Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici were married on October 28, 1533, and their marriage produced ten children. Henry and Catherine became the ancestors of monarchs of several countries.
Background, pedigree and family ties
Both Henry and Catherine were from illustrious families and had notable people in their respective family trees.
Henry II of France
Henry's father was Francis I of France, the patron of Leonardo da Vinci and a member of the Valois-Angoulême branch of the House of Valois. His maternal grandfather was Louis XII of France, the conqueror of the Neapolitan Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan. Both Kings of France were descendants (in the male line) of Charles V, King of France, and as such represented, as the only extant line of the House of Valois, the descent of Charles, Count of Valois, fourth son of King Philip III of France, from the House of Capet.
Henry's maternal grandmother was Anne of Brittany, the defiant Duchess Regent of Brittany and Queen of France twice over. Her grandmother was Eleanor of Navarre, the daughter of John II of Aragon and half-sister of Ferdinand II of Aragon. Therefore, this made Henry a distant half-cousin of his son-in-law Philip II of Spain. This also made him a second cousin once-removed of his other son-in-law, Henry IV of France, who was also a distant cousin through their common male-line ancestor, St. Louis of France.
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine's father and grandfather were Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino and Piero the Unfortunate respectively. The latter was a son of Lorenzo il Magnifico, the great Renaissance ruler of Florence. This made Catherine a scion of the illustrious House of Medici. Also her guardian till her marriage was Pope Clement VII, formerly Giulio De'Medici, illegitimate son of Giuliano De'Medici, brother of Lorenzo il Magnifico. Therefore, from her father's side, Catherine had high Italian ancestry.
Her mother was from the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, her father being the last Count of Boulogne from the aforementioned House. Her maternal grandmother Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendôme was a direct patrilineal descendant of Louis, the first duke of Bourbon. This made Catherine a direct descendant of Louis IX of France, and of the House of Capet, albeit through a female line. Also this made her a 7th cousin, once removed of her husband Henry and a 6th cousin, 3 times removed of Henri of Navarre, her son-in-law.
Ultimately both Henry and Medici, through Louis IX and the House of Capet, descended from Hugues Capet, the King of the Franks.
Children
During their marriage, the royal couple faced health problems with their children: their fourth child, Louis, died when he was a baby and Catherine almost died giving birth to her youngest children who were the twins, Jeanne and Victoire. After their birth, the doctors told Henry and Catherine that their marriage should not produce more children.
The following table lists all the children of Henry and Catherine.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Death | Marriages and Issue/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis II, King of France |  | January 19, 1544 | December 5, 1560 | Married Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) on 24 April 1558. They have no children. |
| Elizabeth of France |  | April 2, 1545 | October 3, 1568 | Married Philip II, King of Spain (1527–1598) on 22 June 1559. They had six children but only two daughters survived. |
| Claude of France | %252C_duchess_of_Lorraine.jpg.webp) | November 12, 1547 | February 21, 1575 | Married Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (1543–1608) on 19 January 1559. They had nine children. |
| Louis, Duke of Orléans |  | February 3, 1549 | October 24, 1550 | Died young; no issue. |
| Charles IX, King of France | _Portrait_de_Charles_IX_-_Fran%C3%A7ois_Clouet_-_Mus%C3%A9e_des_Beaux-Arts_d'Agen.jpg.webp) | June 27, 1550 | May 30, 1574 | Married Elizabeth of Austria (1554–1592) on 26 November 1570. Had one legitimate daughter (the only Valois grandchild of his parents) who died young. |
| Henry III, King of France |  | September 19, 1551 | August 2, 1589 | Married Louise of Lorraine on 15 February 1575. Had no issue. Briefly King of Poland in 1574. |
| Margaret of France |  | May 14, 1553 | March 27, 1615 | Known as "Queen Margot". Married Henry IV, King of France on 18 August 1572 and divorced on 17 December 1599. No issue. |
| Hercules, Duke of Anjou |  | March 18, 1555 | June 19, 1584 | Later known as Francis, Duke of Alençon and Anjou. No issue. |
| Victoire of France |  | June 24, 1556 | August 17, 1556 | Died young. |
| Jeanne of France | | June 24, 1556 | June 24, 1556 | Stillborn |
Descendants of Elizabeth of Valois
Progeny of Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain |  | 12 August 1566, Elisabeth of Valois and Philip II of Spain | Albert VII, Archduke of Austria No surviving Issue | December 1, 1633 | co-sovereigns of the Spanish Netherlands |
Progeny of Catherine Michaela of Spain
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Descendants of Claude of Valois
Progeny of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine
| Name | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry II, Duke of Lorraine |  | November 8, 1563, Claude of Valois and Charles III, Duke of Lorraine | Catherine of Navarre, Duchess of Lorraine Margerita Gonzaga 2 children | July 31, 1621 | |
| Nicolette of Lorraine |  | October 3, 1608, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita Gonzaga | Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine No Issue | February 2, 1657 | |
| Claude of Lorraine |  | 6 October 1612, Daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine and Margerita Gonzaga | Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine 1 child | 2 August 1648 |
Progeny of Christine of Lorraine
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Progeny of Francis II, Duke of Lorraine
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Descendants of Charles IX
| Name | Portrait | Birth and parents | Death | Marriages and issue/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Elisabeth of Valois |  | October 27, 1572 Elisabeth of Austria Charles IX of France | April 9, 1578 | Died young; no issue |