Henry III

(1551-1589) (Henri III)

   royalty

   Born at Fontainebleau, the third son of henry II and Catherine de' medici, Henry III was the last of the valois kings. His reign was turbulent and, despite his considerable talent and intelligence, he failed to resolve the religious civil wars in France and, in fact, brought the country close to bankruptcy. This may have been due to his indecisive nature or to the great influence his favorites and lovers (the duke of épernon and the duke of joyeuse) had over him. Henry III was the leader against the huguenots and took part in the victories over them at Jarnac and Moncontour (1569). He assisted his mother in planning the SAINT BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY MASSACRE in 1572, and the next year, through her influence, was elected king of Poland. He returned after only one year, however, to succeed his brother, charles ix,to the throne of France. Religious wars continued throughout his reign. In 1576, he issued the Edict of Beaulieu, which granted more privileges to the Protestants. The Catholics, displeased with the edict, under the leadership of the duke of Guise, formed the holy league and renewed the religious conflict. The war ended in 1577 with the Peace of Bergerac, and Henry dissolved the league after revoking some of the concessions he made to the Protestants. The league was revived in 1584 when, upon the death of the king's younger brother, the legal heir to the French throne became Henry III of Navarre (later Henri iv), a Huguenot, married to King Henry's sister, marguerite de valois. In 1585, when the league forced Henry to exclude Henry of Navarre from the succession and to repeal the privileges granted to the Huguenots, the so-called War of the Three Henrys began: Henry III leading the royalists; Henry, duke de Guise, the league; and Henry of Navarre, the Protestants. The king was defeated at Coutras in 1587 and, in 1588, on the Day of the Barracades, found that the citizens of Paris, led by the duke de Guise, had revolted against him, forcing him to flee the city. Henry III subsequently had the leaders of the house of guise assassinated and allied himself with Henri of Navarre, whom he also declared his successor. Both then became the joint leaders of a Huguenot army. Henry III, however, was assassinated (1589) by a fanatical Dominican friar during the attempt to retake Paris.