Henri II of France

See also: Henri, Henri II

Henri II (born with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, the March 31st 1519 and dead the July 10th 1559 with Paris), is king de France of 1547 to its death. Second wire of François Ier and Claude of France, he becomes the heir to the throne with died of sound older brother in 1536. It then receives the titles of Dauphin and duke of Brittany. It is crowned king de France on July 25th 1547 with Rheims and took as emblem the crescents of the moon on mountains and as currency: Plena is œmula solis , " The follower of the sun is pleine" , and Donec totum impleat orbem , " Until it fills the world entier".

Monarch completely representative of the French Rebirth, Henri II continues the political and artistic work of his father. He continues the Guerres of Italy, by turning his attention on the empire of Charles Quint which he manages to put in failure. Henri II maintains the power of France but its reign finishes the bad one forecasts by the demolished of Saint-Quentin (1557) and the treated of Cateau-Cambrésis which puts a term at the Italian dream.

Its reign also marks the rise of Protestantism that Henri II represses with more rigor that his father. In front of the importance of adhesions to the Reform, Henri II does not manage to settle the religious question, which will lead after its death to the wars of religion.

He dies accidentally at the forty years age only, of a wound received at the time of a Tournoi with the hotel of the Small towers in Paris.

Youth

Following the Treated of Madrid between François Ier and Charles Quint, it is kept as an hostage in a prison of Spain of 1526 with 1530 in company of his older brother François, dolphin and duke of Brittany. This very hard captivity had heavy consequences on its childhood and it kept the psychological after-effects of them all its life, becoming nottament Hypocondriaque.

He marries on October 28th 1533 Catherine de Médicis, girl of Laurent II of Médicis and single heiress of his goods, but its heart remains dedicated with its mistress Diane of Poitiers. Their connection became official in 1536. There remains also very in love with one of the ladies of court, Louise-Marie de Léprouve, known as Fabienne de Lanneau. It is subject to unquestionably the influence of Diane of Poitiers like, in another order, that of Anne de Montmorency, constable of France, which had already served his/her father.

It succeeds his brother, dead in 1536, like dolphin and duke of Brittany, without controlling of it the duchy whose his/her father keeps usufruct. In 1537, it makes its first weapons against the Impériaux, initially in Picardy, then in the Piedmont where it becomes acquainted with its main first known, Filippa Duci. Diane de France is born from this union.

The February 9th 1540, Henri is invested pleasure of its duchy, " for its entretenement" , the king preserving the upper hand on the businesses of Dauphine and the duchy. Henri does not have actually any political room for maneuver, its authority is limited to the nomination of its courtiers and friends to loads and grounds. Thus T it gives to its mistress Diane of Poitiers the old ducal grounds of Rhuys and Fougères.

In August 1542, it takes part in the seat of Perpignan.

King de France

End of the wars of Italy

One had seen it ordering the year 1537, the army which the king his father sent in Piedmont, where it forced Not-of-Suze, took Veillane, Rivoles, Montcallier, etc, and gained various advantages over the army of Imperial, ordered by the marquis of Guast. It ordered also the army of Roussillon the year 1542, and besieged Perpignan unnecessarily. The year 1544 it took the Emery castle, and the town of Maubeuge. |Louis Moréri|The Large Dictionary History 1759, volume V, p. 588

In March 1550, Henri II negotiates with the English the repurchase of Boulogne:

After its crowning, its weapons were initially used with the covering of Boulogne in Picardy, from where the English were driven out. Then, Octave Farnèse duke of Parma, which had had recourse to the king against the pope Jules III and the emperor Charles Quint, was cause which the war was re-ignited between these princes the year 1551. His, the Corsica island of , and the princes of Germany sought also the protection of Henri, who was named by the latter the Guard of the empire, and the Restorer of Germanic freedom . It went with a powerful army, which while passing seizes the year 1552, of évêchés of Metz, Toul and Verdun, and advanced until on the edges of the Rhine. The emperor made peace with the German Princes; and irritated conquests of the king, attacked Metz with a hundred and thousand men: the duke of Own way which was in this city with the elite of the nobility, obliged it to withdraw the first day of January 1553. The French lost Hesdin and Thérouenne; but the towns of Bouvines, Dining, with almost all those of the Piedmont, were subjected by them. The troops which the duke of Own way ordered, demolished the Imperial ones in Renti on August 13rd 1554. The French were overcome with the battle of Marcian in the Sienan the 5 of the same month. Then the Emperor sought peace, because the French had taken Verceil, Ivrée, Casal and Ulpian, and that they supported the pope Paul IV, maltreated by the Spaniards. Philippe II, their king, after the resignation of Charles Quint, made league with the English, and brought 40.000 men in Picardy, who met 18.000 of the French party of them, and cut them in parts with the battle of Saint-Quentin (known as the day of Saint Laurent , because it was given the feastday of this saint, on August 10th 1557). The French wiped another disgrace at the day of Gravelines; but this misfortune was repaired by the catch of Calais, that the duke of Own way carried on January 8th 1558 on the English, who held this place since the reign of Philippe de Valois the year 1347|Louis Moréri|The Large Dictionary History 1759, volume V, p. 588

With the Treated of Chambord in 1552, it combines France with the Protestant princes of Germany vis-a-vis Charles Quint.

