Catharineof Valois

Catharine of Valois, the daughter of Charles VI. of France, was born at Paris in 1401, and after the invasion of France and the treaty of Troyes in 1420, was given to Henry V. of England, together with large territorial possessions, and the regency of France. Two years later her husband died, but not before the birth of a prince destined to succeed as Henry VI. She then contracted a secret marriage with Owen Tudor, a man of high physical and moral qualities, but immeasurably below her in rank. After some years her mesalliance was made known, and involved her in troubles that probably hastened her death in 1437. She left three sons, the eldest of whom married Margaret Beaufort, and became the father of Henry VII., the founder of the Tudor dynasty.