Philosophers
89-416: Works A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess ) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor , the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear from the two words from which it is composed: queen indicates someone who served as queen consort (i.e. wife of a king), while dowager indicates
178-610: A Hindu widow, though, under the Act, the widow forsook any inheritance due her from her deceased husband. Social stigma in Joseon Korea required that widows remain unmarried after their husbands' death. In 1477, Seongjong of Joseon enacted the Widow Remarriage Law, which strengthened pre-existing social constraints by barring the sons of widows who remarried from holding public office. In 1489, Seongjong condemned
267-458: A connection between Condé and the conspiracy. Condé denounced accusations thrown at him as the work of 'scum' and more pressingly for honour in aristocratic circles, propagated by 'liars.' The Queen Mother assured him that no one doubted his innocence. However, on 18 April his chambers were raided while he was attending the kings levée. Unable to find proof however, he was allowed to leave court. Condé hurried south, uniting with his brother Antoine in
356-417: A long terminal illness. In addition, both men and women have been observed to experience lifestyle habit changes after the death of a spouse. Both sexes tend to have a harder time looking after themselves without their spouse to help, though these changes may differ based on the sex of the widow and the role the spouse played in their life. The older spouses grow, the more aware they are of being alone due to
445-782: A queen dowager and a queen mother: Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty and Most Excellent Princess Elizabeth, Queen Dowager and Queen Mother, Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter , Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle , Lady of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India , Grand Master and Dame Grand Cross of
534-421: A spouse's death, when they had a 66-percent increased chance of dying". There remains controversy over whether women or men are worse off, and studies have attempted to make each case, while others suggest there are no sex differences. While it is disputed as to whether sex plays a part in the intensity of grief, sex often influences how a person's lifestyle changes after a spouse's death. Research has shown that
623-434: A woman of the royal clan, Yi Guji , when it was discovered that she had cohabited with her slave after being widowed. More than 40 members of her household were arrested and her lover was tortured to death. In some parts of the world, such as Zimbabwe , the property of widows, such as land, is often taken away by her in-laws. While illegal, since most marriages are conducted under customary law and not registered, redressing
712-401: A woman who continues to hold the title from her deceased husband (a queen who reigns in her own right is a queen regnant ). A queen mother is a former queen consort, often a dowager queen, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. As of 2024, there are four queens dowager: Kesang Choden of Bhutan (who is the only living queen grandmother worldwide), Norodom Monineath of Cambodia (who
801-497: Is a person whose spouse has died and has usually not remarried . The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjective for either sex is widowed . These terms are not applied to a divorcé(e) following the death of an ex-spouse. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood . The term widowhood can be used for either sex, at least according to some dictionaries, but
890-414: Is also queen mother), Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Noor Al'Hussein) of Jordan , and Sirikit Kitiyakara of Thailand (who is also queen mother). A queen dowager has an important royal position (whether or not she is the mother of the reigning sovereign) but does not normally have any rights to succeed a king as monarch on his death unless she happens to be next in line to the throne (one possibility would be if
979-566: Is also uncommon for widows to challenge their treatment because they are often "unaware of their rights under the modern law…because of their low status, and lack of education or legal representation.". Unequal benefits and treatment generally received by widows compared to those received by widowers globally has spurred an interest in the issue by human rights activists . During the HIV pandemic, which particularly hit gay communities, companions of deceased men had little recourse in estate court against
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#17327733852481068-499: Is the princess dowager of the principality of Genovia. In the films, where Genovia is portrayed as a kingdom, Clarisse is portrayed as a dowager queen. In the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire , and later the HBO series Game of Thrones , the character Cersei Lannister became the queen mother to King Joffrey Baratheon after her husband Robert Baratheon was killed in a hunting accident, although she managed to strong-arm
1157-464: Is unusual to indicate a former queen-consort as a dowager. In Sweden, there has also been another title for a dowager queen, called Riksänkedrottning , which means Queen Dowager of the Realm . This title was used in the 16th and 17th centuries. The last time the title queen dowager was used was in 1913. In the novel series The Princess Diaries , the character Princess Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo
