Henry III, 1574-1589. Billon Douzain. France, NGC VF20

Description: Henry III, 1574-1589. Billon Douzain. France, NGC VF20. Shipped with USPS First Class.Henry III(French:Henri III,nAlexandre douard;Polish:HenrykWalezy;Lithuanian:Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 2 August 1589) wasKing of Francefrom 1574 until hisassassinationin 1589, as well asKing of PolandandGrand Duke of Lithuaniafrom 1573 to 1575.As the fourth son of KingHenry II of France, he was not expected to inherit theFrenchthrone and thus was a good candidate for the vacant throne of thePolishLithuanian Commonwealth, where he was electedmonarchin 1573. During his brief rule, he signed theHenrician Articlesinto law, recognizing theszlachta's right tofreely electtheir monarch. Aged 22, Henry abandoned PolandLithuania upon inheriting the French throne when his brother,Charles IX, died without issue. France was at the time plagued by theWars of Religion, and Henry's authority was undermined by violent political factions funded by foreign powers: theCatholic League(supported bySpainand thePope), the ProtestantHuguenots(supported byEnglandand the Dutch) and theMalcontents(led by Henry's own brother theDuke of Anjou and Alenon, a party of Catholic and Protestantaristocratswho jointly opposed theabsolutistambitions of the king). Henry III was himself apolitique, arguing that a strong and religiously tolerant monarchy would save France from collapse. After the death of Henry's younger brotherFrancis, Duke of Anjou, and when it became apparent that Henry would not produce an heir, the Wars of Religion developed into a succession crisis, theWar of the Three Henrys. Henry III's legitimate heir was his distant cousin, KingHenry III of Navarre, a Protestant. The Catholic League, led byHenry I, Duke of Guise, sought to exclude Protestants from the succession and championed the CatholicCharles, Cardinal of Bourbon, as Henry III's heir. In 1589,Jacques Clment, a Catholic fanatic, murdered Henry III. He was succeeded by the King of Navarre who, asHenry IV, assumed the throne of France after converting to Catholicism, as the first French king of theHouse of Bourbon. Early life Childhood Henry was born at the royalChteau de Fontainebleau, the fourth son of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici. He was a grandson ofFrancis I of FranceandClaude of France. His older brothers wereFrancis II of France,Charles IX of France, andLouis of Valois. He was madeDuke of AngoulmeandDuke of Orlansin 1560, thenDuke of Anjouin 1566. He was his mother's favourite; she called himchers yeux("precious eyes") and lavished fondness and affection upon him for most of his life.His elder brother, Charles, grew to detest him, partially because he resented his better health. The royal children were raised under the supervision ofDiane de Poitiers, his father's mistress. Youth Portrait of Henry when he wasDuke of AnjoubyJean de Court(1570) Although he was skilled and fond of fencing, he preferred to indulge his tastes for the arts and reading. These predilections were attributed to his Italian mother. Henry's favourite interests were hunting and riding. At one point in his youth Henry showed a tendency towards Protestantism as a means of rebelling. At the age of nine, he called himself "a little Huguenot",attendedMassonly to please his mother,sang Protestantpsalmsto his sisterMargaret(exhorting her all the while to change her religion and cast herBook of Hoursinto the fire),and even bit the nose off a statue ofSaint Paul. His mother firmly cautioned him against such behaviour, and he would never again show any Protestant tendencies. Instead, he became staunchly Roman Catholic. In the factional dispute that engulfed France in the wake of Henry II's death in 1559, Henry was solicited by Henry, son ofFrancis Duke of Guise, at the behest ofJacques, Duke of Nemours, to run away from court to be a figurehead for the ultra-Catholics.However, the plot was uncovered before any action could be taken. Henry was known as aflaneur, who relished leisurely strolls through Paris and partook in the sociability in the busiest of neighbourhoods. He revelled in fairs, music,bilboquetandcourt masques. His extravagance in court entertainments cut him off from the common people. He was also a devout Catholic who introduced pious reforms into the city and he encouraged the French church to follow the edicts of theCouncil of Trent Elizabeth In 1570, discussions commenced arranging for Henry to court QueenElizabeth I of England.Elizabeth, almost 37, was expected by many parties in her country to marry and produce an heir. However, nothing came of these discussions. In initiating them, Elizabeth is viewed by historians as having intended only to arouse the concern of Spain, rather than contemplate marriage seriously. Henry's mother felt the chance of marriage despite differing religious views (Henry was Catholic, Elizabeth Protestant) simply required personal sacrifice.Henry tactlessly referred to Elizabeth as aputain publique('public whore') and made stinging remarks about their difference in age (he was 18 years younger). Wars of Religion TheSiege of La Rochelleby the Duke of Anjou in 1573 ("History of Henry III" tapestry, completed in 1623) In November 