Henry 3 Valois: biography and years of government

– герцог Анжуйский (до 1574 г.), король Речи Посполитой (1573-1574 гг.), король Франции (с 1574 г.) и, наконец, последний из династии Валуа. Henry 3 Valois - Duke of Anjou (until 1574), King of the Commonwealth (1573-1574 gg.), King of France (since 1574) and, finally, the last of the Valois dynasty. Historians estimate this man in two ways. For a long time he was considered a life-builder, whose true companions were vice and flaws. However, later the researchers began to talk about the fact that Henry III was quite different - a wise and progressive ruler. было таким же глупым, как и все религиозные войны. The murder of Henry III of Valois was as stupid as all religious wars. And now about everything in order. Today we will not be inclined to one or another camp of historians, but only consider this, of course, an interesting person, in terms of facts.

Childhood

September 19, 1551 in the family of Henry II and his wife Catherine Medici was born the third son. He was named Eduard-Alexander and immediately awarded the title "Duke of Anjou". The chances that the guy will become king were very illusory, because he had two older brothers. From the early nails Henry (not to be confused, we will call our hero like that), like the rest of the family, was sick a lot. From brothers and sisters, he was very fond of moving classes - dancing and fencing. Perhaps it was through physical activity that Heinrich grew up as a strong guy and did not become a victim of tuberculosis, which took the lives of his brothers and sisters. Just imagine: of ten children Catherine de 'Medici survived only Heinrich and his younger sister Margarita.

Youth

In addition to dancing and fencing, Henry was very fond of reading, actively studying Italian language and rhetoric. He was much more active and elegant than his brothers, for which he quickly became a favorite of his mother. She called him "my little eagle".

In 1560, at a knightly tournament, Henry II was accidentally killed. His place on the throne was taken by the eldest son - Francis II. When the newly-made king died of disease, the second son of Catherine - Karl IX - came to replace him. At the initial stage of his reign, the country was in fact led by Ekaterina Medici (as regent). At that time, she no longer concealed that Carl was not so fond of her as Henry. Because of this, the relations between the brothers did not develop in the best way.

In the period from 1564 to 1566, the hero of our story traveled through France along with the entire royal court. On a trip he became friends with Henry of Navarre - his cousin.

First titles

In 1566, 15-year-old Henry was entrusted to rule three duchies. A year later, when the religious war began, he was given the rank of lieutenant-general and appointed chief commander of the royal troops. Of course, the youth was helped more experienced by military commanders, but he always reserved the last word. Thanks to this at the beginning of his military career, Henry earned the reputation of a wise military leader. In many ways, thanks to the energy, intellect and talent of the young men, the royal troops several times won a crushing victory over the Huguenot army.

не любил ратное дело. Despite military successes, Henry III Valois did not like military business. Like his mother, he was a supporter of peaceful ways of resolving conflicts and preferred to engage in politics. Soon, Catherine insisted that for Henry established the post of general-quartermaster, who actually allowed him to share power with his brother and mother.

In 1750, when Catholics made peace with the Huguenots, Admiral Coligny, the Protestant leader, appeared in the Council of Charles IX. He quickly managed to arrange for the king and bring to him the beauty of the idea of renewing the confrontation with Spain. Because of the influence of Coligny on Charles IX, Catherine and Henry for some time lost their political weight. The Admiral became a mediator between the Protestant countries of Europe (especially England) and Catholic France. As a result of the policy of Coligny, France faced a choice: the war with Spain or another civil war with the Huguenots.

According to the calculations of military advisers, a new war with Spain will bring France a fiasco. And the renewal of religious disagreements was extremely undesirable for the country, exhausted by coups. Therefore, if the first attempt to kill Coligny was conceived by Catherine and Henry, they acted exclusively within the framework of the state's interests. It is important to note that in those days in Europe the ideas of Machiavelli were popular. Catherine shared them and tried to educate children in the same spirit. It is possible that it was precisely such views that were manifested in the Bartholomew's Night.

Bartholomew's Night and a Broken Heart

Two weeks before the terrible event within the framework of strengthening the relationship between Protestants and Catholics, two weddings were held. был обручен с Марией Киевской. On the first of them, one of the leaders of the Huguenots, Prince Conde , was betrothed to Maria of Kiev. The girl was brought up in the spirit of Protestantism, but for several years she was at the court of Charles IX. Heinrich loved Mary passionately, but his mother did not allow him to take her as a wife. There were two reasons for this. First, the family of Mary was not noble enough. And secondly, everyone knew that she should become the wife of Prince Conde. . Obeying the will of the mother and the state interests, Henry 3 Valois was muffled by the voice of the heart .