1246-666: The Commonwealth realms in the period between the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952 and the death of her paternal grandmother on 24 March 1953, when, for slightly over a year, there were three queens alive: There were several former queens consort of England, Scotland, and later the United Kingdom, who were never queen mothers. The following queens were dowagers between the given dates, whether queen mothers or not: Of England : Of England and Ireland Of Scotland Of England, Ireland and Scotland Of
1335-465: The Edict of Amboise was propagated, offering a retroactive amnesty for those convicted of heresy, on the condition they live as good Catholics. This began the distinction between the crimes of heresy and the crime of sedition, which had during the reign of Henri II been treated as a unified crime. Whilst the rebellion outside the castle of Amboise may have been crushed, the situation was deteriorating in
1424-535: The Habsburg empire . At the expense of its influence in Europe, France continued to restore lands conquered over the previous 40 years. In this sense, Francis II's reign began the decline of French influence throughout Europe, to the benefit of Spain . When Henry II died, the restitution of these territories was well under way. Francis II, aware of the kingdom's weaknesses, reassured Spain of its intention to fulfill
1513-879: The Parliament of Scotland established Protestantism as the state religion. When Francis II and Mary Stuart were presented with the Treaty of Edinburgh, they were outraged and refused to sign it; they also challenged the legitimacy of the Scottish parliament's decision. The king's health deteriorated in November 1560. On 16 November he fainted. After only 17 months on the throne, Francis II died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans , Loiret, from an ear condition. Multiple diseases have been suggested, such as mastoiditis , meningitis , or otitis exacerbated into an abscess. Ambroise Paré ,
1602-984: The Royal Victorian Order upon whom had been conferred the Royal Victorian Chain , Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire , Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John , Relict of His Majesty King George the Sixth and Mother of Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth The Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of
1691-470: The Sati Prevention Act , which made it illegal to support, glorify or attempt to commit sati. Support of sati, including coercing or forcing someone to commit sati, can be punished by the death sentence or life imprisonment, while glorifying sati is punishable with one to seven years in prison. The people of Fiji practised widow-strangling. When Fijians adopted Christianity, widow-strangling
1780-437: The folklore of Chiloé of southern Chile, widows and black cats are important elements that are needed when hunting for the treasure of the carbunclo . In societies where the husband is the sole provider, his death can leave his family destitute. The tendency for women generally to outlive men can compound this. The Bible has written several commandments about caring for the widow, the prohibition against harming her and
1869-400: The queen; a queen regnant would also be called the queen. Many former queens consort do not formally use the word "dowager" as part of their titles. There may be more than one queen dowager at any given time. The Garter King of Arms 's proclamation in the United Kingdom of the styles and titles of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at her funeral on 9 April 2002 illustrates her dual status as
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#17327733852481958-569: The Commonwealth , Defender of the Faith , Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter , whom may God preserve and bless with long life, health and honour and all worldly happiness. A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the current monarch. Not every queen mother is a queen dowager, such as Queen Paola of Belgium , who became the queen mother of her son Philippe after her husband Albert II abdicated
2047-460: The Guise administration which had been bubbling under the surface during Francis II's reign, coalesced around two primary axes. Firstly there was religious opposition from Protestants such as La Roche Chandieu, secondly there was opposition from military men of the minor gentry, such as Castlenau; these groups came together under the leadership of the seigneur de la Renaudie to form a conspiracy to seize
2136-649: The Parlement and merchants of Paris in October 1560, shortly after the convoking of the estates had taken place. In religion, the Guises initially continued the repression of Protestantism started by King Henry II. From July 1559 to February 1560 they would pass four more persecutory edicts, including such provisions as the razing of any house which a Protestant meeting occurred in, and the prosecution of landlords who knowingly harboured heretics as tenants. Opposition to
2225-474: The United Kingdom: If the current queen consort, Queen Camilla , outlives the incumbent king, King Charles III , she will become a queen dowager, while King Charles’s son and daughter in law become the new king and queen consort respectively. She would not be known as a queen mother, as she is not the biological parent of Prince William. Note that in some of the countries mentioned below it
2314-590: The United States to signify their widowhood and devotion to their deceased husband. After the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 in India, the status of widowhood for Hindu women was accompanied by a body symbolism - The widow's head was shaved as part of her mourning, she could no longer wear a red dot sindoor on her forehead, was forbidden to wear wedding jewellery, had to keep her bosoms uncovered and
