Diane de France, suo jure Duchess of Angoulême (25 July 1538 – 11 January 1619) was the illegitimate daughter of Henry II of France and his Italian lover Filippa Duci. Diane played an important political role during the French Wars of Religion and built the Hôtel d'Angoulême in Paris. She was the favorite of her half-brother, Henry III of France.
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Birth and early life
Born 25 July 1538, Diane was the illegitimate daughter of eighteen-year-old dauphin Henry and Filippa Duci, the daughter of a minor Italian nobleman of Fossano in the Piedmont. Diane had been conceived when her father was in Moncalieri in northern Italy on a military campaign. It is not known whether she was born at court or was brought there when still very young. At court, her care and upbringing were entrusted to Henry's younger sister, Margaret.
Diane's father treated her well: her household included a governess, tutors, maids of honor, chamber valets, and even a tailor. She learned to write in excellent French, the proof of which can be seen in the large number letters that still survive. She also learned Italian (the second language of the court), Spanish, and enough Latin for religious ceremonies. Her artistic education was not neglected: she also learned to play lute and other instruments, and to sing.