After the terrible night of Bartholomew, a new religious war became inevitable. Huguenots chose as a stronghold the fortress of La Rochelle in the south of France. Henry III had to return to military affairs and arrive at the fortress walls in February 1573 at the head of the royal army. Attempts to siege and storm the fortress were useless. And in the early summer Henry had to depart from under the walls of La Rochelle to Poland. Having signed the peace treaty "in a hurry", the man went abroad.

High post

What was the reason for such haste? The fact is that Henry III was elected King of Poland. Catherine turned this adventure while he was at war. Last King Sigismund II died, and he had no heirs. The choice of the new sovereign fell on the Polish nobles. The second candidate for high office was the Archduke Ernest of Habsburg. Because of recent events, the reputation of the French monarchs in Poland fell, because here most people were inclined towards Protestantism. Nevertheless, Catherine de Medici decided that the royal throne would not hurt Henry. In order for her son to win elections, she sent Bishop Jean de Montluca to Poland, who worked hard to make Heinrich King of Poland.

Soon it turned out that the Polish nobles, choosing Henry III as their ruler, give him only nominal power. This did not please the ambitious monarch and his mother. Heinrich began to doubt the Polish throne and initiated protracted negotiations. At the end of the summer of 1573, the incumbent king of France begins to ache and forcedly appoints his brother as the Crown's heir. The fact is that the only son of Charles IX was a bastard, and an official marriage gave him only a daughter. In December of the same year, Henry nevertheless accepted the Polish throne and slowly left his native country.

Only in January 1574 the new king arrived in Poland, where his lavish coronation soon took place. сталкивается с целым рядом трудностей. Soon Henry 3 Valois faces a number of difficulties. Firstly, the parliament and the senate held all power in their hands, which affected the self-esteem of our hero. And secondly, he wanted to marry Princess Anne, the 48-year-old sister of the late ruler. To calm his subjects, the newly-made king began to live like a real Pole. This allowed him to gain time. What would have happened next, you can only assume, because in the summer of 1754 Charles IX dies, and Henry four days after receiving a letter from his mother with this news, he secretly leaves Poland.

The desired post and wedding

In France Henry arrived already in the beginning of autumn, having held many meetings and negotiations on the way. Here he learns that Prince Conde fled to Germany, without enlisting the support of his wife. A former passion flared in the chest of Henry III, and he firmly decided to remind Mary of himself. Mother made every effort to delay the moment of their meeting. She was lucky, because in late October of the same year Mary dies during childbirth. The news of the death of a beloved was painfully apprehended by Henry III, which resulted in a prolonged depression. The courtiers, accustomed to free mores, mocked the future king.

On February 13 next year, Henry III was crowned. Two days later, wishing for independence from his mother, he married Louise de Vodsmon, whose family was not very distinguished. Louise was an incredibly devoted wife. The only problem that the new family faced was the inability to have children. Most likely, Louise was barren, but Heinrich's contemporaries accused him precisely, lamenting the absence of illegitimate children, who at that time were a normal phenomenon. Because of this, the king was considered a homosexual.

был глубоко убежден в том, что бесплодие – это божье наказание за случайные связи, в которых он не раз участвовал ранее. The very same King Gentrich 3 Valois was deeply convinced that infertility is a divine punishment for casual communications, in which he repeatedly participated earlier. The monarch even swore to himself to abstain from such actions in the future. The second reason why the king was considered homosexual was his strange behavior. Henry III was very elegant and loved to dress up, wear earrings, and also to use incense. . The third and most important argument in favor of rumors were the minions of Henry 3 Valois . Their group consisted of four young people who enjoyed the special favor of the ruler. . What became the cause of such a relationship - high merit or still intimate relationship - knew only Heinrich 3 Valois and his minions . It is only known that the favorites allowed themselves defiant behavior towards other nobles. Henry III of Valois sometimes blushed for them . – один из фаворитов, служащий придворным шутом, – позволял себе говорить с монархом и его гостями, как с друзьями. Shiko - one of the favorites, serving as a court jester, - allowed himself to speak with the monarch and his guests, as with friends. And he got away with everything.

которого прекратились после женитьбы, имел нетрадиционную сексуальную ориентацию. Whatever it was, but for several centuries it was believed that King Henry 3 Valois, whose love affairs had stopped after the marriage, had an unconventional sexual orientation. Later, historians questioned this judgment. надолго укоренились в истории. Nevertheless, the minions of Henry III of Valois were rooted in history for a long time.

Reforms

Having gained power, the newly-made French king adopted many promising reforms in the fields of taxation, army, etiquette, legislation and ceremonial. However, because of the tense situation in the state, he had no time to implement them.

In 1576, after negotiations with the Huguenots, the king signed an edict, which prescribes freedom of religion throughout France. The document provoked a stormy reaction of Catholics. They created their own League, which was headed by Henry Guise. As a result of this, two regular civil wars took place. In 1580, the situation stabilized, and the king began to pay much attention to religion. He was deeply religious before, but now Heinrich's religiosity reached its apogee. Many enemies believed that in this way he was trying to cover up his vices. Over time, the king organized two fraternities, whose members met once a week, prayed and even engaged in self-torture. For such a passion for religion, Henry was called the monk king.

