Françoise de Brézé (ca. 1518 – 1577), Suo jure Countess of Maulévrier, was a French noblewoman and courtier. She served as Première dame d'honneur to Queen Catherine de' Medici from 1547 until 1560 and was the regent of the Principality of Sedan from 1553 to 1559.
Contents
Life
Early life
Françoise de Brézé was born around 1518, the eldest child of Diane de Poitiers and Louis de Brézé,
seigneur d'Anet, Count of Maulévrier. Françoise was descended from French royalty through her paternal grandmother, Charlotte de Brézé, an illegitimate daughter of
Charles VII by his mistress Agnès Sorel. Both of Françoise's parents served as a courtiers to King Francis I of France.
In 1538, Françoise married Robert IV de La Marck, Prince of Sedan and Duke of Bouillon.