Diane de Poitiers: passion, castles, and beauty secrets

By Tom Pavesi

Diane de Poitiers had such a strong love affair with King Henry II that traces of this passion can still be found throughout modern France.

She was born in December 1499 and at the age of 15 married the Viceroy of Normandy, Louis de Brezè, who was 56 years old.

Francis I, widowed and father of Henry, during his political dealings had to hand over his two youngest sons as hostages to the Spanish Charles V: Francis who was 8 years old and Henry who was 7.

On the day the children were handed over, the ladies of the court and Francis I paid more attention to the eldest son, the father's favorite. In this difficult moment, Henry felt rejected and abandoned. Only one lady noticed his despair and anguish. Diane de Poitiers gave him a strong hug and a loving kiss on the forehead, conveying strength and courage to face the days of captivity.

As the treaty was not honored by Francis I, the children remained captive until new negotiations occurred. The years went by, and Henry dreamt in prison of that beautiful lady of the court and her magical kiss.

Francis I paid a ransom in gold coins for his sons and also had to marry Eleonora of Austria, sister of the Spanish Emperor Charles V.

To celebrate the release of the children, a great feast was organized where, as usual, knights fought in homage to a lady of the audience. The eldest son, Francis, now 12 years old, chose his father's mistress. The brother, Henry, 11 years old, who was supposed to choose the new queen Eleonora, chose his dreamed and beloved Diane de Poitiers, who was 31 years old.

With the death of Louis de Brezé in 1531, the young and beautiful widow was free to be sought after once again by suitors of the nobility. Ambitious and determined not to marry again, she gradually built a persona that would seduce everyone, the "fatal woman" of the 16th century. Like a good actress, she wore black and white, symbols of widowhood.

With the death of Francis, the eldest son, Henry becomes the heir to the throne.

Henry had been married, against his will, three years earlier to the niece of Pope Leo X, Catherine de' Medici. A marriage without affinities, purely for political reasons between France and the Church. The sweet Italian Catherine, not beautiful but very intelligent, spoke French well and impressed her contemporaries with her vast knowledge in mathematics, physics, natural sciences, and astronomy. Henry was completely indifferent to her.

Diane finally surrendered to the seductive teenager, 20 years younger. At 37, she used every means to maintain her youth. Cold baths, outdoor exercises, a Spartan diet, no harmful makeup for her skin, only a cream made from crushed pigeon meat (see recipe below), and one secret: a glass of water mixed with gold. Mysterious resources to preserve her good shape and sculptural beauty.

In 1547, King Francis I died. Henry, 28 years old, ascended the throne known now as Henry II. Diane was 48 years old and they had loved each other for more than 10 years.

Now as king, this ménage à trois takes on a new meaning. With Catherine de' Medici, he will use her for his divine and sovereign obligations, producing as many heirs as possible to continue his policies of state reform. With Diane de Poitiers, he will transform this love into something mysterious and sacred. He adopted the black and white of Diana's widowhood, spreading the monogram with the letter H and two interlaced D's on walls and facades of several castles in France (photo above).

He commissioned low-relief sculptures of Diana the Huntress with her attributes, the bow, the crescent moon, hunting dogs, and the gazelle.

In 1559, Henry II, celebrating the wedding of his first daughter, died accidentally at what is now Place des Vosges. Finally, Catherine de' Medici, (40 years old), could take revenge on the one who humiliated and made her suffer for 23 years.

Diane is forced to return the crown jewels and the most beautiful gift given by the king, the Château de Chenonceau, in the Loire Valley, one of the most beautiful castles in France. She ended her life at the Château d'Anet, her husband's inheritance, and continued to drink from the "Elixir of Eternal Beauty" until she died intoxicated by gold, at 66 years old, beautiful and young.

An autopsy performed in 2008 on the remains and strands of Diana's hair found a gold concentration 250 times greater than normal.

"To have clear and smooth skin, make a mixture of cucumber juice, melon, the aquatic plant water lily, lily flower, and fava bean. Mix everything, adding crushed pigeon meat, then add butter, powdered sugar, camphor sap, and white bread crumbs. Then add white wine. Let it rest for some time. Distill the excess liquids until you obtain a creamy consistency. After a cold bath, spread the cream over the body and face."

Be careful, excessive consumption of gold is highly detrimental to health.