King Henri IV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Henri IV of France – source: Wikipedia

King Henri IV of France was the first French king of the House of Bourbon. He was born on December 13, 1553, in Pau, Kingdom of Navarre, now in France, the second of the five children and the second of the three sons of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, he was raised as a Protestant.

Henri had four siblings:

Henri and Marguerite of Valois. source: Wikipedia

Upon his mother’s death on June 9, 1572, Henri took the throne as King Henri III of Navarre. Just months later, on August 18, 1572, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Henri married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. As Henri was a Protestant Huguenot, he was not permitted inside the Cathedral so the ceremony was held just outside of the building. Days later, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place, in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed. Henri narrowly escaped death, mostly thanks to his new Catholic wife, and his promise to convert to Catholicism. Despite this, he was forced to remain at the French court for several years before escaping in 1576 and returning to Navarre. Upon his return, he renounced his conversion and once again joined with the Protestants.

In 1584, Henri became the heir-presumptive to the French throne, as the last heir to King Henri III of France had died. Henri was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX of France, and therefore the rightful heir. This led to what was known as the War of the Three Henries – Henri of Navarre, Henri III, King of France, and Henri I, Duke of Guise. The Duke of Guise was a staunch opponent of the Huguenots and fought against the possibility of Henri succeeding to the French throne. Henri III of France had the Duke of Guise killed in 1588, hoping to restore his authority with the French people. Instead, it caused a great uproar and much of the country refused to recognize him as King. His greatest ally was Henri of Navarre. The two were joined in their desire to defeat the Catholic League which had taken control of much of the country. Joining forces, they attempted to take Paris, but the French king was assassinated on August 2, 1589.

Henri of Navarre, as the heir-presumptive, became King Henri IV of France. However, the Catholic League was still the primary force in the country and refused to recognize him as the new monarch. The Catholic nobles who had previously supported King Henri III of France in his alliance with Henri of Navarre still refused to recognize him as their new sovereign. He began to take the country by force, with support from Germany and England. The Catholic League proclaimed Henri’s uncle Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon as the king but he was being held prisoner by Henri at the time. A battle ensued to name a new successor, with Spain pushing for the removal of Salic Law, thus allowing a Spanish Infanta to become Queen. However, this was struck down by the Parlament of Paris. After several more years, encouraged by his mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées, Henri once again renounced his religion and converted to Catholicism. This gained him the support of the French people and he was finally able to rule his kingdom. As the Catholic League still occupied the city of Reims – the traditional site of French coronations – Henri was crowned King of France at the Cathedral of Chartres on February 27, 1594.

Statue of King Henri IV on the Pont Neuf. By Mbzt – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11941438

During his reign, Henri IV stabilized the country’s finances and worked to promote education and agriculture. He restored Paris as a great city, building the Pont Neuf over the Seine river to join the Right and Left Banks. He built the Place Royale (now the Place des Vosges) and added the Grand Gallery to the Louvre Palace. A huge supporter of the arts, Henri permitted hundreds of artists and craftsmen to live on the lower floors of the new building. He also financed numerous expeditions to North America, whi would eventually see France laying claim to Canada.

But perhaps his best-known accomplishment was issuing the Edict of Nantes in 1598. This guaranteed a level of religious freedom previously unseen in France, restoring civil rights to Protestants, and ending the Wars of Religion.

In a loveless marriage, and knowing that he needed an heir, Henri had begun negotiations to end his first marriage to Marguerite of Valois. He hoped to have the marriage annulled so he could marry his mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées, with whom he already had several children. This was seen as scandalous and ill-advised by most of his ministers who argued against the idea. After Gabrielle died in childbirth in April 1599, Henri continued with his plans, and his marriage to Marguerite was annulled later the same year.

Henri with his second wife, Marie de’ Medici, and family. source: Wikipedia

The next year, on December 17, 1600, King Henri IV married Marie de’ Medici, in a lavish ceremony in Lyon. The couple had six children:

The murder of King Henri IV, painted by Charles-Gustave Housez. source: Wikipedia

King Henri IV was killed in Paris on May 14, 1610, the day after his wife’s coronation. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the King twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. The King was taken to the Louvre Palace where he died. Following a grand funeral on July 1, 1610, King Henri IV was interred in the Basilica of St Denis near Paris. In keeping with a promise made some years earlier, his heart was entombed at the Church of Saint Louis of La Flèche.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty