King de France (1547-1559).
The reign of Henri II corresponds to the top of the Rebirth in France, before the hours tragic of tearings between catholics and Huguenot. Often regarded as a sovereign of second order, dominated by its passion for Diane of Poitiers or by her prestigious generals, Anne of Morello cherry or François de Guise, Henri II was however an advised king who amplified the work of transformation of the kingdom undertaken by his father, François I.
Its unexpected end, by breaking at a stretch the balance which the king maintained between the factions, opened one of the most dramatic periods of the French history.
Duke of Orleans, then dolphin and kingHenri de France was born on on March 31st, 1519 with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer; he was the fourth child of François I - after Louise, who died very early, Charlotte and the François dolphin -, and carried the title of duke of Orleans.
Prisoner of Charles Quint (1526-1530)
Following the defeat of Pavia (1525), François I was imprisoned in Spain. One year later, the treaty of Madrid returned to him freedom in return for that of his/her two oldest sons. On March 17th, 1526, on Bidassoa, took place the exchange of the king against his two children. The beginnings of the captivity were in conformity with the mode of existence of royal children, but François I having denounced the treaty of Madrid, which he considered to have accepted only under the constraint, Charles Quint made reinforce the detention conditions of the dolphin and his brother. Their French close relations were imprisoned and the children themselves found themselves in fortress. They were released only after the negotiations of the peace of the Ladies (1529) and the payment of a ransom of two million ecus of gold, that is to say approximately four tons and half of metal. Henri and his brother returned to France on on July 1st, 1530, at the end of more than four years of captivity.
Marriage with Catherine de Médicis (1533)
In 1533, Henri de France married Catherine de Médicis. Not being whereas the duke of Orleans, it acted for François Ier to conclude an alliance from second order with the pope, then Clément VII, Médicis, uncle of the young Catherine. This marriage was criticized, the young girl not appearing a sufficiently prestigious origin for such a prince. Moreover, Clément VII died in November 1534, and its successor, favorable to Habsbourg, ruined the hopes of king de France; “I had the very naked girl”, François I er would then have declared while speaking about Catherine de Médicis.
In 1536, the death of his/her François older brother made of Henri the new dolphin. In 1538, Henri had a girl of Filippa Duci; he called it Diane, in honor of that which was already undoubtedly its mistress, Diane of Poitiers; he recognized this illegitimate child, whom one knows under the name of Diane de France.
In 1544, Catherine de Médicis put at the world the first of the children of Henri, fore-mentioned François. Whereas it was feared that the queen was not sterile, it will put at the world ten children, of which seven will reach the adulthood; three of the boys will reign, two of the girls will marry kings. Dynastic continuity consequently seemed assured.
Moreover, in 1551, Henri II had a second illegitimate child whom he also recognized: Henri of Angouleme, resulting from its connection with Jane Fleming.
The advent with the throne (1547)
With the death of François I er, Henri II was proclaimed king. Competitions divided the court into two clans, brought together one around the duke of Orleans, Charles, and of the duchess of Stamps, the other around Henri and of Diane of Poitiers, whose favorite, Anne of Morello cherry, were banished court since 1541. The advent of the new king meant upheaval of the power struggles.
The assertion of the royal power
Like his father before him, Henri II allotted the most important stations of the royal administration to his friends, but also to those of Diane of Poitiers. Thus Henri named two new marshals, his Jacques confidant of Saint-Andrew, and Robert of Marck, son-in-law of Diane of Poitiers. Henri d' Albret, king de Navarre, entered to the Council of the king like François d' Aumale - soon duke of Own way - and Robert of Marck. The principal nomination was that of Anne of Morello cherry, which consequently played the main role in the business of the kingdom. All the close relations of the duchess of Stamps, and in particular the marshal of Annebaut and the cardinal of Tournon, were isolated power.
A quarrelsome foreign policy
In 1549, Henri II fixed like primary goal the resumption of Boulogne, that the English occupied since 1544 and of which they had reinforced defenses. At the end of a seat thoroughly prepared, during which were distinguished the constable and François d' Aumale, like, on sea, Leone Strozzi, the French took again the city in 1550.
