Lady of France: A Biography of Gabrielle d'Estreés, Mistress of Henry the Great

An engrossing biography of Gabrielle d'Estr?es, mistress, confidante, and advisor of Henry IV of France who was instrumental in ending the French Wars of Religion. Ideal for readers of Desmond Seward, Ian Mortimer and Alison Weir. Gabrielle d'Estr?es was just thirty-six hours shy of becoming Queen of France when she died in 1599, yet the story of her life is a dazzling and significant chapter in French history. Pampered and spoiled in her youth, at eighteen Gabrielle became mistress to King Henry IV of France and rose to command the respect of Popes and royalty, and to scale unequalled heights of diplomacy. One of Henry's closest confidantes and advisors, Gabrielle's influence helped achieve a reconciliation between the King and the Roman Catholic Church. She also played a key role in the delicate negotiations between Catholic and Huguenot leaders when Henry promulgated the Edict of Nantes in 1598. Drawing on contemporary memoirs and diaries, Noel B. Gerson paints a vivid picture of one of the most powerful and influential women of the sixteenth-century French court. Lady of France is a fascinating biography of a woman who became the first lady of France in everything but title.