The next coup

Four years after the last civil war, an unforeseen thing happened: Francis, the younger brother of the king, died. Thus, Henry of Navarre became heir to the throne (historians called him Navarra, not to be confused with Henry III). After long hesitation, the king nevertheless recognized Navarre as his successor. This heir strongly disliked the Catholic League, since he had long been the leader of the Huguenots. Spain supported Catholics in this. Thus, in 1585 King Henry 3 and his mother found themselves in a double threat (external and internal). They had to sign an edict forbidding Protestant rites. Automatically, Navarre lost the opportunity to succeed the throne. This role was assigned to Cardinal Charles Bourbon.

Navarre unleashed a war, which was called the war of three Heinrichs (Valois, Navarre and Giza). The king was in a difficult situation, which was especially aggravated on October 20, 1587. On this day, Navarre defeated the Catholics at Cotra . лишь благодаря своей хитрости смог уберечь католиков от полного краха. King of France Henry 3 Valois, only because of his cunning, was able to protect Catholics from total collapse. He paid the enemy mercenaries, so that those at the decisive moment of the battle retreated. Therefore, after the defeat at Cotra, the king again had to sign an edict on the freedom of faith.

The edict caused a wave of protests among the citizens, who were already not very satisfied with their ruler. He was accused of all problems, both state and personal. Heinrich Guise enjoyed greater popularity among the public. As a result, May 12, 1588, Guise organized an uprising. This day will later be called "barricade day". Catherine once again showed her political talent. She entered into protracted negotiations with the rebels and thereby won Henry time to leave Paris. Later, she initiated the adoption by the king of the son of his sister, who also was the nephew of Giza. This would combine the interests of the two Heinrichs.

The king had to submit to the League of Catholics and make Giza a lieutenant general. On this road, Gizov to power only gained momentum. They subjected the King to constant humiliation and were openly sent to the monastery. которого стала предметом нашего сегодняшнего разговора, не намерен был сдаваться. Despite external obedience, Henry 3 Valois, whose biography became the subject of our today's conversation, did not intend to surrender.

The retaliatory strike and its results

The right moment for a retaliatory strike was introduced at the end of the summer of 1588. The invincible armada of Spain suffered a fiasco in the battle with the fleet of England and was distracted from the support of the Catholic League. At night from August 23 to 24, Henry 3 ordered to kill Giza and his brother. This led to a major mutiny. The League of Catholics took power in Paris in its own hands, and the king had to go on an alliance with Navarra. Two Henry went against the rebellious cities.

Relatives of Giza asked for mercy, and Catholic clergymen called on parishioners to take revenge. The search for a man who could dare to become "the hand of divine justice" began. Finding a challenger among the Catholic fanatics was pretty simple. They became 22-year-old monk Jacques Clement.

Meanwhile, Henry's army besieged Paris. The royal camp settled in the town of Saint-Cloud. Jacques arrived there on August 31. Calling himself the ambassador of the League of Catholics, he asked the royal audience. The king, who always tried to be a diplomat, agreed to accept the monk. In the folds of Clement's robe, a dagger was hidden. Having met the king, Jacques came up to him to deliver a letter from the League. At this moment he inflicted a few blows on Henry's dagger in the stomach. The faith of Clement in the deity of his deed was so great that he did not even try to escape. The guard, who came running to the cry of the king, immediately got even with the monk.

было предоставлено дилетанту, поэтому король скончался лишь на следующий день. The murder of Henry III of Valois was granted to the amateur, so the king died only the next day. Before he died, he gave the throne to Navarre. , поэтому другого выбора у него не было. Henry 3 - the last of Valois , so he had no other choice. He advised his successor to end religious strife and accept the Catholic faith. Navarre followed the advice, but after 4 years.

Conclusion

которого стала темой данной статьи, был неординарным правителем, полководцем, героем балов и знатоком религии, который вызывает двоякие эмоции. Henry 3 Valois, whose biography became the topic of this article, was an extraordinary ruler, commander, hero of balls and a connoisseur of religion, which causes double emotions. However, the fact that he did many historically important things in his life is undeniable. Henry became the last of the dynasty, which ruled 261, and this despite the fact that he had quite a few brothers and sisters. которого перечислены в начале статьи, успел пережить 9 гражданских войн. Henry 3 Valois, whose years of government are listed at the beginning of the article, managed to survive 9 civil wars. During 27 of the 38 years of the life of the man there were religious quarrels. And the murder of Giza is considered one of the most famous political massacres in history. That's why Henry 3 Valois appears in so many books . Doc. о нем тоже есть. A film about him, too.