name Charles de Lorraine
House	House of Lorraine
Father	René de Lorraine
Mother	Louise de Rieux

Life

Charles was the son of René de Lorraine,[1] marquis of Elbeuf and count of Harcourt, and his wife Louise de Rieux. He was of a moderate attitude toward Protestantism, and during the 1570s hired Norman Huguenot servants from the families of Fouilleuse and Sarcilly.[2] Charles was made a knight of the Ordre du Saint-Esprit on 1 December 1581. He was arrested the day after the assassination of duke of Guise.[3] On his release Charles joined the Catholic League, becoming its leader in 1585,[4] and fought against Henry of Navarre. He did not make peace with Henry until 1594, when he received the governorship of Poitou from him and from then on became his faithful servant.[5]

Marriage and issue

On 5 February 1583 he married Marguerite de Chabot (1565 † 1652),[6] daughter of Léonor Chabot, count of Charny, and of Françoise de Longwy. Their children were :

• Charles II (1596 † 1657), Duke of Elbeuf[7]
• Claude Éléonore of Lorraine (1598 † 1654) known as Mademoiselle d'Elbeuf prior to her marriage with Louis Gouffier († 1642), Duke of Roannais in 1660. The couple had no children.
• Henriette of Lorraine (1599 † 1669), Abbess of Soissons
• Henri of Lorraine (1601 † 1666), Count of Harcourt,[1] of Armagnac and of Brionne
• Françoise of Lorraine (1602 † 1626) never married;
• Catherine of Lorraine (1605 † 1611) died in infancy.

References

1. Spangler 2009, p. 270.
2. Carroll 1998, p. 141.
3. Konnert 2016, p. 208.
4. Carroll 1998, p. 82.
5. Pitts 2009, p. 185.
6. Potter 2004, p. 65.
7. Spangler 2009, p. 222.

Sources

• Carroll, Stuart (1998). Noble Power During the French Wars of Religion: The Guise Affinity and the Catholic Cause in Normandy. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Konnert, Mark W. (2016). Local Politics in the French Wars of Religion: The Towns of Champagne, the Duc de Guise, and the Catholic League, 1560-95. Routledge.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Pitts, Vincent J. (2009). Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age. The Johns Hopkins University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Potter, David, ed. (2004). Foreign Intelligence and Information in Elizabethan England: Two English Treatises on the State of France, 1580-1584. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Spangler, Jonathan (2009). The Society of Princes: The Lorraine-Guise and the Conservation of Power and. Routledge.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Preceded by René II	Marquis, then Duke of Elbeuf 1566-1605	Succeeded by Charles II
Preceded by René II	Count of Harcourt 1566-1605	Succeeded by Henri