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Dec 13, 1553
Birth
Henri IV was born in Pau, in the joint Kindom of Navarre. His mother was Queen Joan II of Navarre and his father was King Antoine of Navarre. Henri IV became the first King to be born in the house of Bourbon. He was baptized as a Catholic but raised by his mother as a Protestant -
Aug 18, 1572
First Marriage
Henri IV is made King of Navarre after his mother's death in July, 1572. It was arranged for him to marry Margaret of Valois, daughter of Henri II and Catherine de Medici. The wedding took place on the parvis of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. -
Aug 22, 1572
Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Catholics killed several thousand Protestants who had come for the wedding of Henri IV. Thousands more were killed throughout the country in the next few days. Henri IV escaped death with the help of his wife and a promise to convert to Catholicism. He was forced to live at the court of France but escaped in early 1576. On Feb. 5 of that year, he rejoined the Protestant forces in the military conflict. -
Period: to
Religious Wars
Henri IV became the heir to the French throne in 1584. Henri I, Duke of Guise wanted the suppresion of all Protestants. Politcal disagreements between them and Henri III created a war that cultimated into the battle of Courtras. After the deaths of the other two Henri's, Henri IV became king and launched a campaign with the help of Queen Elizabeth I to regain his kindom. He was successful in the battles of Arques and Ivory but failed to take Paris after the Siege of Paris in 1590. -
Rejection Of Protestantism
In order to gain control of the throne, Henri IV rejected Protestantism. He was encouraged to do this by Gabrielle d'Estrées who was his favorite mistress. After accepting Roman Catholism, the majority of France accepted him as king. However, this cost him his former ally, Queen Elizabeth I of England -
Crowning
He was crowned King of France at the Cathedral of Chartres. This was only possible through the change from Protestant religion to Roman Catholic. -
Second Marriage
Henri IV anulled his marriage to Magaret in 1599. He wanted to marry Gabrielle d'Estrées, who had already had three of his children. However she died in 1599 so in 1600, Henri IV married Marie de Medici. Their wedding took place in Lyon and included the newly introduced genre of opera. -
Death
He was assanitated by François Ravaillac; who stabbed him to death in the Rue de la Ferronnerie. Henri IV's coach was stopped by traffic congestion related to the Queen's coronation. This was the third attack on his life, the first two in 1593 and 1594. He was succeeded by his son Louis XIII
