Christine of France (1606–1663)

Duchess and regent of Savoy. Name variations: Christine of Savoy; Christine of Bourbon; Chrestienne or Christina. Born in 1606; died in 1663 in Savoy; daughter of Henry IV the Great (1553–1610), king of France (r. 1589–1610), and Marie de Medici (c. 1573–1642); sister of Elizabeth Valois (1602–1644, who married Philip IV, king of Spain), Henrietta Maria (1609–1669, who married Charles I, king of England), and Louis XIII, king of France (r. 1610–1643); married Victor Amadeus I (d. 1637), duke of Savoy (r. 1630–1637); children: Francis Hyacinth, duke of Savoy (r. 1637–1638); Henrietta of Savoy (c. 1630–?); Charles Emmanuel II (1634–1675), duke of Savoy (r. 1638–1675).

The daughter of Henry IV and Queen Marie de Medici , Christine was a French princess whose marriage to Victor Amadeus I, duke of Savoy, was arranged as part of a political alliance between France and Savoy. At that time, Savoy was an independent duchy bordering on Italy, in what is now southeast France. Christine gave birth to three children and, when Victor Amadeus died in 1637, their eldest son, Francis, succeeded as duke, although he was still young. The succession brought civil war to Savoy, as the lesser nobility saw an opportunity to increase their own power while a boy ruled the duchy and so rebelled against Francis' authority. After the young duke's death in 1638, Christine took over the government of the duchy as regent for her younger son, Charles Emmanuel. Proving an effective and capable ruler, she quelled the nobles' rebellion and reestablished peace. She ruled for ten years as regent, and, although she technically resigned her authority when her son came of age to rule, Christine remained the most influential and powerful figure in Savoy politics for the next 15 years.

Laura York , Riverside, California