The dynasty that saw France rise to the dizzying height of Europe’s most powerful nation before its spectacular downfall into revolution
Words JESSICA LEGGETT
Henry IV
b.1553-d.1610 Reigned 1589-1610
Trailblazer for religious tolerance
For many in France, Henry IV was a usurper. The son of Jeanne III of Navarre and her husband, Antoine of Bourbon, Henry was already the king of Navarre when it became clear that he was the next in line for the French throne. Salic Law in France demanded that only a male descendant could rule and Henry was the legitimate heir. His predecessor and distant cousin, Henry III, had no surviving children, and upon his assassination in 1589 it was time for the Navarrese monarch to assume his rightful place. There was just one glaring issue: Henry was a Protestant.
France was Roman Catholic, and a number of leading nobles were outraged that a Protestant held the royal seat of power. Henry had already experienced the bloody conflict that religion had brought to France back in 1572 when he arrived in Paris to marry Margaret of Valois, daughter of Henry II and Catherine de’ Medici. The marriage, originally arranged by their mothers, was supposed to symbolise peace between the two denominations – but disaster struck just four days later. Thousands of Protestants, who had arrived in Paris for the wedding, were slaughtered in a bloodbath that triggered carnage throughout the country. Known as the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Henry would have been killed too if it wasn’t for his new wife’s protection and a false promise to convert to Catholicism. Eventually, the marriage itself proved unhappy and childless and the couple soon separated before Henry became king.
Now it was time for Henry to confront this gory conflict once more. Determined to overthrow the man they deemed a heretic, the nobles formed the Catholic League and threw their support behind Henry’s Catholic uncle, Cardinal Charles, as the rightful king. Foreseeing this, Henry III had already previously imprisoned the cardinal to prevent interference with the succession. This did not deter the rebels, though, who sought to release Charles and place him on the throne.
The ensuing civil war caused political chaos and uncertainty in France. The embattled king needed to win to remain on the throne and he was not going down without a fight. The tide appeared to turn in his favour when his uncle passed away in 1590 and the League could not agree on another suitable candidate who was both Catholic and male. He also gained the support of the Parlement of Paris, who believed that upholding Salic Law was more important for the stability of the monarchy than religion. Despite this, Henry struggled to gain control of Paris and was in a stalemate against the League.
By 1593, enough was enough. Henry had fallen in love with a beautiful duchess, Gabrielle d’Estrées, who stood by his side during his battle with the
