Henry (France)

Henry (France), name of 4 kings of France. Henry I (c.1008–60) reigned 1031–60. His rule was disturbed by feudal conflicts organized by his mother and brother. One of his chief enemies was the future William I of England. Henry II (1519–59) reigned 1547–59. In 1533 he married Catherine de Medícis, but he was dominated by his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, and his military commander, Anne de Montmorency. A fanatic Catholic, he persecuted the Huguenots and continued the war against the Holy Roman Emperor and Spain. Henry III (1551–89) reigned 1574–89. He collaborated with his mother Catherine de Medícis in the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre (1572). He was dominated by the Guise family, and his reign was unstable. He was assassinated by a Jacobin friar. Henry IV (1553–1610), who reigned 1589–1610, was king of Navarre 1572–1610, and the first French Bourbon king. A protestant leader of the Huguenots, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1593, granting religious freedom with the Edict of Nantes (1598). He brought unity and economic stability to France but was assassinated by a Catholic extremist.

See also: France.