Joe Cataliotti holds a Master of Arts degree in World History from Northeastern University. He earned a B.A. in History and Political Science from the same university and wrote his senior thesis on the history of radical right-wing movements in the United States.
Henry II of France | Children, Reign & Death
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ShowHenry II was the King of France from 1547 to 1559. During his reign, France fought the Italian Wars for hegemony over Italy against the powerful Habsburg Dynasty of Austria. Henry also contended with the rise of Protestantism in his country. Ultimately, Henry II died in 1559 as a result of a jousting accident. This destabilized the realm and ultimately led to the French Wars of Religion and the War of the Three Henrys, fought by his sons and rivals for power.
Early Life and Imprisonment
Henry was born on March 31, 1519, in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a palace in Laye, France. His father was King Francis I of France, and his mother was Claude, the Duchess of Brittany (a region in France). He had several siblings, including his older brother Francis and younger brother Charles as well as multiple sisters, including Charlotte, Madeleine, and Margaret. Charlotte died at the age of 7, and Francis died at 18.
At the time, Europe was in a period of instability and war. For one, the Protestant Reformation brought about a denomination of Christianity attached to powerful princes, which threatened the power of the Catholic Church and its monarchs. Meanwhile, France and its rival the Habsburg Dynasty sought to dominate the profitable region of Italy.
In 1519, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I of House Habsburg died. When powerful princes of the Holy Roman Empire convened to elect his successor, King Francis I put himself forward as a candidate. His largest contender was Charles, the son of Maximilian and the King of Spain. Despite the Pope supporting Francis, Charles won. Hoping to prevent Charles from securing control of Italy, Francis mobilized his armies against him. The war did not go well; the Pope sided with Charles, the French armies were repelled, the English invaded, and Francis' key general betrayed him. In 1525, King Francis himself led an army against Milan, but he was defeated in battle and captured.
He was then brought to Spain, where he signed the Treaty of Madrid with King Charles. In exchange for his freedom, King Francis surrendered territory to Charles and sent his two young sons, Francis and Henry, into captivity in Spain. They were kept under house arrest for several years before their release, which traumatized them.
In 1536, Prince Francis died after straining himself during a tennis match. Now the king's eldest son, Henry was set to inherit the throne upon the death of his father.
Marriage to Catherine de' Medici
In 1533, Prince Henry married Catherine de' Medici, the daughter of the ruler of Florence, an ally of France. Henry and Catherine were the same age, but Henry began an affair with an older woman named Diane de Poitiers, who would come to have great influence over the prince and later king.
It took eleven years for Henry and Catherine to have children. Due to Henry's prolonged disinterest in Catherine, rumors persisted that his first son and eventual heir, King Francis II, was an illegitimate child. Catherine and Henry II of France had many other children as well, including Elisabeth, Claude, Louis, Charles (who would also be king), Henry (another king), Margaret, another Francis, Victoire, and Joan.
Illegitimate Children
In addition to the ten children Henry had with Catherine de' Medici, he had at least three illegitimate children with other women, including a daughter, Diane, and two sons both named Henri. Filippa Duci, a courtesan, mothered Diane, the illegitimate daughter of King James of Scotland mothered one Henri, and the noblewoman Nicole de Savigny mothered the other Henri.
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King Francis I continued to wage wars against Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Some were victories, some were failures, and some were draws. Francis also persecuted Protestants, burning some at the stake. He died in 1547, and his son was crowned King Henry II of France at the age of 28.
The Protestants
Continuing the policies of his father, Henry II persecuted French Protestants. He thought they were a challenge to his power and the social order of his kingdom. Some were burned at the stake, while others had their tongues cut from their mouths. In 1551, the king issued the Edict of Châteaubriant, which called for civil courts to punish Protestants as heretics. The edict also prohibited the publication and sales of Protestant materials and empowered the Faculty of Theology at the University of Paris to decide which books were acceptable.
Wars
During his reign, King Henry II oversaw several wars, chiefly to establish French dominion over Italy and challenge France's rival, England, for power.
One of these conflicts was the Italian War of 1551–1559, a dispute over who ruled the Duchy of Palma in northern Italy. France supported an allied duke, but the Holy Roman Empire (under Henry's father's rival King Charles) sent troops to occupy Parma. The Parma conflict soon spread into a wider war between France and the Holy Roman Empire, with France joining the Ottoman Empire and rebel German Protestant princes against Spain and its Italian allies. England also joined the fight against France. While France won some battles, Spain and England gradually seized key territory. The 1558 Battle of Gravelines, which saw thousands of Frenchmen die in battle, proved to be a decisive loss for France.
After many years, the war ended with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, which gave Spain dominion over half of Italy. While France lost territory as a result of the agreement, it gained some land near its border with the Holy Roman Empire and in the English territory of Calais. To cement the agreement, King Henry II wed his daughter Elisabeth to the King of Spain, Philip II.
Jousting Accident and Death
To celebrate the end of the war, Henry held a jousting tournament in Paris a few months afterward. The king himself participated in a jousting match with Gabriel Montgomery, the captain of his guard. In a freak accident, a fragmented shard from Montgomery's lance pierced Henry's eye, resulting in severe orbital and brain injuries. The king survived a week longer before sepsis killed him at the age of 40.
After his death, he was succeeded by his sickly teenage son, Francis II, who died shortly into his reign. Francis was then followed by his brother, King Charles IX. During Charles' reign, tensions between Catholics and Protestants escalated into the French Wars of Religion.
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Henry II was the King of France from 1547 to 1559. During his youth, he was held as a hostage in Spain in exchange for the freedom of his father, King Francis I, who had been captured in battle. After his father died, Henry ascended to the throne. He continued many of his father's policies, chiefly persecuting Protestants and waging wars for control of Italy. Henry issued the Edict of Châteaubriant, which forbade the distribution of Protestant materials. He also burned many Protestants at the stake. During his reign, King Henry II oversaw the Italian War of 1551–1559, an effort to expand French authority in Western Europe against the powers of Spain, England, and the Holy Roman Empire. This war ended with mixed results for France.
To celebrate the end of the war, Henry II held a jousting tournament. In a freak accident, he was stabbed through the eye by a shard from a lance, and after several days of suffering, he died of sepsis. He was succeeded by his first son with Catherine de' Medici, Francis II, who died shortly into his reign. Francis II was followed by Charles IX, whose reign saw the beginning of the French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants.
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Did King Henry II of France have an illegitimate son?
King Henry II had at least three illegitimate children. These included a daughter, Diane, and two illegitimate sons, both of whom were named Henri.
What was King Henry II of France known for?
King Henry II of France is known for dying in a jousting accident. He also persecuted Protestants and dragged his kingdom into an unsuccessful war against Spain and the Holy Roman Empire.
Did King Henry II of France die in a jousting accident?
King Henry II died in a freak jousting accident. A fragment of the lance of his opponent, Gabriel Montgomery, penetrated his eyeball.
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