Henri Ier de Guise

See also: Henri of Lorraine

Henri 1st of Own way known as the Gash , born on December 31st, 1550 and dead assassinated on December 23rd, 1588 with the Castle of Blois, is the chief of the party ultra-catholic during the wars of religion in France. He is initially prince de Joinville, then duke of Own way (1563) and Pair of France, count of Have and Grand Master of France.

Henri de Guise is the oldest son of François de Guise, second duke of Own way, assassinated in 1563 by a protesting gentleman, and of Anne d' Este and Ferrare. He is placed under the supervision of his uncle Charles, cardinal of Lorraine which takes care of its education. Concerned of his military training, the cardinal pushes it to travel to Europe to acquire experiment. In 1565, it fights in Hungary against the Turks. When it returns to France, the duke of Own way, become adult, is on the point of becoming the chief of the Maison of Own way by representing the catholic opposition vis-a-vis the Protestant party. Thus it takes an active part in the second and third wars of religion, at the sides of the duke of Anjou (the future Henri {{III}}). It is illustrated with the battles of Jarnac (March 13rd, 1569) and of Moncontour (October 3rd, 1569) and acquires fame without however exceeding that of the duke of Anjou.

Already very ambitious at twenty years, the duke of Own way hoped to marry the princess Marguerite de France and to thus reinforce the links between his house and the reigning dynasty. This alliance not being taste of the queen mother Catherine, the marriage will not be done. Henri de Guise thus links on October 4th, 1570 with Catherine de Clèves, countess of Have and princess of Castle-Renault, girl of François {{Ier}}, duke of Nevers.

Some suspect Henri de Guise of having been the silent partner of the murder of the admiral Gaspard de Coligny, leader of the party protesting in 1572. The duke of Own way would have thus liked to avenge his Francois, father before assassinated nine years by the huguenot Poltrot de Méré. Although he always denied to have armed the arm with the killer, Coligny publicly had been delighted by died by the catholic military chief who besieged Orleans at the time of the first war of religion.

If the young duke played a part in this family vendetta, it is possible that it acted in concert, even in the shade of his uncles, the duke of Aumale and the cardinal of Lorraine, true persons in charge of the house of the Own way. During the night of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, on August 24th, 1572, Henri is with the head of the groups which must carry out the Protestant main leaders. It would thus have had happiness to see dying défenestré the admiral de Coligny, the man whom it probably held for person in charge of dead of his father. According to certain testimonys, the duke of Own way would have given a kick to the corpse of the admiral.

Accompanied by his uncle the duke of Aumale, Henri de Guise pursues then the Protestant chiefs who, placed on southern bank, managed to escape out of Paris by a not kept door. Henri is thus not in the city with most extremely of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. He returns there only the following day, bredouille, without to have been able to put the hand on the count regicide Gabriel {{Ier}} of Montgomery, frightening huguenot chief.

Thereafter, the duke of Own way continues to be the pillar of intransigent Catholicism. Following a wound with the face received at the time of the Battle of Dormans (October 10th, 1575), it is called the Gash like his father. Of a common will with his wife, it orders the construction of the castle of Have, in the North of Normandy, about 1575. After the peace of Beaulieu, it supports the Sainte League - of which he becomes the chief - and is opposed to the Protestants. For this reason, it signs the Traité of Joinville with the king Philippe {{II}} of Spain in 1582, in virtue of which this last brought its financial support with the league.

It is one of the promoters of the Traité of Nemours (July 7th, 1585) by which Henri revoked the edict of pacification and started again the war against the Protestants.

At the time of the eighth war of religion, with the head of the catholic troops, it overcomes successively the Protestants with Vimory (October 26th, 1587) then with Auneau (November 24th, 1587). Returned in Paris on May 9th, 1588 in spite of the formal prohibition of the king, it takes a very active share in the day of the barricades (May 12th, 1588). In addition, one suspects it of being with the pay of Philippe {{II}}, principal enemy of Protestants in Europe, which prepares a decisive offensive against Protestantism by sending on May 29th, 1588 the Invincible Armada against England. All these threats weaken Henri {{III}} and force it to sign the edict of Union (July 15th, 1588) by which the duke of Own way became general Lieutenant armies of the kingdom.

October 2nd, 1588 the General states with the Château begin from Blois. The news of the failure of the Invincible Armada in August 1588 consolidates the king. However, the league is majority and the duke starts a new showdown to reverse the king. December 17th, 1588, Louis, cardinal of Own way, representing clergy with the General states, a toast to his brother the duke of Own way carries while saying: I drink with the health of king de France .

December 23rd, 1588, Henri de Guise is carried out on the order of Henri {{III}}, in the proper room of this last, by members of “Forty-five”, the personal guard of the king. One finds on the duke this ticket carrying his writing: To maintain the war in France, it is necessary: 700000 pounds every month . Its body is burned in one of the rooms of the castle then its ashes are thrown in the Loire. The same day is stopped his/her son Charles and his brother Louis, cardinal of Own way. The cardinal is carried out in his prison the following day.

On this assassination, Pierre Matthieu composed a tragedy Guisiade (1589).

Though apocryphal book, a famous historic saying is continuously lent to Henri. Indicator extended to his feet the body of his enemy, the king would have exclaimed: He is larger death than alive! .

Marriage and children

Of Catherine de Clèves, it had:

Charles {{Ier}}, (1571 † 1640), duke of Own way
Henri (1572 † 1574)
Catherine (1573 † 1573)
Louis (1575 † 1621), cardinal of Own way, archbishop of Rheims
Charles (1576 † 1576)
Marie (1577 † 1582)
Claude of Own way (1578 † 1657), duke of Chevreuse
Catherine (1579 young †)
Christine (1580 † 1580)
François (1581 † 1582)
Renee (1585 † 1626), abbess from Saint Pierre in Rheims
Jeanne (1586 † 1638), abbess of Jouarre
Louise Marguerite of Lorraine (1588 † 1631), married in 1605 with François de Bourbon (1558 † 1614), prince de Conti then with François de Bassompierre;
François Alexandre (1589 † 1614) knight of Own way.

Random links: