Henry II, Billon Douzain aux croissants, 1556, Troyes, France. NGC XF40

Description: Henry II, Billon Douzain aux croissants, 1556, Troyes, France. NGC XF40. Shipped with USPS First Class.Henry II(French:Henri II; 31 March 1519 10 July 1559) wasKing of Francefrom 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son ofFrancis IandDuchess Claude of Brittany, he becameDauphin of Franceupon the death of his elder brotherFrancisin 1536.As a child, Henry and his elder brother spent over four years in captivity in Spain as hostages in exchange for their father. Henry pursued his father's policies in matters of art, war, and religion. He persevered in theItalian Warsagainst theHabsburgsand tried to suppress theReformation, even as theHuguenotnumbers were increasing drastically in France during his reign. Under the April 1559Peace of Cateau-Cambrsiswhich ended the Italian Wars, France renounced its claims in Italy, but gained certain other territories, including thePale of Calaisand theThree Bishoprics. These acquisitions strengthened French borders while the abdication ofCharles V, Holy Roman Emperorin January 1556 and division of his empire betweenSpainandAustriaprovided them with greater flexibility in foreign policy.Nostradamusalso served King Henry as physician and astrologer. In July 1559, Henry was injured in ajoustingtournament held to celebrate the treaty and died ten days later after his surgeon,Ambroise Par, was unable to cure the wound inflicted byGabriel de Montgomery, the captain of hisScottish Guard. Though he died early, the succession appeared secure as he left four young sons, as well as a wife inCatherine de' Medici, to lead a capable regency during their minority. Three of those sons would all live long enough to be king themselves, but their ineffectual reigns, and the unpopularity of Catherine's regency, helped to spark theFrench Wars of ReligionbetweenCatholicsandProtestants, and an eventual end to theHouse of Valoisas France's ruling dynasty. Early years Henry as a child Henry was born in the royalChteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son ofKing Francis IandClaude, Duchess of Brittany, daughter ofLouis XII of FranceandAnne, Duchess of Brittany. Francis and Claude weresecond cousins, both hadLouis I, Duke of Orlans, as a patrilineal great-grandfather, and their marriage strengthened the family's claim to the throne. Henry's father was captured at theBattle of Paviain 1525 by the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and held prisoner inSpain.To obtain his release, it was agreed that Henry and his older brother Francis be sent to Spain in his place. They remained in captivity for over four years. Henry marriedCatherine de' Medici, a member of the ruling family ofFlorence, on 28 October 1533, when they were both fourteen years old. The wedding was officiated byPope Clement VII. At this time, Henry's brother Francis was alive and there was little prospect of Henry coming to the throne. The following year, he became romantically involved with a thirty-five-year-old widow,Diane de Poitiers. Henry and Diane had always been very close: the young lady had fondly embraced Henry on the day he, as a 7-year-old child, set off to captivity in Spain, and the bond had been renewed after his return to France. At the tournament to honor his father's new bride,Eleanor, in 1531, Henry and Francis dressed as chevaliers, and Henry wore Diane's colors. Extremely confident, mature and intelligent, Diane left Catherine powerless to intervene.She did, however, insist that Henry sleep with Catherine in order to produce heirs to the throne. When his elder brother Francis died in 1536 after a game of tennis, Henry became heir apparent to the throne. His attachment to Diane caused a breach with his father in 1544; the royal mistressAnne de Pisseleu d'Heillypersuaded Francis that Henry and Diane were intriguing on behalf ofthe Constable Montmorency, who had been banished from court in 1540. Francis banished Diane from court.Henry also withdrew to the chateau of Anet; father and son were reconciled in 1545. He succeeded his father on his 28th birthday and was crowned King of France on 25 July 1547 atReims Cathedral. Reign Attitude towards Protestants Henry's reign was marked by the persecution of Protestants, mainly Calvinists known asHuguenots. Henry II severely punished them, particularly the ministers, for example byburning at the stakeor cutting off their tongues for utteringheresies. Henry II was made aKnight of the GarterbyEdward VI, King of England, in April 1551. TheEdict of Chteaubriant(27 June 1551) called upon the civil and ecclesiastical courts to detect and punish all heretics and placed severe restrictions on Huguenots, including the loss of one-third of their property to informers, and confiscations. The Edict also strictly regulated publications by prohibiting the sale, importation or printing of any unapproved book. It was during the reign of Henry II that Huguenot attempts at establishing a colony inBrazilwere made, with the short-lived formation ofFrance Antarctique. In June 1559, with war against the Habsburgs concluded, Henri established inletters patenthis desire to task much of theGendarmeriethat had been involved in the foreign wars with the extirpation of domestic heresy. Italian War of 15511559 Henry II