In Italy, Henri II followed initially a policy favorable to Farnèse. He attracted himself the hostility of the pope Jules III, elected in 1550, but arrived, partly thanks to alliance with Soliman, to preserve Parma at Farnèse.
Of the treaty of Chambord with enough Vaucelles (1552-1556)
In 1552, Henri II concludes, with the German Protestant princes, an alliance directed against Charles Quint. By the treaty of Chambord (January 15th, 1552), the German princes committed themselves to attack Charles Quint and trying to make it captive, while Henri II would go on the Netherlands. Henri II declared the war in February 1552; the military countryside was initially directed towards Germany then towards the Netherlands; France gained important initial successes, which enabled him to occupy Lorraine and the Three bishoprices; Charles Quint failed to take again Metz, defended by the duke of Own way.
Intersected with winter pauses, the fight between the king and the emperor continued: in 1553, Charles Quint took Thérouanne and Hesdin, making many prisoners, of which the marshal of Marck and François de Montmorency, the son of the constable; in 1554, the French were victorious in Renty, in Artois, but the party warmonger showed Montmorency not to have pushed its advantage. However, Charles Quint, who prepared his abdication, sought peace; one enough five years was signed in Vaucelles on on February 5th, 1556; she recognized the new French possessions - the Three bishoprices, of many fortified towns between Luxembourg and the Flanders, like various possessions in Piedmont, in the center of Italy and in Corsica.
The countryside of Italy (1557)
In 1555, the business of Italy had returned in the foreground of the concerns; the French of Blaise de Monluc, besieged in His, had had to capitulate and withdraw themselves from Tuscany. The new pope, Paul IV, violently anti-Habsbourg, sought to start again the conflict, promising to the French the kingdom of Naples. However, it enough Vaucelles prohibited to Henri II to intervene against the emperor in Italy. The machinations of the pope and his legate, his own nephew Carlo Carafa, as well as the excommunication of Charles Quint and Philippe II of Spain led to the invasion of the Papal States by Imperial the in September 1556. Henri II sent the duke of Own way at once, in charge of a powerful army, but this one could not count on its Farnèse ally, passed on the side of the Empire. After a series of victories, Guise sank in front of the fortified town of Civitella, in the kingdom of Naples. It had to give up its countryside, and to return to France in September 1557, while the pope had ended up getting along with Philippe II.
The disaster of Saint-Quentin (1557)
A new war with Spain had burst meanwhile, on on January 31st, 1557. England of Marie Tudor united with the Imperial ones, while France found the support of Scotland. Military operations led the Spanish troops to besiege Saint-Quentin, defended by the admiral de Coligny. All the plans of help failed, and the French Army was crushed; one raised nearly nine thousand deaths and to very many prisoners, of which the constable of Morello cherry, the marshal of Saint-Andrew and the admiral de Coligny. At once Henri II entrusted the command of the armies to the duke of Own way, back from Italy. On January 9th, 1558, the duke ensured his fame by conquering Calais, which was English since 1347. In June 1558, the troops of the duke of Own way besieged and took Thionville. The catch of Calais and Thionville was a major asset in the peace negotiations which proceeded in same time; indeed, so much France which Spain could not support a long time any more a war which ruined them.
Treaties of Cateau-Cambrésis (April 1559)
Following military operations of 1557-1558, Henri II sought to sign a honourable peace. The negotiations started in Cercamp, the constable of Morello cherry, always captive, receiving the nomination of the king to lead to peace. The treaties of Cateau-Cambrésis were signed on on April 2nd, 1559, with England, and the following day with Spain. The treaties guaranteed in France of new alliances, a sure border towards north as with Spain, a mutual recognition with England. The Three bishoprices were not concerned since they depended on the Empire, and France preserved them. On the other hand, the treaties dissatisfied the men of war, who, like the marshal of Brissac, had resisted Piedmont - restored with the duke of Savoy -, or which, like the duke of Own way, hoped to continue the countryside in the Netherlands victoriously. Alliances were sealed by the marriage of Philippe II of Spain with Elisabeth, the girl of Henri II, and Marguerite, the sister of the king, with the duke of Savoy.
