Henry IV of France

A picture of Henry IV of France made by Frans Pourbus the younger.

Henry IV of France (December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610) was born in Pau. He was the son of Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne of Navarre.

Life

On August 18, 1572, Henry married Margaret of Valois. She was the sister of Charles IX. He became the King of Navarre in the same year.

Henry's children were Louis XIII and Henrietta Maria of France, who married Charles I and became the Queen of England. He was a friend of Michel of Montaigne.

Henry was murdered by a fundamentalist Catholic on a street in Paris on May 14, 1610.

His reputation

Henry IV is remembered as a good king who helped to stop religious wars. He changed his own religious beliefs several times. He was hated by some Catholics and Protestants who held strongly traditional views. He ruled for 17 years. He tried to make sure that poor people had enough to eat. Two beautiful landmarks in Paris were started during his reign: the Pont Neuf and the Place des Vosges.

In 2010 scientists found part of his embalmed head and used forensic tests to prove that it was his. It had been stolen from the tombs of the French kings and queens in Saint Denis in 1793 at the time of the French Revolution .

Children

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Louis XIII, King of France	27 September 1601	14 May 1643	Married Anne of Austria in 1615.
Elisabeth, Queen of Spain	22 November 1602	6 October 1644	Married Philip IV, King of Spain in 1615.
Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy	12 February 1606	27 December 1663	Married Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy in 1619.
Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans	16 April 1607	17 November 1611	.
Gaston, Duke of Orléans	25 April 1608	2 February 1660	Married (1) Marie de Bourbon in 1626. Married (2) Marguerite of Lorraine in 1632.
Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, Queen of Scots, and Queen of Ireland	25 November 1609	10 September 1669	Married Charles I, King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland in 1625.