Henry III , King of France from 1574 to 1589, was the last ruler of the Valois dynasty. Fourth son of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis, he was not destined to reign. A skilful legislator, he demonstrated a strong desire for national unity in a France then undermined by the Wars of Religion. Intelligent and cultured, this king of France left a contrasting image of him, sometimes hostage to a black legend, where homophobia and accusations of inconstancy or even tyranny mingle. Beyond this perception, his political action allowed his successor Henri de Navarre to put an end to the civil war. Henri III was assassinated on August 1, 1589 by the fanatical Dominican monk Jacques Clément
The Duke of Anjou, future Henry III
Henri is the fourth son of Henri II , King of France and Catherine de Medici . He was initially baptized under the first name of Alexandre-Édouard. The choice of the first name Edouard owes nothing to chance, and sums up in itself the political and religious contradictions which agitated the kingdom of France at the time. He receives the title of Duke of Anjou.
Edouard, an unusual first name among the Valois, was indeed a tribute to the child's godfather:Edouard VI teenage king of an England tempted by Calvinist reform. Although King Henry II was at the forefront of the repression of Protestantism, he nevertheless retained a solid political sense. England could be an ally of choice in the fight against the Habsburgs and this could be a gesture towards the Huguenot nobility with growing influence.
Alexandre Edouard, who became Henri in 1565, lived his childhood, like his brothers and sisters, far from his parents, in Blois. Nevertheless, his mother Catherine de Medici, as a good Florentine, ensured that her son received a careful education, typical of the Renaissance. His master (just like that of his older brother, the future Charles IX ) was Jacques Aymot. A veritable well of knowledge, this Plutarch specialist was able to detect in the young Valois the qualities that made him a cultured and eloquent sovereign:“one of the best bidders of his century . »
Very quickly the young prince became associated with the exercise of royal power, and at the age of 7 took part in his first Estates General (those of 1560). Catherine's favorite child who became regent , an accomplished swordsman, and endowed with a fine presence, it was only natural that he was appointed Lieutenant General of the kingdom, at only 16 years old... Thus began his real political career.
In the turmoil of the wars of religion
France's second military leader after his brother King Charles IX, Henri made an enemy of the leader of the Protestant party, the fearsome Prince de Condé , who coveted this office. Their estrangement, causes the departure of the court of Condé, and the beginning of the second war of religion (1567).
Henri, anxious to protect royal authority, asserted himself as a competent general, notably winning the Battle of Jarnac , which will see the tragic end of the Prince of Condé. The rising star of his younger brother begins to overshadow King Charles IX. The result is a disagreement that pushes Henri to get closer to the camp of the Duke of Guise (Family of Lorraine origin then unavoidable), the champion of ultra-Catholicism.
While Charles would rather advocate reconciliation with the Reformed (certainly due to the influence of his Protestant friend, Admiral de Coligny ), Henri is in favor of a firmer attitude. In his mind, it is already clear that the royal authority cannot suffer from dissidence whether it was religious or otherwise.
The prince's involvement in the Saint Barthélémy massacres (last days of August 1572), remains controversial. Caught between the extremism of the Catholic League and supporters of the Guise, and his duty to maintain order (in a rebellious Paris plagued by religious fanaticism), he is also preoccupied with more distant events. Henry is no longer satisfied with being the second in the kingdom, and now a crown seems to be offered to him...
July 7, 1572, the King of Poland-Lithuania Sigismund Augustus Jagiellon dies. The state he led is of great originality within Christianity. This noble republic, very diverse on the ethnic and religious level, elects its kings. However, a significant part of the nobility there is Protestant, and Henri intends to ensure their support during the next election.
It is therefore difficult to see him inciting the populace to the massacre of Reformed on August 24, 1572...After new battles against the Protestant party (the wars of religion having resumed their bloody course) whose a failure in front of La Rochelle, the prince in full idyll with Marie de Clèves , is elected King of Poland. On August 19, 1573, a Polish delegation came to meet the future king Henryk Walezy and present to him the laws of his future kingdom.
Henri, who as a good Valois was in favor of a strong royal authority, had to come to terms with the Polish-Lithuanian realities. The new king was thus urged to sign Les Articles du Roi Henri , a set of laws which committed him to cease the persecution of Protestants in France and to respect religious tolerance. Noting that his royal prerogatives would be largely limited, Henry was in no hurry to leave for Krakow, which he did not reach until February 1574...
From King of Poland to King of France
The young King, certainly well aware of the need for religious tolerance within his new estates, could not tolerate the independence of the Diet and the nobility. He tries by all means to strengthen his authority, without succeeding completely, despite a great involvement in his new tasks. Henry must admit that he “reigns but does not govern. »
On June 14, 1574 he learned of the death of his brother Charles IX, of whom he was the heir. On the 18th, he left Poland in secret, for this kingdom of France, where he intended to reign on the throne of France in the manner of his model:François Ier. After an incredible escape (which will earn him a black legend in Poland), and a trip peppered with celebrations worthy of the character, Henri arrives in France in September 1574.
He will be crowned king on February 13, 1575, marrying two days later Louise de Vaudémont-Nomény, Princess Lorraine of great beauty, but above all close to the Guise party . Henry III knows the magnitude of the task that awaits him. Restoring peace and harmony within the kingdom, a necessary prerequisite for the consolidation of royal power, implies attracting the good graces of ultra-Catholics, as well as of their Huguenot enemies...
Bad luck for the king, his younger brother the Duke of Alençon , tipped the balance in favor of the Protestant party, when he allied himself with Henri de Navarre (the future Henri IV), entered into an armed rebellion... The resulting war turned into a disaster for the king, and he was forced by the Edict of Beaulieu (May 1576), to grant a very favorable peace to the Protestants. In reaction is born The League , armed wing of ultra-Catholicism.
With the Peace of Beaulieu, the king looks worn out before he reigned. His brother, guarantor of the alliance between moderate Catholics and Protestants, is the strongman of the kingdom, and the treasury coffers are almost empty. Henri is not, however, devoid of options. Making good use of the humiliation of the Catholics, the king made himself their bulwark and protector, which earned him once again to get closer to the Guises.
In order to obtain the financial means necessary for his revenge, Henri convenes the General Assembly in Blois (1577), where he showed great tactical skill. Faced with deputies who are already considering reforming the kingdom in a parliamentary sense, “When the states write, it is France itself that writes. », he exploits divisions and rivalries, to bury all constitutional pretensions, and to assert himself once again as the undisputed leader of Catholics. Despite his tenacity, he did not obtain the financial means he asked for, and learned the lesson from it. His successors will remember his distrust of parliamentarians.
Anyway the war will resume soon (sixth religious war , 1577), and sees the victory (modest, but real) of the royal camp. The monarch received the support of his brother, who for a time suppressed his ambitions.
With the Edict of Poitiers (1577) , which put an end to the conflict, the Protestant camp had to accept various concessions. It is time for Henri to consolidate his position by showing diplomacy. Through his ever-present mother Catherine, he initiated a rapprochement with Henri de Navarre, while supporting his brother's intrigues in the Netherlands. These have the advantage of uniting Catholics and Protestants in the confrontation against the hereditary enemy:the Habsburgs, Henry IV will know how to remember!
The War of the Three Henrys
1584:seven years of relative peace, seven years of consolidation of royal authority, seven years of intense legislative work and yet Henry knows his throne is in danger. After almost ten years of marriage to Louise de Lorraine, he still has no heir and now his brother, who was asserting himself as a worthy successor, dies of tuberculosis.
The Valois dynasty is apparently destined to die out. According to the Salic law, the crown should return to the death of Henry III to Henry of Navarre, leader of the Protestant party. This is of course unacceptable for Catholic public opinion, which exerts constant pressure on the king to appoint a Catholic successor. The city of Paris, entirely in the hands of the League, is in very dangerous turmoil.
It's time for the triumph of Duke Henri de Guise. Ultra-Catholic passions condemn Henry III to a new war, as the Treaty of Nemours confirms (July 1585), where he undertakes to “drive heretics out of the kingdom . »
This War of the Three Henrys (Henri III de Valois, Henri de Guise and Henri de Navarre) will oppose three camps and not two. Indeed, although apparently rallied to ultra-Catholicism, Henry III did not cut all ties with Protestants. The king anxious to maintain the independence of his states, knows the Duke of Guise powerfully supported by the Habsburgs. On the other hand, a total defeat of Navarre would benefit too much to the ambitious Duke Lorrain, whom the king did not appreciate. Henri is therefore waging a war with allies he despises (the leaguers) against an enemy (Henri de Navarre) he esteems.
The result is a confused situation, with the king trying to maintain a precarious balance between the belligerents. The slightest misstep could be fatal.
Henry's maneuvers eventually overwhelmed the Duke of Guise, who in May 1588 challenged his authority and enters Paris, acclaimed by the leaguers. Fearing a coup d'etat, the king dispatches his troops to Paris, which triggers an insurrection, the famous Day of the Barricades of May 13, 1588.
Although saving time by starting talks with the leaguers, the last of the Valois has made his decision. Henri de Guise must disappear, overwhelmed by the excesses of the Parisian Ligueurs (whose practices and demands are reminiscent of those of the supporters of Etienne Marcel , 2 centuries earlier), the duke put the royal authority in great danger. Henri III fears above all that a victory of the league will bring about the end of the centralizing work of the kings of France.
During the year 1588, the position of Henry of Guise weakened. With the reduction of generous Spanish subsidies (particularly following the defeat of the Invincible Armada), the Duke lost his luster. Fearing that the king would sign peace with his rival the King of Navarre, he resolved to negotiate with Henri III during the Estates General of Blois.
On December 23, 1588, on the occasion of a royal council, the King sponsored the assassination of the Duke of Guise, by the « Forty- five “, his close guard. This assassination puts an end to the ambiguity of the royal position, but also provokes the uprising of League France. The king is condemned by the ultra-Catholics, who call for the murder of the one they now consider a "tyrant".
Logically Henry III sees no salvation except in a complete reconciliation with Henry of Navarre, who imposes himself as his successor (on the condition Tacitus, which he abandons, again, the Protestant faith). The two Henris will besiege Paris together, in the hands of the Leaguers, whose militias have been equipped at the expense of the Habsburgs.
The king, installed in Saint Cloud, will not have the opportunity to see the destruction of the league. The 1 st August 1589, a fanatical monk, named Jacques Clément, agent of the leaguers, assassinated him with a dagger. Thus ended the Valois dynasty…
Henri III, the last of the Valois
As evidenced by his actions, Henry III always aimed to maintain and strengthen royal authority, and this in a highly unfavorable context. His complex personality and his reversals (often dictated by circumstances) have earned him an unenviable reputation. However, the latter is largely due to the hate propaganda that was spread in his time by his enemies.
We said weak. He will indeed have yielded on numerous occasions to the pressure exerted by the big boys, but without ever ceasing to regain control thereafter. He was said to be cowardly and effeminate. Infatuated with beauty, often surrounded by elegant young men (the famous mignons), he is certainly not a rough medieval sovereign thirsty for glory. Nevertheless, it is to forget too quickly his warrior youth, and his personal courage, amply proven in Jarnac, or Moncontour. As for the rumors concerning his sexuality (the famous pink legend), they hardly hold up in the light of his many female conquests...
It has been called frivolous and immoral. He will certainly never have denied his extravagant taste for parties and the arts, but he was also a devout king, concerned about the salvation of his soul, with astonishing demonstrations of faith.
King Henry III, beyond the difficulties he had to face, will have managed to govern, and will have bequeathed to the kingdom a considerable legislative work (the Code Henri III ). He had a lofty idea of royal authority, and a modern conception of the state. He will have avoided the sinking of a French monarchy, which it will be up to his successors to make a great power again.
D'Henri III, Agrippa d'Aubigné summarized the feeling of many French people of the time, with regard to the king: “This is the end of Henry the Third, prince of pleasant conversation with his own, lover of letters, liberal beyond all kings, courageous in youth and then desired by all; in old age loved by few, who had large parts of a king, wished to be so before he was, and worthy of the kingdom if he had not reigned …”
Bibliography
- - Pierre Chevallier, Henri III:Shakespearean King, Paris, Fayard, 1985.
- - Michel, Pernot, Henri III, the decried king, Pocket Book, 2017.
- - Jean François Solnon, Henri III:a desire for majesty, Perrin, 2001.