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Filippa Duci

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Filippa Duci
Born1520
Died1586
NationalityItalian (Piedmontese)
Known forCourtesan
SpouseJean Bernardin de Saint-Severin.
PartnerHenry II of France
ChildrenDiane de France
Coat of Arms of the Ducci family

Filippa Duci, dame de Couy or Filippa Ducci, dame de Couy (French: Philippe Desducs; 1520, Moncalieri, Piedmont – before October 1586, near Tours),[1] was a French (originally Italian) courtesan. She was the mother of Diane de France.[2]

Life

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Her father was Gian Antonio Duci, member of a minor Italian noble family.[3] During the Italian Wars in 1537,[4] the French dauphin Henry (later Henry II of France) stayed with a squire, Filippa's brother, also named Gian Antonio Duci.[5] Henry was seduced by Filippa on first sight, and she became his mistress.[6] When Henri heard Duci was pregnant, he arranged for her to be maintained until she gave birth.[7] Duci gave birth to their daughter, Diane de France, in Paris in 1538.[2] This proved that Henry was not sterile;[8] he had been married to Catherine de Médici, yet had still not produced an heir due to urological problems.[9] The baby was named Diane after Henry's love, his mistress Diane de Poitiers,[10] who raised the child along with her own two children.[11]

In 1541, Francis I of France granted Duci 400 livres tournois a year for life in an Ordinaire de Touraine and allowed her to retire to a convent.[12] She married the Italian gentleman and privy councillor Jean Bernardin de Saint-Severin in 1546.[1] After Diane was legitimized, Filippa was known as dame de Bléré en Touraine.[1] In 1582, she became a lady in waiting to queen dowager Catherine de Médici.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Filippa Duci, première maitresse d'Henri II - Les Favorites Royales". favoritesroyales (in French). 20 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Kent 2005, pp. 182–183.
  3. ^ https://www.collegio-araldico.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/LIBRODORONOBILTAITALIANA.pdf
  4. ^ "Filippa Duci et autres "amourettes" de Henri II". roisetreines.e-monsite.com (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  5. ^ Kent 2005, p. 181.
  6. ^ Marshall 2006, p. 74.
  7. ^ "Les Valois". chrisagde.free.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  8. ^ Kent 2005, p. 182.
  9. ^ Jennifer Gordtesky; Ronald Rabinowitz; Jeanne O'Brien. "The "infertility" of Catherine de Medici and its influence on 16th century France" (PDF). Department of Urology - University of Rochester. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  10. ^ Stedall 2012, p. 52.
  11. ^ Carroll 2010.
  12. ^ Frieda 2018.

Bibliography

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