Catherine of Austria, Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, by Titian, 1548-49
Alex Brito
Anna Jagiellon in coronation robes - Anna Jagiellon (Polish: Anna Jagiellonka, Lithuanian: Ona Jogailaitė; 1523–1596) was queen of Poland from 1575 to 1586. She was the daughter of Poland's King Sigismund I the Old, and the wife of Stephen Báthory. She was elected, along with her then fiancé, Báthory, as co-ruler in the second election of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Anna was the last member of the Jagiellon dynasty.
Louis de Bourbon (7 May 1530 – 13 March 1569) was a prominent Huguenot leader and general, the founder of the House of Condé, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon.Born in Vendôme, he was the fifth son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, and the younger brother of Antoine de Bourbon who married Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre; their son, Condé's nephew, became Henry IV of France.
Elisabeth of France, by Villandrando. Isabel de Borbon, born Elisabeth to Henry IV Marie de Medicis, was the wife of Philip IV of Spain. Elisabeth was a renowned beauty and a patroness of arts and theatre in Spain. Her son Carlos Balthasar died shortly after his 16th birthday prompting Philip to remarry due to Elisabeth's untimely death. Her daugther Marie-Therese would marry Louis XIV and her great-grandson would eventually take the throne of Spain.
Henry IV (13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610),also known by the epithet "Good King Henry",King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 to 1610 and King of France from 1589 to 1610.He was the first French monarch of the House of Bourbon.Baptised as a Catholic but raised in the Protestant faith by his mother Jeanne d'Albret,Queen of Navarre, he inherited the throne of Navarre in 1572 on the death of his mother. As a Huguenot, Henry was involved in the French Wars of Religion...
Margaret of France (French: Marguerite de France or Marguerite de Valois, 1553 – 1615) was Queen of France and of Navarre during the late sixteenth century. A royal princess of France by birth, she was the last of the House of Valois.,Daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici sister of Kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III and of Queen Elizabeth of Spain. Queen of 2 countries, for she had married King Henry III of Navarre who became King Henry IV of France.
![Charles IX of France, after François Clouet, c. 1565. The Venetian ambassador Giovanni Michiel described Charles as "an admirable child, with fine eyes, gracious movements, though he is not robust. He favours physical exercise that is too violent for his health, for he suffers from shortness of breath".[61] Marie De Medici, Catherine De Medici](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/32/11/b9/3211b94a9b902ee9133f1f3fdc007fb5--the-studio-sau.jpg)
Charles IX of France, after François Clouet, c. 1565. The Venetian ambassador Giovanni Michiel described Charles as "an admirable child, with fine eyes, gracious movements, though he is not robust. He favours physical exercise that is too violent for his health, for he suffers from shortness of breath".[61]
Catherine de Medici (daughter of Lorenzo) Queen of France as wife of Henry, second son of King Francis I, then Queen consort of France as wife of King Henry II from 1547 to 1559. Henry's death thrust Catherine into the political arena as mother of the frail 15-year-old King Francis II. When he died in 1560, she became regent on behalf of her 10-year-old son King Charles IX and was granted sweeping powers. After Charles died in 1574, Catherine played a key role in the reign of 3rd son, Henry III.