2403-428: The ability to ascend socio-economically, widows—who were "presumably celibate"—were much more able (and likely) to challenge conventional sexual behaviour than married women in their society. It may be necessary for a woman to comply with the social customs of her area because her fiscal stature depends on it, but this custom is also often abused by others as a way to keep money within the deceased spouse's family. It
2492-413: The age of nine months, following the death of her father James V . Mary was a granddaughter of Claude, Duke of Guise , a very influential figure at the court of France. Once the marriage agreement was formally ratified, the five-year-old Mary was sent to France to be raised at court until the marriage. She was tall for her age and eloquent, and Francis was unusually short and stuttered. Henry II said, "from
2581-616: The arrival in April of 6000 soldiers and 3000 horsemen, which began the siege of the city . Just as English troops were not particularly successful, the French troops found themselves in a better strategic position. But the French government's poor financial situation and internal turmoil in the French kingdom prevented any military reinforcements from being sent. When the Bishop of Valence and Charles de La Rochefoucault, sieur of Randan, sent by
2670-542: The character "Rajamatha Shivagami Devi". In most Indian languages, the word 'rajamata' means 'Queen-Mother'. In the video game Long Live the Queen , after the queen regnant of the kingdom of Nova is assassinated, her widower is referred to as the king-dowager. In the 2023 Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story , actress Michelle Fairley portrays Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, King George's mother. Widow A widow (female) or widower (male)
2759-427: The countries that have joined CEDAW. In the United States, Social Security offers a Survivor's Benefit to qualified people once for a loss through their 50th birthday after which a second marriage may be considered when applying for benefits. The maximum still remains the same but here the survivor has options between accessing their earned benefits or one of their qualifying late spouses at chosen intervals to maximize
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2848-470: The court of what was happening. Finally on 12 February while the court was travelling to Amboise, the Duke's secretary arrived, bringing a lawyer who had got cold feet about the direction of the conspiracy. The secretary revealed all the details to the Guise and Francis, including the name of the leader, La Renaudie. With this knowledge to hand, and suspecting the involvement of Condé, the Guise summoned much of
2937-516: The court, while Mary Stuart, Francis II's widow, returned to Scotland . Louis, Prince of Condé, who was jailed and awaiting execution, was freed after some negotiations with Catherine de Médici. On 23 December 1560, Francis II's body was interred in the Basilica of St Denis by the Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon . Francis II had a brief reign. He became king as an inexperienced teenager, at a time when
3026-516: The day after the death of the king, he was present at the council meeting and was also at the coronation. Later he supported the repression of the Amboise conspiracy of 1560, notably by going to the Parlement to communicate to its members the measures taken by the king. In July 1560 he came back to court and to the council, although in a much less flamboyant manner than before. The Guises were now
3115-576: The death of their husband or wife. This negatively impacts the mental as well as physical well-being in both men and women. In some parts of Europe and Latin America , including Russia , Slovakia , the Czech Republic , Greece , Italy , Portugal , Spain and Mexico , widows used to wear black for the rest of their lives to signify their mourning, a practice that has largely died out. Orthodox Christian immigrants may wear lifelong black in
3204-418: The deceased’s family. Not yet able to have been legally married the term widower was not considered socially acceptable. This situation was usually blessed with an added stigma being attached to the surviving man. As of 2004, women in United States who were widowed younger are at greater economic hardship risk. Married women who are in a financially unstable household are more likely to become widows "because of
3293-462: The difference falls in the burden of care, expectations, and how they react after the spouse's death. For example, women often carry more of an emotional burden than men and are less willing to go through the death of another spouse. After being widowed, men and women may react very differently and frequently change their lifestyles. Women tend to miss their husbands more if they died suddenly; men tend to miss their wives more if they died after suffering
3382-455: The duty to make her happy during the holidays, for example: "Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns".(Hebrew Bible, Book of Deuteronomy 16:14) In 19th-century Britain, widows had greater opportunity for social mobility than in many other societies. Along with
3471-577: The ecclesiastical courts instead of the Parlement . This was significant as the ecclesiastical courts lacked the ability to provide death sentences, and while they could technically still refer cases to the Parlements for sentencing, this acted as a de facto abolition of the death penalty for heresy. For more 'seditious' offences, such as heretical preaching, pamphlet producing and services, the Présidaux courts would have jurisdiction. Conscious that
3560-409: The financial and religious problems of the crown had not yet gone away, and desiring to create a more definitive solution, the Guise oversaw the calling of an Assembly of Notables . Conscious that they were liable to be arrested, Condé and Navarre were not among the leading nobility who attended. Lorraine intended to guide the assembly towards his proposed idea of a national religious council, to reunify
3649-418: The government of Francis II had to negotiate, pay, or claim compensations for people whose properties were taken or destroyed during the war. It also had to reach an agreement with Spain about the prisoners of war held by both sides. Many noblemen were still prisoners and unable to pay their ransom. Common soldiers were consigned to use as rowers on the royal galleys . Even after a reciprocal release compromise
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3738-563: The government were also contested. To try and set about fixing the realm's finances, they embarked upon an aggressive campaign of cost cutting, scaling down the size of the army from its height in the wars, and deferring payments to the troops, who angrily protested against the Guises. This would not however be enough, so they were moved to raise forced loans from the provinces, such as 800,000 livres from Normandy, to cover shortfalls. They further suppressed Venal office . Forced loans would continue into 1560, with 100,000 crowns being demanded of
3827-512: The high nobility to Amboise, and began fortifying the castle in preparation. In March the court struck, arresting a band of the conspirators who had assembled to discuss the delivery of money for the operation. Several days later a larger host of soldiers were bloodily repulsed from Amboise. On 17 March, Francis II made the duke of Guise the Lieutenant General of the kingdom, giving him final authority for all military matters. Realising
3916-406: The increased benefits for delaying a filing (i.e. at age 63 claim husband one's reduced benefit, then husband two's full amount at 67 and your own enhanced benefit at 68). In parts of Africa, such as Kenya , widows are viewed as impure and in need of cleansing. This often requires having sex with someone. Those refusing to be cleansed risk getting beaten by superstitious villagers, who may also harm
4005-482: The involvement of Condé in this affair. This was confirmed when an agent of his carrying papers that implicated him was intercepted. The king's reaction was fierce and determined: he mobilised his troops, sent the army to the rebellious areas to quell the sedition, and ordered governors to return to their positions. To isolate the renegade princes of the blood further the administration created two super-governorships giving one to Charles, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon and
4094-435: The issue of property grabbing is complicated. Francis II of France Francis II ( French : François II ; 19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was King of France from 1559 to 1560. He was also King of Scotland as the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots , from 1558 until his death in 1560. He ascended the throne of France at age 15 after the accidental death of his father, Henry II , in 1559. His short reign
4183-478: The king and arrest or kill the Cardinal de Lorraine and the Duke de Guise. The group planned to push for Antoine of Navarre to lead them, and become a 'regent' for Francis II. When he proved uninterested in their plot, they moved to the more dubious claim of his brother Condé. He was more receptive to the plan. As details of the conspiracy were finalised and arms raised for the day, rumours began to leak out to
4272-411: The king and queen were also cousins and childless, the king had no other siblings, and she in her other position as his cousin was also his heiress presumptive ). A queen dowager continues to enjoy the title, style , and precedence of a queen, but is no longer referred to as the queen. A new reigning king would have (at accession or eventually) a wife who would be the new queen consort and therefore
4361-602: The king to negotiate, arrived in Scotland, they were treated almost like prisoners. With Marie of Guise shut up in Edinburgh Castle , the two men were forced to negotiate a peace that was disadvantageous to France. On 6 July 1560, they signed the Treaty of Edinburgh , which ended French occupation of Scotland. Francis II and Mary Stuart had to withdraw French troops and stop displaying England's arms. A few weeks later,
4450-571: The kingdom was struggling with religious troubles. Historians agree that Francis II was fragile, both physically and psychologically, and his frail health led to his early death. The question of whether his marriage was consummated or not remains unanswered. Francis is portrayed by Toby Regbo in the CW show Reign , by Richard Denning in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), by Sebastian Stragiotti-Axanciuc in Mary, Queen of Scots (2013), and by George Jaques in
4539-522: The loss at the Battle of Saint-Quentin (1557) and then around the trial of the heretic parlementaire Anne du Bourg . From the beginning of their assumption of government, the Guises faced opposition from several factions. Their rise to dominance had come at the expense of Anne de Montmorency and the House of Bourbon who resented their total ascendency to varying degrees. The political decisions of
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#17327733852484628-407: The marriage, Francis became king consort in Scotland until his death. The marriage produced no children, and may never even have been consummated, possibly due to Francis's illnesses or undescended testicles . A little over a year after his marriage, on 10 July 1559, Francis became king at age 15 upon the death of Henry II, who had been killed in a jousting accident. On 21 September 1559, Francis II
