Charles IX of France
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| Charles IX | |
|---|---|
| King of France, Count of Provence (more...) | |
| Image:CharlesIX06.jpg | |
| Reign | 5 December 1560 – 30 May 1574 |
| Coronation | 15 May 1561 (Ascension Day), Reims |
| Full name | Charles-Maximilien |
| Titles | Duke of Orléans (1550 – 1560) Dauphin of Viennois: as King of France (5 December 1560 – 30 May 1574) |
| Born | 27 June 1550 |
| Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France | |
| Died | 30 May 1574 (aged 23) |
| Vincennes, France | |
| Predecessor | Francis II |
| Successor | Henry III |
| Consort | Elisabeth of Austria |
| Royal House | Valois |
| Father | Henry II (1519 – 1559) |
| Mother | Catherine de' Medici (1519 – 1589) |
Charles IX, King of France (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) born Charles-Maximilien of France (Charles III, Duc d'Orléans), was a member of the House of Valois, ruling from 1560 until his death. His complicity in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre has been disputed.
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[edit] Biography
He was born in the royal chateau of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, third son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, grandson of François I and Claude de France, and brother of François II and Henri III.
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He was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter on Sunday May 14 1564 at St George's, Windsor, along with Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and Sir Henry Sidney. That year, Charles IX issued the Edict of Roussillon fixing January 1 as the first day of the year.
After the death of his elder brother, François II, in 1560, he inherited the throne and was crowned King of France in 1560 in the cathedral at Reims. The politics of that era was greatly influenced by the power of the ambitious Catherine de' Medici, who was the regent for the ten-year-old Charles and the ultra-Catholic faction of the House of Guise.
On November 26, 1570 he married Elisabeth of Austria. They had one daughter, Marie-Elisabeth (October 27, 1572 – April 9, 1578). Charles IX also had an illegitimate son, the duc d'Angoulême, with his mistress, Marie Touchet.
In 1572, Charles IX witnessed the massacre of thousands of Huguenots (Protestants) in and around Paris in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
Charles IX did not long survive the Massacre. He had always been fragile, both emotionally and physically: Emotionally, his moods now swung from coarse boasting about the extremity of the Massacre, to claims that the screams of the murdered Huguenots kept ringing in his ears. Frantically he blamed his mother: "Who but you is the cause of all of this? God's blood, you are the cause of it all!" The Queen-mother responded by declaring she had a lunatic for a son.[1]
Physically, Charles had never been strong, tending towards tuberculosis. The strain following the Massacres weakened his body to the point where, by spring of 1574, the hoarse coughing turned bloody and the hemorrhages grew more violent. He became bedridden and delusional,
"What blood shed! What murders!" he cried to his nurse. "What evil council I have followed! O my God, forgive me...I am lost! I am lost!"[2]
On his last day, 30 May 1574, at the Château de Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, Charles called for Henry of Navarre, embraced him, and said, "Brother, you are losing a good friend. Had I believed all that I was told, you would not be alive. But I always loved you...I trust you alone to look after my wife and daughter. Pray God for me. Farewell."[3]
Charles was not yet twenty-four years old. The crown of France now passed to his brother, Henry III.
[edit] In Fiction
Charles IX is a supporting character in Alexandre Dumas' historical fiction Queen Margot, which focuses on the marriage between Henri de Navarre and Marguirite de Valois. In the book, Charles' mother Catherine de Medicis accidentally causes his death by arsenic poisoning. She is attempting to assassinate Henri by means of a tainted book placed in his chamber but Charles finds the book instead and ingests a lethal dose of arsenic.
[edit] Ancestors
| Charles IX of France | Father: Henry II of France | Paternal Grandfather: Francis I of France | Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles, Count of Angoulême |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Louise of Savoy | |||
| Paternal Grandmother: Claude of France | Paternal Great-grandfather: Louis XII of France | ||
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne of Brittany | |||
| Mother: Catherine de' Medici | Maternal Grandfather: Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino | Maternal Great-grandfather: Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici | |
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Alfonsina Orsini | |||
| Maternal Grandmother: Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne | Maternal Great-grandfather: John III, Count of Auvergne | ||
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendome |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
| Charles IX of France Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: June 27 1550 Died: May 30 1574
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| Preceded by Louis III | Duke of Orléans | Succeeded by Henry III |
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis II of France | King of France 5 December, 1560–30 May, 1574 | Succeeded by Henry III of France |
| Count of Provence and Forcalquier as 'Charles V' 5 December, 1560–30 May, 1574 | ||
| Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois as 'Charles IX of Viennois' 5 December, 1560–30 May, 1574 | ||
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