Henry II of France (31 March 1519-10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 to 10 July 1559, succeeding Francis I of France and preceding Francis II of France.
Biography[]
Henry was born on 31 March 1519 in the Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the second son and heir of Francis I of France and Claude of Brittany. He became the heir to his father after the death of his brother Francis III of Brittany, and he spent four years in Spain as a hostage during the Italian Wars. In 1547, he succeeded his father as King of France, and he continued his father's wars in Italy. Henry also attempted to crush the Protestant Reformation by persecuting the Huguenots, building up tensions that would lead to the French Wars of Religion in 1562. In 1559, he signed the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis to gain Calais from England, although France forfeited all of its claims to Italian lands. France was now a secondary power in Europe, still overshadowed by the success of Habsburg Spain, but Henry did much to increase his nation's prestige. On 10 July 1559, he was wounded in the eye during a jousting tournament with his Scottish guard Gabriel Montgomery, and he died from his wounds.
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