Henrietta Maria of France

Henrietta Maria of France
Portrait of the Queen in her late twenties
Henrietta Maria depicted in a portrait by Anthony van Dyck, c. 1636 to 1638
Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland
Tenure13 June 1625 – 30 January 1649
Born(1609-11-25)25 November 1609
Palais du Louvre, Paris, Kingdom of France
Died10 September 1669(1669-09-10) (aged 59)
Château de Colombes, Colombes, Kingdom of France
Burial13 September 1669
Spouse
(m. 1625; died 1649)
Issue
more...
HouseBourbon
FatherHenry IV of France
MotherMarie de' Medici
ReligionRoman Catholicism
SignatureHenrietta Maria of France's signature

Henrietta Maria of France (French: Henriette Marie; 25 November[1] 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was mother of his sons Charles II and James II and VII. Under a decree of her husband, she was known in England as Queen Mary, but she did not like this name and signed her letters "Henriette" or "Henriette Marie".[2]

Henrietta Maria's Roman Catholicism made her unpopular in England,[3] and also prohibited her from being crowned in a Church of England service; therefore, she never had a coronation. She immersed herself in national affairs as civil war loomed, and in 1644, following the birth of her youngest daughter, Henrietta, during the height of the First English Civil War, was compelled to seek refuge in France. The execution of Charles I in 1649 left her impoverished. She settled in Paris and returned to England after the Restoration of Charles II to the throne. In 1665, she moved back to Paris, where she died four years later.

The North American Province of Maryland, a major haven for Roman Catholic settlers, was named in honour of Queen Henrietta Maria. The name was carried over into the current U.S. state of Maryland.

  1. ^ Burke's Peerage and Gentry
  2. ^ Britland 2006, p. 73.
  3. ^ Mike Mahoney. "Henrietta Maria of France". Englishmonarchs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2014.