| Henry de Bourbon | |
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| Biographical Information | |
| Title: | King of France King Henry IV |
| Reign: | 2 August 1589 – 14 May 1610 |
| Coronation: | 27 February 1594 |
| Predecessor: | King Henry III |
| Successor: | King Louis XIII |
| Born: | 13 December 1553 |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism
(Formerly Calvinism) |
| House: | House of Bourbon |
| Relationship Information | |
| TV Character Information | |
| Portrays: | Henry de Bourbon |
Henry de Bourbon was the oldest surviving child to King Antoine and Queen Jeanne, and became the future King of France.
Life[]
Henry de Bourbon, also known as "Good King Henry", was King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first French monarch of the House of Bourbon.
Baptised as a Catholic but raised in the Protestant faith by his mother Queen Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, he inherited the throne of Navarre in 1572 on the death of his mother. As a Huguenot, Henry was involved in The French Wars of Religion, barely escaping assassination in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and later led Protestant forces against the royal army.
Henry, as Head of the House of Bourbon, was a direct male-line descendant of Louis IX of France, and "first prince of the blood". Upon the death of his brother-in-law and distant cousin King Henry III of France in 1589, Henry was called to the French succession by the Salic law. He initially kept the Protestant faith and had to fight against the Catholic League, which denied that he could wear France's crown as a Protestant, to obtain mastery over his kingdom. After four years of stalemate, he found it prudent to abjure the Calvinist faith. As a pragmatic politician, he displayed an unusual religious tolerance for the era. Notably, he promulgated the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which guaranteed religious liberties to Protestants, thereby effectively ending the Wars of Religion. He was assassinated by François Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII.
Considered a usurper by some Catholics and a traitor by some Protestants, Henry became target of at least 12 assassination attempts. An unpopular king immediately after his accession, Henry's popularity greatly improved after his death, in light of repeated victories over his enemies and his conversion to Catholicism. The "Good King Henry" was remembered for his geniality and his great concern about the welfare of his subjects.
Notes[]
- The target of at least 12 assassination attempts.
- His mother, Queen Jeanne met Catherine de' Medici in France, where they arranged the marriage between himself and Catherine's daughter, Princess Margaret.
Family Tree[]
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| Charles, Duke of Vendôme |
| Françoise d'Alençon |
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| Marie de Bourbon |
| King Antoine |
| Queen Jeanne ♔ |
| François de Bourbon |
| Charles de Bourbon |
| John de Bourbon |
| Eléanor de Roucy de Roye |
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| King Henry IV of France |
| Catherine de Bourbon |
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| Henri de Bourbon |
| François de Bourbo |
| Charles de Bourbon |
| Charles de Bourbon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Related Pages[]
