René, Marquis of Elbeuf

René of Guise, Marquis d'Elbeuf (14 August 1536 14 December 1566) was the youngest son of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Antoinette of Bourbon-Vendôme.

René of Guise,Marquis d'Elbeuf
Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Elbeuf
Born(1536-08-14)14 August 1536
Joinville
Died14 December 1566(1566-12-14) (aged 30)
Noble familyHouse of Guise
Spouse(s)Louise de Rieux
FatherClaude, Duke of Guise
MotherAntoinette de Bourbon-Vendôme

René was born at Joinville, Haute-Marne.

He served as French ambassador to Scotland, and accompanied his niece Mary, Queen of Scots on her entrance to that country in 1561.

With Lord John, Lord Robert, and others, he performed in a tournament on the sands of Leith in December 1561, probably to celebrate the queen's birthday. There was "running at the ring", with two teams of six men, one team dressed as women, the other as exotic foreigners in strange masquing garments. There was a similar tournament in 1594 at the baptism of Prince Henry at Stirling Castle.[1]

Soon after the tournament the Marquis was involved in a disturbance in Edinburgh that started as a kind of masque in the town.[2] He and the Earl of Bothwell and Lord John went to the house where Alison Craik, a merchant's daughter and mistress of the Earl of Arran was lodged. When they were not admitted they broke down the doors. There were complaints to the queen and she issued a reprimand. Bothwell and Lord John ignored this and the next day there was a face-off between their followers and the Hamiltons in the market place.[3]

He was a patron of the arts, particularly of the composer Pierre Clereau of Lorraine.

He died in 1566.

Marriage and children

He married Louise de Rieux (1531 c.1570) on 3 February 1555. They had two children:

Preceded by
Claude
Marquis d'Elbeuf
15501566
Succeeded by
Charles

References

  1. Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), pp. 576, 579.
  2. Sarah Carpenter, 'Masking and politics: the Alison Craik incident, Edinburgh 1561', Renaissance Studies, 21:5 (November, 2007), pp. 625-636.
  3. Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), pp. 582-3.


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