Henry IV of France (1553-1589-1610) was known not only for his courage and for being the man associated with the Place de la Voise and the Fontainebleau . Even before that, he was known first and foremost for being a womanizer, who changed more than 50 lovers during his life. However, of all those women who had the privilege of warming his bed and enjoying his wonderful body odor (a winning combination of garlic and the aroma of goat), there was only one lover to whom he remained faithful until her death. This was one of the fascinating women of the 16th century, Gabrielle d'Estrées (1573-1599).
Early Career – The Days When “Objectification” Was a Tangible Concept
Gabrielle d’Estrada was born in 1573 to an old noble family as the fourth child of 9 brothers and sisters. The seven women in this family managed to climb the royal court and were called by the “good souls” of that time as the “Seven Sins”. The reason for this is that the family Françoise Babou (1542-1592) pimped out her beautiful daughters and married them off for money and influence. Gabrielle’s story was not different from that of her sisters. Initially she was sold to the King of France Henry III for about 6,000 écouses (I have no idea what he did with her since he was known to be a homosexual ) and then she took on an “ecclesiastical career” and became the mistress of Cardinal de Guise.
In 1590, while she was the mistress of the Marquis de Bellgarde, he decided that it might be profitable to “plant” her into the bed of Henry IV. The Marquis tried to “match” them, but although the king fell in love with her at first sight, Gabrielle repelled all his attempts at conquest. The first reason was the king’s repulsive body odor. However, the second reason was, apparently, the understanding that the longer she lasted, the greater the king’s desire. Indeed, this strategy worked, and only after six months did the king manage to win her during the siege of the city of Chartres (two conquests in one day).
Gabrielle Destra – Much More Than Just a Lover
Gabrielle was known as one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, with flowing blonde hair, an elegant figure, and a pair of perfect breasts, which led to the famous portrait of her in the bathtub (more on that later in the article). However, none of this can begin to explain why Henry IV, who had had quite a few mistresses before her, fell completely in love with her. The reason for this was that the relationship that developed went far beyond the royal bed. During much of their relationship, Henry IV was busy conquering France from the Catholic League, which refused to disobey him because he was Protestant. Gabrielle, even when she was heavily pregnant with him, insisted on being with him on the battlefield and living in harsh conditions of cold, rain, and mud. She always made sure that when the king returned from battle, there would be a hot meal waiting for him and even washed his clothes (not exactly something you would expect from a mistress who was also a noblewoman). When the king was fighting on the battlefield, Gabrielle Destra also served as his political advisor and took care of corresponding with his allies.
And if all this were not enough, Gabrielle even donated her money to the king, which is quite impressive considering her previous “career” as a “gold digger.” One evening in Paris, news was received that the Spanish army had launched a surprise attack on the city of Amiens. Henri decided to go to battle immediately, and while he was preparing himself for the journey, Gabrielle went to her treasury and gave him all the money she had, so that he could hire soldiers and support them. Not content with that, she made a quick fundraising round among the courtiers and raised another 250,000 écos, which she sent to the king. When Gabrielle saw that all this was not enough, she even sold her jewelry and, while wearing her ball gown, went to the front to deliver the rest of the money she had raised to the king. Henri begged her to return to Paris (especially after noticing the three bullet holes in the sides of her tent), but Gabrielle would not hear of it.
Henry IV's mistress was active not only in the rear but also on the battlefield itself. One day during a fierce battle, a column of enemy soldiers appeared out of nowhere, causing Henry's soldiers to flee. Seeing this, Gabrielle emerged from her tent, rode to the scene of the battle, and began shouting for the soldiers to return to the fight. She continued to do so even when the enemy army approached within 4 paces of her, and Henry IV was forced to ride to her to demand that she return to the rear. However, fortunately for both of them, the courage that Gabrielle had instilled in the soldiers took its toll, and the king was able to win the battle.
Who touched Gabrielle Destra's breasts?
One of the proofs of how strong the bond between Henri IV and Gabrielle was is her famous portrait painted in 1594. In the painting, Gabrielle's sister is seen holding her nipple while she was pregnant with the Duke of Vendôme, whose grandson the famous square in Paris would be named after. Two elements in the painting hint at the pregnancy: the first element is the nipple that the sister is touching (a symbol of the milk that is about to be produced but also of the beauty of her breasts, whose name has gone far and wide). The second element is the woman in the background, who is probably knitting a garment for the new baby. As you can see Gabrielle is holding a ring, this is not a wedding ring but Henri IV's coronation ring that she received as a gift from him as a reward for her loyalty. Finally, if you look at the fireplace in the background, the fire symbolizes the love between Gabrielle and the king, while the erotic painting above symbolizes passion.
Indeed, from the moment it was created, the painting was considered particularly erotic. The poet Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme (1540-1614) tells of a couple of noblemen who came to visit Paris in the early 17th century and came across the portrait. After the woman looked at it for a while, she pulled the nobleman’s sleeve and said to him, “Take me immediately to our hotel, I have urgent needs that you must satisfy immediately”… It is no wonder that later the chief of the Paris police ordered this painting to be displayed behind a green screen in order to maintain public order…
Want to read more about this intriguing portrait? Click on this link.
And they (did not) live happily and richly…
The experiences of those years turned Henry IV and Gabrielle d'Estrada into a truly royal couple, and she achieved a rare feat: out of more than 4 mistresses the king had throughout history, she was the only one he did not cheat on. In 50, Gabrielle had already given birth to two children for the king and was pregnant with the third. The king, who was in love with her, decided to marry her and make her Queen of France after she gave birth. Although she had enjoyed excellent health until then (some of her brothers and sisters lived to be around 1599 years old), something about this pregnancy felt different to her. She was sad, couldn't sleep at night, and felt as if a disaster was about to happen. Three days before her wedding to the king, Gabrielle went to Paris to prepare for the ceremony, while Henry stayed at Fontainebleau. When they parted, she began to sob and clung to him tightly. The king thought it was just a "pregnancy fever" and did not know that this would be the last time he would see her alive.
When she arrived in Paris, Gabrielle had a meal at the home of her friend, the banker Zamet, and shortly afterwards felt unwell. The next day she gave birth to a stillborn baby, more than four months before the planned date, and began to suffer terrible pain. Despite all the doctors around her, Gabrielle d’Estrada died one day before her wedding to the king. The timing of the death was very suspicious and rumors quickly spread that the mistress had been poisoned. Suspicion fell on the Medici family, who had hoped that one of their daughters would become Queen of France. Even the strange pathological report issued by the doctors did not help to clear the suspicions, as it stated that she had died from…a rotten lemon.
When Henry IV heard of his lover's illness, he rushed to Paris, but was too late, and when he arrived, she was no longer alive. The king immediately began to mourn and wore black, something no French king had ever done. However, her family reacted in a completely different way. As soon as her father heard of her death, he sent servants to steal the furniture she had ordered for the rooms she planned to stay in after the wedding. After her funeral, Henry placed a statue of her in his room at the Louvre Palace and wrote, "The root of my love is dead. It will not grow again." Indeed, over the years, the king continued to visit the statue of his mistress, even though he had already married Marie de Medici. The root of his love also came to life some time later, and he continued to take new lovers. However, Gabriel's memory remained in his heart until his death, while she was remembered in the pages of history as the mistress who went as far as possible, at least until Madame de Maintenon managed to break her record...
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