| “ | I wanted Catherine to suffer. I wanted Henry to suffer. They did.. | ” |
Diane de Poitiers was one of King Henry's mistresses, the mother of Sebastian as well as mother-in-law to Kenna. She is also one of Catherine's Victims in Banished when Catherine finds out Diane killed the twins, Emone and Henrietta.
Diane was a member of the House of Poitiers.
She was portrayed by British actress Anna Walton.
Early Life
Diane was born into a well off pagan family. When she was young she met Henry and became his mistress, some time after she became pregnant with Bash, the illegitimate son of the king. Years into her relationship with Henry she eventually told him about her pagan ties and put her "soul" in his chambers.
Throughout Reign
Season One
Diane and Bash
In Chosen, the King brings her back from Paris, and allows her to stay on the grounds. Obviously, Kenna is not pleased with this. In this episode, however, Diane is focused on her son. Bash goes to her to update her on his debt to the pagans, and she offers advice. He must pay the debt, and then distance himself from Mary.
In Left Behind, Diane poses the question of fate to Bash - namely, what will happen to him when Henry dies. Once that happens, Catherine will surely have Diane tossed out of the castle and it's only Francis' mercy that will save Bash from a road he doesn't want to go down. Her plan is to have Henry and Catherine's marriage annulled and Bash declared legitimate, thereby altering the line of succession to the French throne. She's been busy bribing various cardinals to order a fate accompli, even though Bash claims to be happy with where he is and who he is. Their conversation is interrupted as the castle is under siege.
The next day, Diane admits to being in cahoots with Vincent when Bash confronts her about the decidedly light treatment he received while in captivity. But she didn't mean for Bash to even be in custody, as she thought that he would be off fighting with Henry. She then reminds him that he's merely blood-related to the family and not brothers with Francis, merely a complication borne from lust rather than an important cog in the royal machine.
Season Two
When Diane returned to the French Court in Banished, she had a long overdue confrontation with Catherine about: banishing her from French Court after Henry's death, and making her return all of the jewels, chateaus etc. that he gave her.
Later, after Bash saves Catherine's life; he tells her the truth about what happened to her twins: about the nanny who framed Claude, about how Henry lured the nanny away from her post to sleep with her, and how Diane became insanely jealous because Henry and Catherine were still sleeping together. It was also revealed that she had killed Henrietta and Emone by opening the windows in the nursery and exposing the babies to the cold air. She admitted that she did this out of jealousy over not having Henry all to herself (he was still sleeping with his wife despite having an affair with her), and her anger reached a boiling point when Catherine became pregnant with the twins.
This revelation caused Bash to withdraw all favors that he had initially offered her, disown her, and even force her to leave court in exchange for keeping her secrets. However, Catherine (who had been previously assured of Claude's innocence in the matter by Bash) became suspicious and, after putting the pieces together for herself, went into a furious rage and murdered Diane by strangulation to avenge her daughters.
Personality
Not much of her personality is shown but a few episodes she is shown to be manipulative and secretive.
She was in love with Henry and is shown going to any lengths for his full attention and admiration.
Physical Appearance
Diane had dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
Name
- The name Diane is a feminine name, and the French form of the name Diana. This name is borne in Roman Mythology by the Virgin Goddess of the moon and hunting.
Relationships
- Henry II: Diane was Henry's favorite mistress, and he showered her with all kind of expensive gifts: jewels, a chateau, a large cottage etc. Henry was not happy when he learned that Diane left on Catherine's orders. (See Henry and Diane.)
- Sebastian: Diane tried to legitimize Sebastian so he could be the next King of France. She used Mary, Queen of Scots to try and convince him by saying that shall he be the next king Mary will wed the next king of France to uphold the alliance. Diane tried as she might could not have him legitimized even by talking to a cardinal or Vatican, sleeping with the king, or anything else. (See Diane and Sebastian.)
- Catherine de' Medici: Due to Diane's ongoing affair with Henry, she and Catherine were never friends. Catherine tired time and again to get rid of her and get her husband back, and succeeds when she orders Diane to leave and never come back. Diane was murdered by a furious Catherine after the Queen learned that she was responsible for the deaths of her infant twins. (See Diane and Catherine.)