4717-415: The monarchy of France. While there was to be no allowance for heretical worship, it was hoped this would avoid needless bloodshed, and reunify the kingdom around the crown. This changing of the political winds was furthered when in April the former Guise client Michel de l'Hôpital became Lord Chancellor of France replacing the ailing François Olivier . Hôpital was a humanist Catholic, little interested in
4806-442: The motley nature of the conspiracy, a mixture of fairly harmless heretics and hardened military men, an amnesty was declared on 17 March for those who laid down their arms and went home within 48 hours. Operations would continue as the court began to fan out troops into the countryside to mop up stragglers. The court was left with a tricky situation as to how to deal with those captured alive. Interrogations began, attempting to prove
4895-463: The new masters of the court. The king granted them numerous favours and privileges, one of the most significant being the title of Grand Master of France , a title until then held by the son of the Constable, François de Montmorency . With the peace of Cateau Cambresis in 1559, the crown had been left on the cusp of bankruptcy. The public deficit stood at 40 million livres, of which 19 million
4984-400: The other to Louis, Duke of Montpensier , thus divorcing their interests from those of their cousins. Heavily outnumbered Condé and Navarre decided making a stand and fighting would be pointless, and they departed their southern regional powerbase at the kings request to attend the forthcoming Estates General. This distinction between heresy and sedition, represented a new religious policy for
5073-467: The persecution that had defined the administration in the 1550s. In conjunction with Charles Cardinal of Lorraine, Catherine de Medici and Admiral Coligny, he began pushing this new religious policy further. In May 1560 a further edict was passed, the Edict of Romorantin . This edict denounced the spread of heresy in the kingdom, but also noted the failure of the policies on the 1550s. The edict proposed that going forth trial for heresy would be handled by
5162-461: The position of regent as well, and was thus known as the "queen regent". In the episode " High Sparrow ", the new queen consort, Margaery Tyrell , mocks Cersei's loss of power by asking her to clarify whether she should be addressed as queen mother or dowager queen. In the 2015 Indian movie Baahubali-The Beginning and its sequel Baahubali-the Conclusion , actress Ramya Krishnan portrays
5251-696: The provinces. Troops raised for the conspiracy in Dauphine, Provence, and the Lyonnais were left without central direction, creating the nucleus of guerrilla armies that caused chaos in their localities. Beyond the planned regional elements of Amboise, many Protestants began seizing churches independently, and engaging in acts of unauthorised iconoclasm, as in Rouen and Provence. During the summer, this rebellious movement gained intensity; several cities in southern France were by now engulfed in revolt. The climax of
5340-457: The regional disorder came in the early autumn, where on 4 September in Lyon , a large stockpile of weapons was discovered in the city of Lyon by the authorities, after a brief firefight with a group of Protestants the weapons were seized, narrowly foiling a planned coup in the city by several days. The narrow foiling of this conspiracy only further enraged the king and his administration who suspected
5429-474: The righteous). According to French law, Francis was an adult who did not need a regent ; but since he was young, inexperienced, and in fragile health, he delegated his power to his wife's uncles from the noble House of Guise : Francis, Duke of Guise , and Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine. His mother, Catherine de' Medici , agreed to this delegation. On the first day of his reign, Francis II instructed his four ministers to take orders from his mother, but since she
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#17327733852485518-421: The royal surgeon, considered performing a trepanation . Some suspected Protestants of having poisoned the king, a view held by Catholics as the tensions between them and Protestants were on the rise, but this has not been proven. Francis II died childless, so his younger brother Charles , then ten years old, succeeded him. On 21 December, the council named Catherine de' Medici , Regent of France. The Guises left
5607-458: The south-west. For the military conspirators who had remained under arms there would be little mercy, many would be executed in the following days, and hanged from the battlements as a warning. To the shock of members of the court, this included men of 'good birth' such as the Baron de Castlenau. Nevertheless, the court was conscious its religious policy had been a failure, and as early as 8 March,
5696-553: The strong relationship between mortality [of the male head] and wealth [of the household]." In underdeveloped and developing areas of the world, conditions for widows continue to be much more severe. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (ratified by 135 countries) while slow, is working on proposals which will make certain types of discrimination and treatment of widows (such as violence and withholding property rights) illegal in
5785-412: The throne but retained the title of king. Not all queens dowager are the queen mother; they may have a relation other than mother to the reigning monarch, such as aunt or grandmother. For example, Mary, Queen of Scots , was queen dowager of France after the death of her husband Francis II , to whom she bore no children. Similarly, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was queen dowager after her husband William IV