entersMetzfollowing the 1552Treaty of Chambord TheItalian War of 15511559began when Henry declared war on Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the intent of recapturing Italy and ensuring French, rather than Habsburg, domination of European affairs. Persecution of Protestants at home did not prevent him from becoming allied with German Protestant princes at theTreaty of Chambordin 1552. Simultaneously, the continuation of his father'sFranco-Ottoman allianceallowed him to invade theRhinelandwhile a Franco-Ottoman fleet defended southern France. Although an attempted 1553 invasion ofTuscanyended with defeat atMarciano, in return for his support in theSecond Schmalkaldic War, Henry occupied theThree BishopricsofToul,VerdunandMetz, acquisitions secured with victory atRentyin 1554. After the abdication of Charles V in 1556, the Habsburg empire was split between his sonPhilip II of Spainand brotherEmperor Ferdinand I. The focus of Henry's conflict with the Habsburgs shifted toFlanders, where Philip, in conjunction withEmmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, defeated the French at theSt Quentin. England's entry into the war later that year led to the Frenchcapture of Calais, and French armies plundered Spanish possessions in theLow Countries. However, in April 1559 lack of money and increasing domestic religious tensions led Henry to agree thePeace of Cateau-Cambrsis. The Peace was signed between Henry andElizabeth I of Englandon 2 April and between Henry and Philip of Spain on 3 April 1559 atLe Cateau-Cambrsis. Under its terms, France restoredPiedmontand Savoy to Emmanuel Philibert, but retainedSaluzzo,Calaisand the Three Bishoprics. The agreement was reinforced by a marriage between Henry's sisterMargaretand Emmanuel Philibert, while his daughterElisabeth of Valoisbecame Philip's third wife. Henry raised the youngMary, Queen of Scots, at his court, hoping to establish a dynastic claim to theKingdom of Scotlandby marrying her toDauphin Francison 24 April 1558. Their son would have been King of France and King of Scotland, and also a claimant to the throne ofEngland. Henry had Mary sign secret documents, illegal in Scottish law, that would ensure Valois rule in Scotland even if Mary died without leaving a child by Francis. As it happened, Francis died without issue a year and half after his father, ending the French claim to Scotland. Patent innovation History of patent law Henry II Henry II introduced the concept of publishing the description of an invention in the form of apatent. The idea was to require an inventor to disclose his invention in exchange for monopoly rights to the patent. The description is called a patent "specification". The first patent specification was submitted by the inventorAbel Foullonfor "Usaige & Description de l'holmetre" (a type ofrangefinder). Publication was delayed until after the patent expired in 1561. Death The fatal tournament between Henry II andMontgomery(Lord of "Lorges") Henry II was an avid hunter and a participant injoustsand tournaments. On 30 June 1559, a tournament was held nearPlace des Vosgesto celebrate the Peace of Cateau-Cambrsis with his longtime enemies, the Habsburgs of Austria, and to celebrate the marriage of his daughterElisabeth of Valoisto KingPhilip II of Spain. During a jousting match, King Henry, wearing the colors of his mistressDiane de Poitiers, was wounded in the eye by a fragment of the splintered lance ofGabriel Montgomery, captain of the King'sScottish Guard.Despite the efforts of royal surgeonsAmbroise ParandAndreas Vesalius, the court doctors ultimately "advocated a wait-and-see strategy"; as a result, the king's untreated eye and brain damage led to his death bysepsison 10 July 1559. He was buried in acadaver tombinSaint Denis Basilica. Henry's death played a significant role in the decline of jousting as a sport, particularly in France. Tombs of Henry II of France and his wifeCatherine de' MediciinBasilica of St Denis, Paris As Henry lay dying, Queen Catherine limited access to his bedside and denied his mistress Diane de Poitiers permission to see him, even though he repeatedly asked for her. Following his death, Catherine sent Diane into exile, where she lived in comfort on her own properties until her death. It was the practice to enclose the heart of the king in an urn. The Monument to the Heart of Henry II is in the collection of theLouvre, but was originally in the Chapel of Orleans beneath a pyramid. The original bronze urn holding the king's heart was destroyed during the French Revolution and a replica was made in the 19th century. The marble sculpture of theThree Gracesholding the urn, executed from a single piece of marble byGermain Pilon, the sculptor toCatherine de' Medici, survives. Henry was succeeded by his sickly fifteen-year-old son,Francis II.Francis was married to sixteen-year-oldMary, Queen of Scots, who had been his childhood friend and fiance since her arrival at the French court when she was five.Francis II died in December 1560, and Mary returned to Scotland in August 1561.Francis II was succeeded by his ten-year-old brotherCharles IX. His mother,Catherine de Medici, acted asregent.

Price: 199.99 USD

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-04-07T22:25:46.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.99 USD