Appearances
| Season One | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status | ||
| Pilot | Appears | ||
| Snakes in the Garden | Absent | ||
| Kissed | Absent | ||
| Hearts and Minds | Absent | ||
| A Chill in the Air | Absent | ||
| Chosen | Appears | ||
| Left Behind | Appears | ||
| Fated | Appears | ||
| For King and Country | Mentioned | ||
| Sacrifice | Mentioned | ||
| Inquisition | Mentioned | ||
| Royal Blood | Mentioned | ||
| The Consummation | Absent | ||
| Dirty Laundry | Absent | ||
| The Darkness | Absent | ||
| Monsters | Absent | ||
| Liege Lord | Absent | ||
| No Exit | Absent | ||
| Toy Soldiers | Absent | ||
| Higher Ground | Absent | ||
| Long Live the King | Absent | ||
| Slaughter of Innocence | Mentioned | ||
| Season Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status | ||
| The Plague | Absent | ||
| Drawn and Quartered | Absent | ||
| Coronation | Absent | ||
| The Lamb and the Slaughter | Absent | ||
| Blood for Blood | Absent | ||
| Three Queens | Absent | ||
| The Prince of the Blood | Absent | ||
| Terror of the Faithful | Absent | ||
| Acts of War | Absent | ||
| Mercy | Absent | ||
| Getaway | Absent | ||
| Banished | Appears | ||
| Sins of the Past | Mentioned | ||
| The End of Mourning | Mentioned | ||
| Forbidden | Absent | ||
| Tasting Revenge | Absent | ||
| Tempting Fate | Absent | ||
| Reversal of Fortune | Absent | ||
| Abandoned | Absent | ||
| Fugitive | Absent | ||
| The Siege | Absent | ||
| Burn | Absent | ||
| Season Four | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status | ||
| With Friends Like These | Absent | ||
| A Grain of Deception | Absent | ||
| Leaps of Faith | Mentioned | ||
| Playing with Fire | Absent | ||
| Highland Games | Absent | ||
| Love & Death | Absent | ||
| Hanging Swords | Absent | ||
| Uncharted Waters | Absent | ||
| Pulling Strings | Absent | ||
| A Better Man | Absent | ||
| Dead of Night | Absent | ||
| The Shakedown | Absent | ||
| Coup de Grace | Absent | ||
| A Bride. A Box. A Body. | Absent | ||
| Blood in the Water | Absent | ||
| All It Cost Her | Absent | ||
Gallery
Season One
Season Two
Trivia
- Diane de Poitiers was King Henry II's lover and was considered the most powerful woman in France for 25 years.
- Diane was almost twenty years older than Henry.
- A highly intelligent, confident, and mature, woman Diane left Catherine with very little power to intervene at court.
- Historically Diane insisted that Henry sleep with his wife in order to produce heirs to the throne
- Historically Diane de Poitiers and Queen Catherine were actually cousins: Catherine's maternal grandfather had a sister: Jeanne de la Tour d'Auvergne who married Ayamr de Poitiers, they were Diane's grandparents.
- After Henry is severely injured in a joust and later dies from his injuries; his widow Queen Catherine ordered Diane banished from court, and forced her to return the Chateau Chenonceau as well as the pieces of the French Crown jewels Henry gave her.
- Historically Diane de Poitiers was Lady in Waiting to Henry's mother: Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany, Princess Louise of Savoy, and Eleanor of Austria.
- Historically, Diane was a court favorite of King Francis I (Father of Henry II).
- Historically, Diane was married to Louis de Breze, the Seneschal de Normandie- and unlike Catherine (Italian nobles were looked down on by the French)- had a closer royal connection by blood; all of which helped make her one of the highest-ranked women in the country, even before her relationship with Prince (later King) Henry.
- Historically, by Louis, she had two daughters, who were influential members of the royal household- there's no mention of a son like in the show, Sebastian.
- Her two children: Françoise de Brézé and Louise de Brézé.
- In Banished, it is revealed that Diane was responsible for the deaths of Emone and Henrietta.
- Diane is later murdered by Catherine because of this.
See Also