5874-466: The throne, the two brothers split the custody of the kingdom: Duke Francis became head of the army and Charles the head of finance, justice, and diplomacy. The rise of the House of Guise worked to the detriment of its old rival, Anne de Montmorency , Constable of France. At the new king's suggestion, he left the court for his estates to get some rest. Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of the previous king,
5963-469: The title of " Dowager Princess of Wales " (a precedent was Henry VII of England 's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort , titled "My Lady the King's Mother"); Srinagarindra meanwhile received the designation "Princess Mother". As there is only one monarch, there can only be one queen mother. It is possible for there to be a queen mother and one or more queens dowager alive at any one time. This situation occurred in
6052-571: The treaty just signed. The Maréchal de Brissac , who displayed some unwillingness to evacuate Piedmont, was asked to change his behaviour and accelerate the withdrawal. By the autumn of 1559, France had completely left Savoy, and Piedmont, except for the five locations agreed upon in the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. If these were returned to the Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert , Montferrat would be returned to Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua . Both were allies of Spain. Finally, Valenza , which Brissac
6141-564: The two faiths peacefully, this was however taken off course by Coligny, who presented a petition from the Norman church seeking the right to establish temples. The duke of Guise was infuriated by this proposal, suggesting if two religions were tolerated 'his sword would not remain sheathed for long.' The assembly drew up a reform package of tax ideas, and closed by convening the Estates General to whom this package would be presented. It
6230-533: The very first day they met, my son and she got on as well together as if they had known each other for a long time". On 24 April 1558, Francis and Mary married in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was a union that could have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary's great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England . As a result of
6319-474: The way of French control of Scotland apart from English support for the Scottish nobles. Queen Elizabeth I of England was still offended that Francis II and Mary Stuart had put on their coat of arms those of England, thus proclaiming Mary's claims on the throne of England. In January 1560, the English fleet blockaded the port of Leith , which French troops had turned into a military base. They were supported by
6408-656: The woman and her late husband's children. It is argued that this notion arose from the idea that if a husband dies, the woman may have performed witchcraft against him. Use of widows in harem has been recorded in Ancient Egypt , medieval Europe, and Islamic empires. Sati was a practice in South Asia where a woman would immolate herself upon her husband's death. These practices were outlawed in 1827 in British India and again in 1987 in independent India by
6497-418: The word widowerhood is also listed in some dictionaries. An archaic term for a widow is " relict ", literally "someone left over"; this word can sometimes be found on older gravestones . Occasionally, the word viduity is used. The phenomenon that refers to the increased mortality rate after the death of a spouse is called the widowhood effect . It is "strongest during the first three months after
6586-546: Was Pierre Danès, a Greek scholar originally from Naples . He learned dancing from Virgilio Bracesco and fencing from Hector of Mantua. King Henry II, his father, arranged a remarkable betrothal for his son to the five year old Mary, Queen of Scots , in the Châtillon agreement of 27 January 1548, when Francis was only four years old. Mary had been crowned Queen of Scotland in Stirling Castle on 9 September 1543 at
6675-619: Was abandoned. Those likely to be accused and killed as witches , such as in Papua New Guinea , are often widows. Widow inheritance (also known as bride inheritance) is a cultural and social practice whereby a widow is required to marry a male relative of her late husband, often his brother. The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 , enacted in response to the campaign of the reformer Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar , to encourage widow remarriage and provided legal safeguards against loss of certain forms of inheritance for remarrying
6764-504: Was already regent for Scotland. Because of French control over their country, a congregation of Scottish lords organised an uprising and made the regent and her French councils leave the capital, Edinburgh , in May 1559. Having taken refuge at the fortress of Dunbar , Marie of Guise asked France for help. Francis II and Mary Stuart sent troops right away. By the end of 1559, France had regained control of Scotland. Nothing seemed to stand in
6853-499: Was asked not to appear at court. Her protégé Jean Bertrand had to surrender his title Keeper of the Seals of France to chancellor François Olivier, whom Diane had removed from this position a few years earlier. It was a palace revolution. The transition has been described as brutal, but while it no doubt caused the Constable considerable frustration, there were no confrontations or reprisals. Montmorency remained tied to power. As soon as