1567, upon the death ofAnne de Montmorency, Henry assumed the role ofLieutenant-Generalof France, placing him in nominal control of France's military.Henry served as a leader of the royal army, taking part in the victories over theHuguenotsat theBattle of Jarnac(March 1569)and at theBattle of Moncontour(October 1569).At this time he was a rallying point for the ultra-Catholics at court, who saw him as an opposition figure to the tolerant line being taken by the King, withCharles, Cardinal of Lorraineguiding his council.Lorraine offered him 200,000 Francs of Church revenue to become a protector of Catholicism, and tried to arrange his marriage toMary, Queen of Scots; however neither project took off. While still Duke of Anjou, he helped plot theSt. Bartholomew's Day Massacreof 1572. Though Henry did not participate directly, historianThierry Wanegffelensees him as the royal most responsible for the massacre, which involved the targeted killing of many Huguenot leaders. Henry III's reign as King of France, like those of his elder brothers Francis and Charles, would see France in constant turmoil over religion. Henry continued to take an active role in the Wars of Religion, and in 1572/1573 led thesiege of La Rochelle, a massive military assault on the Huguenot-held city.At the end of May 1573, Henry learned that thePolishszlachtahad elected him King of Poland (a country with a large Protestant minority at the time) and political considerations forced him to negotiate an end to the siege. Negotiators reached an agreement on 24 June 1573, and Catholic troops ended the siege on 6 July 1573. King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (15731575) Following the death of the Polish rulerSigismund II Augustuson 7 July 1572,Jean de Monlucwas sent as the French envoy to Poland to negotiate the election of Henry to the Polish throne in exchange for military support against Russia, diplomatic assistance in dealing with theOttoman Empire, and financial subsidies. Henry III on the Polish throne, in front of theSejm of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealthandaristocracysurrounded byhalberdiers, 1574 On 16 May 1573, Polish nobles chose Henry as the first elected monarch of thePolishLithuanian Commonwealth. The Lithuanian nobles boycotted this election, however, and it was left to the Lithuanian ducal council to confirm his election.The commonwealth elected Henry, rather thanHabsburgcandidates, partly in order to be more agreeable to theOttoman Empire(a traditional ally of France through theFranco-Ottoman alliance) and strengthen aPolish-Ottoman alliancethat was in effect. A Polish delegation went to La Rochelle to meet with Henry, who was leading the Siege of La Rochelle. Henry left the siege following their visit.In Paris, on 10 September, the Polish delegation asked Henry to take an oath, atNotre Dame Cathedral, to "respect traditional Polish liberties and the law on religious freedom that had been passed during theinterregnum".As a condition of his election, he was compelled to sign thepacta conventaand theHenrician Articles, pledgingreligious tolerancein the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth.Henry chafed at the restrictions on monarchic power under the Polish-Lithuanianpolitical systemof "Golden Liberty".ThePolish-Lithuanian parliamenthad been urged byAnna Jagiellon, the sister of the recently deceased king Sigismund II Augustus, to elect him based on the understanding that Henry would wed Anna afterward. At a ceremony before theParlement of Parison 13 September, the Polish delegation handed over the "certificate of election to the throne of Poland-Lithuania".Henry also gave up any claims to succession and he "recognized the principle of free election" under the Henrician Articles and thepacta conventa. Escape of Henry III from Poland, byArtur Grottger, 1860 Engraving of Henry III It was not until January 1574 that Henry was to reach the borders of Poland. On 21 February, Henry's coronation was held inKrakw.In mid-June 1574, upon learning of the death of his brother Charles IX, Henry left Poland and headed back to France.Henry's absence provoked a constitutional crisis that the Parliament attempted to resolve by notifying Henry that his throne would be lost if he did not return from France by 12 May 1575.His failure to return caused Parliament to declare his throne vacant. The short reign of Henry atWawel Castlein Poland was marked by a clash of cultures between the Polish and the French. The young king and his followers were astonished by several Polish practices and disappointed by the rural poverty and harsh climate of the country.The Poles, on the other hand, wondered if all Frenchmen were as concerned with their appearance as their new king appeared to be. In many aspects, Polish culture had a positive influence on France. At Wawel, the French were introduced to new technologies of septic facilities, in which litter (excrement) was taken outside the castle walls.On returning to France, Henry wanted to order the construction of such facilities at theLouvreand other palaces.Other inventions introduced to the French by the Polish included a bath with regulated hot and cold water,as well as dining forks. In 1578, Henry created theOrder of the Holy