Margaret of Valois

The daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, Margaret grew up in a royal court shaped by the Wars of Religion. Her mother treated the marriages of her children as instruments of statecraft, and Margaret received a strong education, becoming fluent in several languages and familiar with literature and the arts. Her father's death in 1559 and the rapid succession of her brothers Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III placed her close to the center of factional politics.

In 1572 Catherine arranged Margaret's marriage to Henry de Bourbon, king of Navarre and a Protestant leader, in an effort to reconcile Catholics and Huguenots. The wedding in Paris drew many Protestant nobles, but days later the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre engulfed the city. Margaret, a Catholic, remained in the Louvre and was caught between her family and her new husband; accounts credit her with trying to protect some Protestant visitors. The marriage never produced an heir and soon became politically and personally strained.

Margaret spent years navigating the shifting alliances of the religious wars. She joined her husband in Navarre, later returned to the French court, and in the 1580s withdrew to the castle of Usson in Auvergne, where she kept a cultured household and began writing her memoirs. After Henry became King Henry IV of France in 1589, their marriage was annulled in 1599 so that he could marry Marie de' Medici; Margaret retained the title of queen and a pension.

She returned to Paris in 1605 and established a salon that attracted writers, scholars, and artists. Her memoirs, published after her death, remain an important insider account of the Valois court and the religious conflicts of her time. She died in Paris in 1615. Alexandre Dumas later made her the heroine of his novel La Reine Margot, fixing the nickname Queen Margot in popular imagination.

Margaret of Valois was born on May 14, 1553 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France. In Cardology (Destiny Cards), May 14, 1553 corresponds to the Five of Diamonds, making the Five of Diamonds her Birth Card.

In numerology, the name adds another layer to the birth-date profile. The letters of a person’s name are used to explore inner motivation, personality, expression, and the qualities they bring into relationships and everyday life. Explore how her original name Marguerite de Valois influences her life and personality.