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Charles of Lorraine, duke of Mayenne

Alençon, 1554 – Soissons, 3 Oct 1611

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born1554, AlençonRecords disagree1 source
  • TitleGrand Chamberlain of Francenot verified1 source
  • Died3 Oct 1611, SoissonsRecords disagree1 source
  • FatherFrancis, Duke of Guisenot verified1 source
  • MotherAnna of Estenot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 1554

    Born in Alençon

  2. 1585

    A daughter is born

  3. 3 Oct 1611

    Dies in Soissons

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During his lifetime

He lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Alençon.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1550s · Charles is born in Alençon

In the news1545–1552

Plague epidemics devastate the region

Between 1545 and 1552, plague outbreaks caused extreme hardship, leading to deserted towns and citizens walling up infected homes.

At the table

Regulated prices for bread and wine

In 1550, the price of food in Valence was officially regulated, with white bread costing 7 mailles per pound and black bread costing 5 mailles per pound. Wine was also a daily drink, with local black or red wine priced at 6 deniers per pot.

What people wore

Servant girl's market clothing

A servant girl in Paris in 1586 wore a bonnet covered with a long cloth hood and a bodice that was laced at the front and trimmed with black velvet.

Getting around

Royal travel took weeks to complete

A royal court journey from Paris to Chambord could take three weeks because the procession included thousands of people, animals, and entire households.

What it cost

Agricultural worker daily wage

By 1550, an agricultural worker earned 1 livre per day.

Music

Weekly court balls and dances

At the French court under Henry III, balls were held at least twice a week, featuring dances such as the pavane, the dynamic gaillarde, and the volte, where the dancer helped his partner perform an aerial leap.

Daily life

Segregated elementary schooling

While private tutors served noble families, elementary schools for others were church-run and segregated by gender; a 1554 decree specifically prohibited boys and girls from studying together.