Charles III of Lorraine

See also: Charles of Lorraine

Charles III , duke of Lorraine and Bar, born with Nancy the February 18th 1543 and died in the same city the May 14th 1608 is the son of François I {{er}}, godson of king de homonymous France and Christine of Denmark, niece of the Emperor. His/her mother Christine and her uncle the Bishop of Metz were jointly declared regents.

As decendant of Gerard of Alsace, it should have been " numéroté" Charles II of Lorraine , but the Lorraine historiographers, wanting to establish the legitimacy of the dukes of Lorraine and their cousins Own way and to attach them directly to the Carolingians, incluèrent in the list of the dukes the Carolingian Charles († 991), duke of Low-Lotharingie.

Biography

He succeeded his father the June 12th 1545, initially under the regency of his mother and his uncle, then in 1552 under that of sound only uncle, Nicolas of Lorraine, count de Vaudémont and future duke of Mercoeur.

Starting from 1552, the king of France Henri II, during his " voyage of Austrasie " who allows him to impose his supervision on the episcopal quoted of Verdun, Metz and Toul, makes a passage to Nancy. It draws aside from regency the duchess dowager, niece of the Emperor and austrophile and entrusts the totality of the capacity to prince Nicolas who is francophile. It takes along with him the young Charles III to make it raise at the court of France and give him an education in conformity with the French interests.

In 1559 Charles III, 16 years old marries Claude of France, girl junior by Henri II which has 12 of them, and with the occasion is declared major. The king of France consequently allows him to turn over in his states. He dies shortly after at the time of the festivals celebrating the marriage of his oldest daughter with the king of Spain Philippe II.

The couple ducal, followed new French sovereigns, very recent queen of Spain and court of France enters Nancy in October 1559, but to affirm its capacity, refuses to lend the traditional oath to respect the rights and preferences of the three orders. Three years later, in 1562, it was constrained to make it when it asked the States of Lorraine an financial aid.

It continued in addition, following the example its predecessors, to maintain a strict neutrality between France and the Empire, in spite of the passage through the duchy of French troops energy to lend strong hand to the German Huguenots and those of the catholic Spanish troops going Franche-Comté to the Netherlands.

Deeply catholic, it has good relationships with his/her brothers-in-law the kings of France until in 1576, when Henri III, which married the previous year a cousin of our duke, Louise, girl of the former regent, concludes the peace from Beaulieu with the huguenots chiefs.

Without engaging in the Holy-League (which is directed by his/her cousins Guise), it accommodates in Nancy in 1580 its representatives as a general meeting. In 1584, dies the duke of Alençon, younger brother and heir to king de France. The heir to the throne of France becomes the king de Navarre which is Protestant. Charles, prince sovereign of the sixteenth century, cannot accept that a huguenot can become king de France. It is at that time that François de Rosières, an archdeacon of évêché of Toul, makes appear a book in which he affirms that the Maison of Lorraine is resulting from the last Carolingiens, which makes it possible Charles III to present his candidature for the throne of France.

In 1589, Henri III dies assassinated not without openly to have designated his/her cousin " Navarre" like successor (but asking him to return to the Catholicism). Charles III then joined the League.

The war burst again and the Henri Protestant of the Tower of Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, devastated the north of the duchy. Peace returned only with the treaty of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer the November 16th 1594, when Henri IV, returned to Catholicism, was crowned with Chartres. It was sealed by the marriage of Catherine, sister of Henri IV, and burning Protestant woman with Henri, duke of Bar, wire and very catholic heir to Charles III. It receives 2  700  000 delivers S for price of peace.

In spite of the wars of religion, the reign of Charles III was one time of prosperity and rise. It founded in 1572, jointly with the cardinal Charles of Lorraine (1524-1574), the university of Pont-à-Mousson and fixed starting from 1580 the beginning of the year at January 1st. In 1590, it increases Nancy, creating of any part the New City, four times larger in surface than the old city, but it fails to make install one évêché in Nancy. He dies in 1608.

This prince was the benefactor of his people and the legislator of sound pays  ; he founded the towns of Clermont-in-Argonne, Lunéville, Stenay, and stopped the plan of the town of Nancy.

The undertaking of Charles III, one of the most sumptuous ceremonies of its time, compared with the crowning of a Germanic emperor or the sacring of a king of France, was the subject of engravings, now exposed to the Lorraine Musée.

Marriage and children

He had married with Paris the January 22nd 1559 Claude of France, girl of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis (1547 † 1575), of which he had had nine children:
  • Henri II (1563 † 1624), duke of Lorraine and Bar,
  • Christine (1565 † 1637), married in 1589 with Ferdinand Ier de Médicis, large-duke of Tuscany (1549 † 1609)
  • Charles (1567 † 1607), cardinal of Lorraine, bishop of Metz (1578-1607), then of Strasbourg (1604-07)
  • Antoinette (1568 † 1610), married in 1599 with Jean-Guillaume (1562 † 1609), duke of Juliers of Berg
  • Anne (1569 † 1676)
  • François (1572 † 1632), count de Vaudémont, then duke of Lorraine and Bar,
  • Catherine (1573 † 1648), abbess of Remiremont
  • Elisabeth (1574 † 1636), married in 1599 with Maximilien I {{er}} (1573 † 1651), voter of Bavaria
  • Claude (1574 † 1576)

Illegitimate child:

Sources

External bond

  • part of engravings of the undertaking of Charles III

See also

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