6942-588: Was crowned king in Reims by his wife's uncle Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine . The crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it in place for him. The court then moved to the Loire Valley , where the Château de Blois and the surrounding forests were the new king's home. Francis II took the sun for his emblem and for his mottoes Spectanda fides (This is how faith should be respected) and Lumen rectis (Light for
7031-408: Was dissolved. After dying of an ear infection, Francis was succeeded by two of his brothers in turn, both of whom were also unable to reduce tensions between Protestants and Catholics. Francis was born 11 years after his parents' wedding. The long delay in producing an heir may have been due to his father's repudiation of his mother in favour of his mistress Diane de Poitiers , but this repudiation
7120-586: Was dominated by the first stirrings of the French Wars of Religion . Although the royal age of majority was 14, his mother, Catherine de' Medici , entrusted the reins of government to his wife Mary's uncles from the House of Guise , staunch supporters of the Catholic cause. They were unable to help Catholics in Scotland against the progressing Scottish Reformation , however, and the Auld Alliance
7209-441: Was expected to walk barefoot. These customs are mostly considered backward but still prevalent among Hindus. In some parts of South Asia , a woman is often accused of causing her husband's death and is not allowed to look at another person as her gaze is considered bad luck. Some Nigerians prefer a widow to drink the water her dead husband's body was washed in, or otherwise sleep next to her husband's grave for three days. In
7298-525: Was grumbling about releasing, was to be returned to the Spanish Duchy of Milan . On the Spanish side, King Philip II showed some unwillingness to return four locations in the northeast of the kingdom as required by the treaty. Border disputes renewed tensions between the two nations, but after months of protests Francis II finally obtained these territories. Along with restitution of territories,
7387-592: Was initially intended to host this at Meaux before a location change to Orléans due to religious troubles at the former city. Afraid the proposed council might be highly Gallican , the Pope decided to reopen the general council of Trent , but rejected the attendance of any Protestant, the demands of the French crown to scrap their proposed national council. The calling of the Estates General presented an opportunity to bring Condé into line, and in October he
7476-698: Was mitigated by Diane's insistence that Henry spend his nights with Catherine. Francis was at first raised at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye . He was baptised on 10 February 1544 at the Chapelle des Trinitaires in Fontainebleau . His godparents were Francis I (who knighted him during the ceremony), Pope Paul III , and his great-aunt Marguerite de Navarre . He became governor of Languedoc in 1546 and Dauphin of France in 1547, when his grandfather Francis I died. Francis's governor and governess were Jean d'Humières and Françoise d'Humières , and his tutor
7565-492: Was owed immediately. The interest rates on these loans were not insignificant, as lenders had grown wary of the crown's inability to pay over the years and this lack of confidence would only be furthered with Henry II's death. Henri's religious policy had also proved ineffective, his persecutory edicts failing to stop the growth of Calvinism in France. Religious violence was increasing, with attacks in Paris, first in response to
7654-439: Was signed, Spain was not eager to lose its prisoners. When Francis II died, France withdrew from Scotland, Brazil, Corsica, Tuscany, Savoy and most of Piedmont. With the marriage of Francis II and Mary Stuart, the future of Scotland was linked to that of France. A secret clause signed by the queen provided that Scotland would become part of France if the royal couple did not have children. The queen's mother, Marie of Guise ,
7743-407: Was still in mourning for her husband, she directed them to the House of Guise. The two eldest brothers of the House of Guise had already had major roles in the reign of Henry II. Francis, Duke of Guise, was one of the most famous military commanders in the royal army, and the Cardinal of Lorraine had participated in the most important negotiations and matters of the kingdom. After Francis II ascended
7832-630: Was succeeded by his niece Victoria . Not every mother of a reigning monarch is the queen mother or a queen dowager. For example, the mother of Queen Victoria of United Kingdom , Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , was neither a queen dowager nor the queen mother because her husband, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent , had never been king. Similarly, whilst being the mothers of monarchs, both Augusta of Saxe-Gotha and Srinagarindra of Thailand were not styled queen dowager because their respective husbands, Frederick, Prince of Wales and Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla , were never kings. Instead, Augusta held
7921-470: Was summoned to present himself at the Estates General. Upon arrival he and several associates were promptly arrested and put on trial. After filibustering the proceedings Condé would eventually be found guilty, and given an indeterminate sentence, likely imprisonment at Loches. In foreign policy, Francis II continued peace efforts Henry II had begun with the signing of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in April 1559, which ended 40 years of war between France and
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