Anne de Pisseleu, duchesse d'Etampes [1508-1580]
was the mistress of King François I of France and the major supporter of
the party of the Duke d'Orléans in opposition to that of the dauphin (the
future Henry II).
The daughter of a nobleman of Picardy, she came
to court before 1522 as maid of honor to Louise of Savoy, Duchess d'Angoulême
and mother of François I. She first met François I on his return
from Spain in 1526 and soon became his mistress. In 1533 he married her to Jean
de Brosses, governor of Brittany, whom he made Duc d'Étampes.
Known for her wit and intellect as well as for
her beauty, the Duchess d'Étampes was also ambitious. In competition with
her rival, Diane de Poitiers [03 Sep 1499 – 22 Apr 1566], who was mistress
to the dauphin, she supported the party of the duc Charles d'Orléans. Upset
by the dauphin's military successes against Emperor Charles
V [24 Feb 1500 – 21 Sep 1558], she tried to convince François
I to detain Charles V, then visiting France, until a settlement was reached. Charles
V in his turn tried to win over the duchess, a circumstance that lent credence
to the charge made against her in 1544 that she had betrayed plans to Charles
V before his attack on France. Upon the death of François I [12 Sep 1494
– 31 Mar 1547] and the accession of Henry II [31 Mar 1519 – 10 Jul
1559], the Duchess d'Étampes was dismissed from court. She died in obscurity.
François
I, Charles V, et la duchesse d'Etampes (Anne de Pisseleu)