In 1552, it occupies, thanks to the duke of Own way the Three bishoprices whose final fastening in France was to be recognized only in 1648 by the Traités of Westphalia.

Its armies begin again, in 1558 the town of Calais, last English possession in French territory. The peace of Vaucelles, signed between France and Spain on February 5th 1556 envisages a five years truce, but it will not be held.

He is less success at the end of short sound reigns. The countryside in Italy which aims at the throne of Naples for his/her son junior announces well but the duke of Own way who carries out it is recalled in all urgency in France. Indeed, the constable Anne de Montmorency wiped the terrible defeat with the battles of Saint-Quentin the August 10th 1557 with more than 3000 died and several thousands of prisoners. The duke of Own way prepares revenge and takes Calais in January 1558 then Thionville in July.

But again the French Armies are beaten with Gravelines by the Spaniards. The road of Paris is open. Henri II then joins together an army of 50.000 men and goes to the meeting of his adversaries. But the Spaniards must lay off their army, for lack of money. The two countries, Spain and France, are appropriate of a peace treaty signed the April 3rd 1559 with the Cateau-Cambrésis. Henri II restores with Philippe II all his possessions Italian whose Piedmont, Savoy, and Bresse, however occupied for 30 years, as well as the Corsica , but has preserved the three évêchés of Metz, Toul and Verdun like five fortified towns in Piedmont for three years. This treaty marks the end of the French aimings in Italy.

Henri II and Protestantism

Henri II releases himself little by little from the wars of Italy to occupy itself with whole share of the religious problem. The Protestants multiply since 1520 and Henri, enthusiast catholic took severe measures in their connection.

October 8th 1547, already, a burning room is consisted the Parliament. It will return thereafter more than 500 stops against the Protestants in three years, and will be at the origin of a violent repression between 1547 and 1549. June 21st 1551, the edict of Chateaubriant gives any authority to the officers to drive out and expel the Protestants. It is followed on July 24th 1557 of the edict of Compiegne, which accentuates repression. In September nevertheless, reformed decide to organize an important protest and gather street Saint-Jacob, with Paris. It is in May 1559 that the first national synod of the churches reformed in Paris takes place. This rise to power of the Protestants will have due widening the gaps with the catholic of which hatred does not cease growing. Henri II answers with the edict of Écouen, on June 2nd 1559, which stipulates that any Protestant revolted or in escape will be abbatu and also names police chiefs charged to continue reformed.

Despite everything these edicts against Protestantism, Henri II does not arrive to éradiquer what it calls " the hérésie". The Calvinism takes much width and gains ground until finding the new faithful ones at the noble ones and the big families, in particular in certain princes of blood.

A new administration

Continuing the administrative policy of his father, Henri II reforms certain institutions which contribute to make France a powerful State with the centralized capacity.

At the beginning of his reign, Henri II sets up a true ministerial system, generalizing the government of his father. In 1547, the administration is supervised by four Secretaries of State. The registers of the Royal Treasury are entrusted when to them with a " controller général". Henri II also continues the unification of the legal system, by creating in January 1552 by the edict of Fontainebleau, the " présidiaux" , intermediaries between the Parliaments and lower jurisdictions. The king is surrounded advisers appreciated of the people resulting aristocratic big families like the Own ways and Montmorency, which will vaudera the support of the nobility to him.

In 1553, a royal decree provides that the " Masters of the requêtes" each year the provinces visit. The year 1555 sees the institution of the " large parti" , which gathers all the royal debts in a package deal, but this system carries out has a bankruptcy 1558. Thus in January 1558, the king convenes the general states for the vote of a contribution.

At the court, Henri II removes many balls and concerts, and labels it introduced by Catherine de Médicis is reinforced. Malgèrs these change rather strict, the glare of the court develops thanks to the prestigious voyages which donnet places with many rejoicings, accentuated by the presence of women, although less present under Henri II than under François Ist Diane of Poitiers nottament, will make court places of delights and richness which éxaltent the last sighs of the French Rebirth.

Died and posterity

The June 30th, with Paris close to current the Place of the Vosges, celebrating the marriage of his/her Elisabeth daughter with Philippe II of Spain, it fights against Gabriel de Montgomery, captain of its Scottish Garde, which wounds it of a blow of lance in the eye. In spite of the care of the doctors and royal surgeons whose Ambroise Paré, authorized to reproduce the wound on condemned in order to best look after, and of Vésale, sent Brussels, it dies in atrocious sufferings the July 10th 1559.

In 1546, the astrologer Nostradamus had warned the queen. The sovereign “was to avoid any singular combat around the forty and unième year”. Henri II had just been forty years old.

Its reign, often considered as insipid, with the image of its personality, is also heralding the Wars of religion to come.

His/her oldest son, 15 years old, François II succeeds to him.

With the difference of his/her father, François Ier, Henri II is of a silent nature. According to Venetian Dandolo, he seldom laughs “so much so that many those which are at the court ensure never to have seen it laughing only once”.

Ronsard celebrated it in the Anthems of 1555. The poet had already written a Before-entry of the King very chrestien in Paris for the solemn entry of June 16th 1549.

Children

Although his wife was a long time regarded as sterile until in 1544, Henri II had with Catherine de Médicis ten children including three died in low age:

It also had illegitimate children:

Quotation

Remain to have good heart and to be astonished by nothing , he wrote after the battles of Saint-Quentin gained by the duke Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy.

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