French Henriette-Marie
born Nov. 25, 1609, Paris, France
died Sept. 10, 1669, Château de Colombes, near Paris
French-born English queen, wife of Charles I and mother of Charles II and James II .
The daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de Médicis , she was no stranger to political intrigue. By openly practicing Roman Catholicism at court, she alienated many of Charles's subjects. As the English Civil Wars approached, she sought without success to instigate a military coup to overthrow the Parliamentarians. Her further efforts to enlist support for Charles from the pope, the French, and the Dutch infuriated many Englishmen. Deterioration of the Royalist position caused her to flee to France in 1644, and she never again saw her husband, who was executed in 1649.