Spiritto commemorate his becoming first King of Poland and later King of France on the Feast ofPentecostand gave it precedence over the earlierOrder of St. Michael, which had lost much of its original prestige by being awarded too frequently and too readily. The Order would retain its prestige as the premierchivalric orderof France until the end of the French monarchy. French reign (15741589) Henry was crowned king of France on 13 February 1575 atReims Cathedral. Although he was expected to produce an heir after he married the 21-year-oldLouise of Lorraineon 14 February 1575,no issue resulted from their union. In 1576, Henry signed theEdict of Beaulieu, which granted many concessions to the Huguenots. His action resulted in theHenry I, Duke of Guise, forming theCatholic League. After much posturing and negotiations, Henry was forced to rescind most of the concessions that had been made to the Protestants in the edict. Coin of Henry III, 1577 In 1584, the king's youngest brother andheir presumptive,Francis, Duke of Anjou, died. UnderSalic Law, the next heir to the throne was ProtestantHenry of Navarre, a descendant ofLouis IX(Saint Louis). The possibility of a Protestant on the throne led to theWar of the Three Henrys. Under pressure from the duke of Guise, Henry III issued an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henry of Navarre's right to the throne. Henry III, stung by the open disobedience of Guise, attempted a coup in May 1588 and sent royal Swiss troops into several neighbourhoods. This had the unintended effect of rallying the people against him and in favor of the more popular Guise during theDay of the Barricades. Henry III fled the city; he later sought support from the Parlement of Paris and propped up an anti-League establishment throughout France. Following the defeat of theSpanish Armadathat summer, the king's fear of Spanish support for the Catholic League apparently waned. Accordingly, on 23 December 1588, at theChteau of Blois, he invited Guise to the council chamber where the duke's brotherLouis II, Cardinal of Guise, already waited. The duke was told that the king wished to see him in the private room adjoining the royal bedroom. There, royal guardsmen murdered the duke, then the cardinal.To make certain that no contender for the French throne was free to act against him, the king had theduke's sonimprisoned. The duke of Guise had been very popular in France, and the citizenry turned against Henry for the murders.The Parlement instituted criminal charges against the king, and he was compelled to join forces with his heir, the Protestant Henry of Navarre, by setting up theParliament of Tours. By 1589 Henry's popularity hit a new low. Preachers were calling for his assassination and labelling him a tyrant. The people of Paris disdained him for his court extravagances, allowing corruption to grow rife, high taxes and having relied extensively on Italian financiers. But what most Parisians hated most about him was his alleged sexuality, as sodomy was seen as heresy and a social deviance at the time. The arrival of Henry III of France in Venice, 1574 Overseas relations Under Henry, France named the firstConsul of France in Moroccoin the person ofGuillaume Brard. The request came from the Moroccan princeAbd al-Malik, who had been saved by Brard, a doctor by profession, during an epidemic inConstantinopleand wished to retain Brard in his service. Henry III encouraged the exploration and development ofNew Worldterritories. In 1588, he granted Jacques Nol, the nephew ofJacques Cartier, privileges over fishing, fur trading, and mining inNew France. Henry III in preparation to besiege Paris in 1589 Assassination and burial Jacques Clment assassinating Henry III On 1 August 1589, Henry III lodged with his army atSaint-Cloud, and was preparing to attack Paris, when a young fanaticalDominican friar,Jacques Clment, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to the king. The friar gave the king a bundle of papers and stated that he had a secret message to deliver. The king signaled for his attendants to step back for privacy, and Clment whispered in his ear while plunging a knife into his abdomen. Clment was then killed on the spot by the guards. At first, the king's wound did not appear fatal, but he enjoined all the officers around him, in case he did not survive, to be loyal to Henry of Navarre as their new king. The following morning, on the day that he was to have launched his assault to retake Paris, Henry III died. Chaos swept the attacking army, most of it quickly melting away; the proposed attack on Paris was postponed. Inside the city, joy at the news of Henry III's death was near delirium; some hailed the assassination as anact of God. Henry III was interred at theSaint Denis Basilica. Childless, he was the longest-living of Henry II's sons to have become king and also the last of the Valois kings. Henry III of Navarre succeeded him asHenry IV, the first of the kings of theHouse of Bourbon. Arms Henry'scoat of arms, showing his dual status asKing of Franceand lifelongKing of Poland. Personal coat of arms

Price: 129.99 USD

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-03-01T22:53:48.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.95 USD