Marie Elisabeth of Valois

Short Biography

Marie Elisabeth of Valois (27 October 1572 – 9 April 1578) was the only child of Charles IX of France and Elisabeth of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain, her paternal grandparents were Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Her father had times of madness, so her grandmother Catherine served as regent. The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurred only two months before Marie Elisabeth's birth. When Marie Elisabeth was less than two years of age her father, King Charles IX died and her uncle became Henry III of France. Her mother then returned to Vienna after Maximilian II repaid her dowry, leaving Marie Elisabeth on 25 November 1575, never to see her again. Marie Elisabeth was raised at the court and later in Paris, where she died on 2 April 1578, apparently of frail health, at the age of five.