Henrietta Maria of France

Henrietta Maria (November 25, 1609 - September 10, 1669) was queen of England through her marriage to Charles I.

Born in Paris she was the youngest daughter of Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici, sister to Louis XIII of France. Her father was killed before she was one and her mother was banished in 1617. She was married to Charles I in 1625 aged just fifteen, initially their relationship was cold. Charles had intended to marry a daughter of Philip III of Spain, but a mission to Spain in 1623 had failed.

She was badly treated by George Villiers (4th [1st Villiers] Duke of Buckingham), the king's favourite. Following the murder of Buckingham in August, 1628 her relation with the king improved but she was an open Roman Catholic which alienated her to the people and certain powerful courtiers such as William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. She had nine children by Charles, of which the most significant were Charles (b. 1630) and James (b. 1633).

As the country moved towards open conflict through the 1630s, she naturally became involved. She allied with Puritan courtiers to deflect a diplomatic approach to Spain and sought a coup to pre-empt the Parliamentarians. As war approached she was active in seeking funds and support for her husband, but her concentration on Catholic sources like the Pope and the French angered many in England and hindered Charles' efforts.

In August 1642 when the conflict began she was away on the Continent and did not return to England until early 1643. She landed in Yorkshire and worked hard to rally support for the Royalists in northern England. The collapse of the king's position and his refusal to heed her advice and negotiate led her to flee to France with her sons in July 1644. Charles was executed in 1649 and she was left almost destitute.

She settled in Paris. She angered both Royalists in exile and her eldest son by attempting to covert her youngest son, Henry, to Catholicism . She returned to England following the Restoration in October 1660 and remained largely in England until 1665 when she returned permanently to France. Her financial problems resolved by a generous pension. She settled at a covent at Chaillot which she had founded. She died at Château de Colombes.