Henry IV of France (13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610) was King of Navarre from 9 June 1572 to 14 May 1610, succeeding Jeanne III of Navarre and preceding Louis II of Navarre, and King of France from 2 August 1589 to 14 May 1610, succeeding Henry III of France and preceding Louis XIII of France. Henry emerged as a major leader of the Protestant Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion, and he won the French throne after defeating Anne de Joyeuse's Catholic League army at Coutras in 1588. Henry converted to Catholicism in order to reign over a united France, and he passed the Edict of Nantes in 1598, ensuring the tolerance of Protestantism in France. He was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic in 1610.
Biography[]
Henry was born in Pau, Kingdom of Navarre on 13 December 1553, the son of Antoine of Navarre and Jeanne III of Navarre. Henry was a member of the House of Bourbon and a descendant of King Louis IX of France, making him "first prince of the blood" and an heir to the throne of the Kingdom of France. Henry was baptized as a Catholic but raised as a Protestant by his mother Jeanne, and he inherited the throne of Navarre on his mother's death in 1572. As a Huguenot, Henry played a major role in the French Wars of Religion, barely escaping the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
King of France[]
Henry IV as King
Henry led Protestant forces against the royal army, only to be called to the succession as King of France in 1589 after the death of his brother-in-law and distant cousin Henry III of France. He initially kept the Protestant faith and had to fight against the Catholic League, which denied that he could wear the French crown as a Protestant; he defeated them at Coutras in 1588. He found it prudent to abjure the Calvinist faith, and the pragmatic Henry converted to Catholicism. In 1598, he passed the Edict of Nantes, which guaranteed religious liberties to Protestants, and the edict ended the wars of religion. Henry was an unpopular king, as he was seen as a usurper by Catholics and a traitor by Protestants, and twelve attempts were made on his life. On 14 May 1610, he was stabbed to death by Catholic fanatic Francois Ravaillac in Paris, and his son succeeded him as King Louis XIII of France.