Countess Christina of Salm-Badenweiler (1575–1627), was a Duchess consort of

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

; married in 1597 to Francis II, Duke of Lorraine.

Life

Christina Katharina was the only daughter and heiress of Count Paul of Salm-Brandenbourg (1548–1595), head of his branch of the House of Salm (1535–1595) by his wife, Marie Le Veneur de Tillières (1553–1600), of whom he was a second cousin-once-removed, the couple sharing descent from Philippe Lhuillier, ''

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

'' de Manicamp, governor of the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

. She also inherited the land of her childless uncle Count Johann VIII of Salm-Badenweiler (d. 1600), Governor of

Nancy, France Nancy is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the northeastern Departments of France, French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which was Lorraine and Barrois, annexed by France under King Louis X ...

. A division took place: some of the Badenweiler possessions were kept with her and later inherited by

; another half was kept within the House of Salm. From this Salm half later emerged the Principality of Salm. Although the Salms had been

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

Imperial counts since 1475, neither they nor the Le Veneurs were reckoned among the major magnates of either the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

or of France in the 16th century. However, when Francis married Christina, he was only the third son of Duke Charles III, destined for the countship of Vaudémont as

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

rather than for the sovereignty of

. Indeed, to prevent the duchy from leaving the patriline (and to legitimate its usurpation), Francis and Christina's sons would eventually be wed to the two daughters of his elder brother, Duke Henry II of Lorraine.

Issue

# Henri de Lorraine, Marquis of Hattonchâtel (1602–1611) died in childhood; # Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine (1604–1675) married Nicolette de Lorraine,Carl Eduard Vehse, ''Memoirs of the Court, Aristocracy, and Diplomacy of Austria'', Vol. 2, (Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856), 40. no issue; married secondly Béatrice de Cusance of Belvoir and had issue; married thirdly Marie Louise of Aspremont-Lynden, no issue; # Henriette de Lorraine (1605–1660), married Louis de Lorraine, Prince of Pfalzburg and Lixheim, legitimized son of Louis II, Cardinal of Guise by his mistress Aimerie de Lescheraine; no issue; # Nicolas de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine (1609–1670) married Claude de Lorraine and had issue; # Marguerite de Lorraine (1615–1672), married Gaston de France, Duke of Orléans and had issue; # Christine de Lorraine (1621–1622) died in infancy.

Ancestry

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Christina of Salm 1570s births 1627 deaths Duchesses in the Holy Roman Empire Duchesses of Lorraine Salm family Mothers of French monarchs