The religious policy of Henri II
Under François I er, the royal policy as regards religion had known phases of appeasing and repression; in the last years of the reign, however, repression had increased considerably, culminating in 1545 with the massacre of of Vaud of Provence. Henri II, as of on on October 8th, 1547, instituted a special room charged to fight against reformed; entrusted to the inquisitive Mathieu Ory, it was called soon “the burning room”: she condemned indeed to roughing-hew feeling hundreds of “evil of the faith”.
The edict of Chateaubriant (June 27th, 1551) reinforced measurements against the heresy: it was from now on interdict to lodge Lutherans, to travel to Geneva, or to even discuss religion; the call was removed; a purification of the courts of justice was started. The edict of Compiegne (1557) modified on some points that of Chateaubriant, in particular instituting the death sentence in the event of relations with the heretics and reformed of Geneva. Lastly, the edict of Ecouen organized the punishment of the heretics (June 2nd, 1559).
The repression of the reformed religion
The reinforcement of repression was very sensitive. The lawsuit of the persons in charge of the massacre of of Vaud finished in 1552 by their payment. On September 4th, 1557, of reformed which had met in a house of the street Saint-Jacob, in Paris, were stopped, and several of them were condemned to roughing-hew, the three first as of on on September 14th. In September 1557 still, called Caboche tried to kill Henri II; it was carried out a few hours after its fixed price, with the great scandal of the king who supposed that magistrates had wanted to prevent it from questioning the individual and to discover its accomplices thus.
In May 1558, under the direction of king de Navarre, Antoine of Bourbon, the thousands of Protestants - among whom the brother of Coligny, François d' Andelot, that the king made stop one moment when he learned that he was Protestant - expressed with the Pre-with-Clerks, singing their psalms. Lastly, the lawsuit which was to lead to the death sentence of the adviser at the Parliament of Paris Anne du Bourg had been engaged before the death of the king.
The king ratified the policy of repression, and went until attending the bûchers sometimes. Its entourage was shared between a fight excessively - Catherine de Médicis and especially the Own way - and a relative moderation - Diane of Poitiers and especially Montmorency. The unexpected death of the king left only Masters of the power the Own way.
The development of Protestantism
Progress of the reformed religion was however sensitive, and on on May 25th, 1559 could be held in Paris the first Protestant synod of France, under the presidency of Pasteur François Morel. One can estimate that at the time, there was in the kingdom nearly two thousand “drawn up” Protestant churches - i.e. directed by Pasteur recognized by Geneva, unlike the “planted” groups.
Arts under Henri II
The reign of Henri II was marked by many artistic achievements. It stuck Pierre Lescot, to which it entrusted important work to Louvre, then official residence of the king. Jean Goujon was in charge of a considerable program of sculptures. Philibert Delorme was the architect of the king for the other achievements, in particular with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, Fontainebleau, the Ste Chapelle de Vincennes. Diane of Poitiers reigned on two castles, which count among most representative of the Rebirth: Chenonceaux, that Henri II had offered to him, and Anet. In these two residences Philibert Delorme worked.
The merry entries of Henri II, the queen and the dolphin in the good towns of France covered such a width - iconographic decorations, programs, choreographies -, as in Rouen in 1550 celebrating the catch of Boulogne, which they marked of the tops in the expression of the royal magnificence.
Lastly, the literature profited from the support of the king, in particular Ronsard, which wrote many odes that it dedicated to the king or to the princesses of the court.
A fine tragedy
During the summer 1559, the king offered festivals for the marriage of his Elisabeth daughter with Philippe II, and decided to take part in the tournaments which proceeded street Saint-Anthony, in Paris. On June 30th, after having beaten the duke of Nemours and the duke of Own way, the king faced Gabriel de Montgomery, lord of Lorges. The visor of its helmet had been badly closed, and launches it of wood of its adversary crossed to him the left eye, several pieces remaining driven in the wound. The surgeons Andre Vésale and Ambroise Paré could not save the king, who died on on July 10th.
The death of the king intervened at one time when the external dangers that Spain and England represented were neutralized, which let suppose a recovery of royal finances, at the edge of the bankruptcy because of the wars. On the internal plan, the fight against the heresy had taken a character openly repressive, but, except for in the last months of his reign, Henri II had held a line more moderated than those which were going to succeed to him. The year 1559 thus marked a turning in the business of the kingdom, which entered for more than thirty years during one time of political confrontations and religious.