La Belle Châteauneuf

Renée de Rieux, demoiselle de Châteauneuf (* 1541 in Brittany, † 1582 in Florence ), called La Belle Châteauneuf, was a mistress of the French King Henry III.

Life

Renée de Rieux came from a long-established noble family in Brittany and was maid of honor to the French queen Catherine de Medici. From 1564 to 1571 she had a passionate affair with the Duke of Anjou and later King Henry III. After his marriage with Louise de Lorraine - Vaudémont, she left the royal court and went to Italy.