Henri IV
King of France · 1589-1610 · born on 13 December 1553, died on 14 May 1610
First Bourbon king, Henry of Navarre put an end to thirty years of Wars of Religion. A Protestant converted to Catholicism (1593, “Paris is well worth a Mass”), he was anointed at Chartres in 1594 and pacified the kingdom.
The Edict of Nantes (1598) granted the Protestants freedom of conscience and strictly framed the exercise of their worship, without imposing it: it restored civil peace. The Treaty of Vervins (2 May 1598) closed the external conflicts with Spain. With his minister Sully, he relaunched agriculture and public works (roads, canals) and restored the finances.
“Ploughing and grazing are the two breasts of France”, it is said — the saying, traditionally attributed to Sully, is probably legendary. The good king, close to his subjects, restored prosperity. His assassination by Ravaillac in 1610 plunged the country back into a regency, but left a lasting image of a repairing king.
Key dates
- 1598: Edict of Nantes
- 1610: Assassination of Henry IV
In the tree of power
- Era: Bourbons
- Predecessor: Henri III (1574-1589)
- Successor: Louis XIII (1610-1643)
- Queen: Marie de Médicis (1600-1610)