[Page 4.—1]. Don Carlos, son of Philip II. of Spain and of his first wife, Doña Maria of Portugal, was born at Valladolid on July 8, 1545, and died at Madrid on July 14, 1568. In 1559, at the Treaty of Câteau-Cambrésis, Philip negotiated a marriage between his son and Elisabeth, daughter of Henry II., but he afterwards married the princess himself. The loss of his chosen bride in this manner appeared to have a deep effect upon Don Carlos, and the sympathy shown him by Elisabeth and the gratitude thus awakened in the heart of the young prince aroused a feeling of jealousy in the mind of the Spanish King. In 1560 Don Carlos was proclaimed heir to the throne of Spain, but not long after was removed from Court and sent away from the capital. In 1562 he was wounded in the head by a fall, and it is thought by many that his reason was thereby impaired. His father's treatment of him became harsher, and the important positions at the Court were occupied by his enemies; he made two vain attempts to escape from Spain, and intelligence was brought to the King that his son was forming designs against his life. On January 18, 1568, Don Carlos was seized and placed in close confinement. The Council of State condemned him to death, but before the sentence could be executed the prince died in an unknown manner. (See Gachard: Don Carlos et Philippe II., Bruxelles, 1863.)
[2]. Monsieur de Savoie. Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, was born at Chambéry, July 8, 1528. He was an officer in the army of Charles V., and in 1557 won the battle of Saint-Quentin. He died August 30, 1580.
[3]. Marie, reine d'Angleterre (1516-1558), was the daughter of Henry VIII. by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She became Queen of England in 1553. On July 25, 1554, she married Philip II. of Spain, and from this time on her energies were directed to the destruction of Protestantism in England. Her death took place on November 17, 1558.
[4]. Elisabeth (1533-1603), daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. She ascended the English throne in 1558.
[5]. De La Ferrière, in his Projets de Mariage de la Reine Elisabeth, says: "Elisabeth was very desirous of making the acquaintance of the Duke of Nemours. She received the Count of Randan and directed the conversation upon the Duke. Randan drew so flattering a picture of the latter that he soon awakened in her a spark of love which could easily be perceived in the face and manner of the Queen. It was a matter of no difficulty for him to obtain her request for a meeting. On his return to France he announced this to Nemours. The Duke sent Lignerolles, his most trusted servant, to London; the response brought back by Lignerolles was encouraging. Nemours then lavished money on his apparel, arms, and horses; the King also aided him with his purse, and the flower of the young nobility contended for the honor of following him to England; but at the last moment the expedition 'se rompit et demeura court,' for, continues the chronicler, 'd'autres amours serroient le cœur du duc et le tenoient captif.'"
[Page 8.—1]. Madame de Valentinois, Diana of Poitiers, eldest daughter of Jean de Poitiers, was born September 3, 1499. At the age of thirteen she married Louis de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier, who died in 1531. She became the mistress of Francis I., and afterwards of his son, Henry II. Her influence over Henry was boundless; even the beauty and wit of Catherine de Medici could not weaken the King's attachment to her. He loaded her with favors, and in 1548 donated to her for life the Duchy of Valentinois. Upon the death of Henry, Madame de Valentinois was banished from the Court by Catherine. Abandoned by all her friends, she retreated to Anet, where she died in 1566.
[Page 10.—1]. Chez les Reines, in the apartments of Catherine de Medici and of Mary Stuart.
[2]. Aux assemblées, "in company."
[Page 11.—1]. Avoit le cœur très-noble et très-bien fait, "had a very noble and generous disposition."
[Page 12.—1]. Louvre, one of the most famous buildings of Paris, situated in the western part of the city, on the right bank of the Seine. It was at first designed as a fortress for the protection of the river. In 1204 Philip Augustus erected in the center of the court of the Louvre a tower to serve as a state prison. Later on, several of the kings of France placed their libraries there. Charles V. selected this palace as his residence in 1347, and it served as the abode of the royal family till the reign of Louis XIV., who preferred Versailles. Since the days of the Empire it has been used as a museum.