Filippa Duci

Filippa Duci (French - Philippa Desducs; 1520, Moncalieri, Piedmont – before October 1586, near Tours),[1] dame de Couy, was a French (originally Italian) courtesan. She was the mother of Diane de France.[2]

Filippa Duci
Born1520
Moncalieri, Duchy of Savoy
Died1586
Tours, Kingdom of France
NationalityItalian (Piedmontese)
Known forCourtesan
Spouse(s)Jean Bernardin de Saint-Severin.
Partner(s)Henry II of France
ChildrenDiane de France

Life

Her father was Gian Antonio Duci. During the Italian Wars in 1537,[3] the French dauphin Henry (later Henry II of France) stayed with a squire, Filippa's brother, Gian Antonio Duci.[4] Henry was seduced by Filippa on first sight, and she became his mistress.[5] When Henri heard Duci was pregnant, he arranged for her to be maintained until she gave birth.[6] Duci gave birth to their daughter, Diane de France, in Paris in 1538.[2] This proved that Henry was not sterile;[7] he had been married to Catherine de Médicis, yet had still not produced an heir due to urological problems.[8] The baby was named Diane after Henry's love, his mistress Diane de Poitiers,[9] who raised the child along with her own two children.[10]

In 1541 Francis I of France granted Duci 400 'livres tournois' a year for life in an Ordinaire de Touraine and allowed her to retire to a convent.[11] She married the Italian gentleman and privy councillor Jean Bernardin de Saint-Severin in 1546.[1] After Diane was legitimized, Filippa was known as dame de Bléré en Touraine.[1] In 1582, she became a lady in waiting to queen dowager Catherine de Médicis.[1]

References
  1. "Filippa Duci, première maitresse d'Henri II - Les Favorites Royales". favoritesroyales (in French). 20 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  2. Kent 2005, pp. 182-183.
  3. "Filippa Duci et autres "amourettes" de Henri II". roisetreines.e-monsite.com (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. Kent 2005, p. 181.
  5. Marshall 2006, p. 74.
  6. "Les Valois". chrisagde.free.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  7. Kent 2005, p. 182.
  8. Jennifer Gordtesky; Ronald Rabinowitz; Jeanne O'Brien. "The "infertility" of Catherine de Medici and its influence on 16th century France" (PDF). Department of Urology - University of Rochester. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  9. Stedall 2012, p. 52.
  10. Carroll 2010.
  11. Frieda 2018.

Bibliography
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