Charles IX of France

Charles IX of France , born Charles-Maximilien of France (born the June 27th 1550 with the royal castle of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, dead the May 30th 1574 with the Castle of Vincennes) was initially named duke of Angouleme then duke of Orleans after the death of his/her brother Louis de France, of 1550 with 1560 then king de France of 1560 with 1574.

He is the fourth king of the branch known as of Valois-Angouleme of the Branche known as of Valois.

Charles IX of France is the 3rd wire and 5th of the 10 children of Henri II (1519 - 1559), king de France of 1547 with 1559 and of Catherine de Médicis (1519 - 1589). Under its reign, the kingdom is torn by the wars of religion, despite everything the efforts made by Catherine de Médicis for preventing some.

Reign

10 years old at the time of its accession to the throne, regency is entrusted to his/her mother Catherine de Médicis who controls until the majority of the king. She names Antoine of Bourbon general lieutenant of the kingdom. Of December 13rd 1560 with the January 31st 1561, the general states gathered with Orleans proceed to elections. Charles then succeeds his older brother François II, disappeared after less than one year and half from reign. Charles IX is crowned king de France the May 15th 1561 in the Cathédrale of Rheims.

Religious disorders

The chancellor Michel of Hospital advises with the regent to release the prisoners of the Conjuration of Amboise. At the time of the Conference of Poissy, organized the September 9th 1561, the queen-mother hopes to find a way of agreement between the catholic party represented by the cardinal of Lorraine and the protesting party represented by Theodore de Bèze, but no agreement is accepted. Reformed do not accept any bringing together with the catholics. The November 16th 1561, the massacre of Cahors which makes nearly 30 dead Protestants confirms this failure. January 1st 1562, the edict of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer makes it possible to the Protestants to practice their worship in the urban campaigns and suburbs.

Nevertheless, after the massacre of Vassy on March 1st 1562, the protesting S took the weapons having at their head the Prince de Condé. After some successes, they are beaten with Dreux by the duke of Own way the December 19th 1562. While Louis de Condé is made prisoner, the chief of the catholic army, Montmorency, is captured by the Protestants. The February 4th 1563, François de Guise puts the seat in front of Orleans, and dies there the February 24th of three blow of gun in the back. The March 19th, with the treated of Amboise, the first peace fragile is established. August 19th 1563, Charles IX is declared major but the queen continuous mother to exert the power on its behalf.

The peace of Amboise

the edict of pacification of Amboise does not satisfy anybody, and has evil to be applied: it prohibits the worship reformed in the cities, whereas the Protestants are majority in many important places, and are Masters of several provinces.

In March 1564, begins a large turn from France organized by the queen-mother, to show the king on his subjects and to make known its kingdom with the king. It also makes it possible to pacify the kingdom. The route passes by the most agitated cities kingdom: Direction, Troyes in Champagne, Bar-le-Duc and Ligny on the Lorraine borders , then strategic Mâcon city on the the Saone, and the valley of the the Rhone: Roussillon, Valence, Montélimar, Avignon in the papal States.

After a three weeks halt, the turn of continuous France towards Living room-of-Provence and Aix, then arrive at Hyères for All Saints' day 1564. The king passes by Toulon and Marseilles, where the people accommodate it by having fun the festival, and leaves pacified Provence. In the Languedoc, it passes to Montpellier, Narbonne, Toulouse. In the Protestant cities of Gascogne, it is accommodated respectfully, without more. For Montauban, where the entry is made on March 20th 1565, it is necessary to negotiate the disarmament of the city, which had resisted three seats of Monluc. Toulouse and Bordeaux is quieter, being with the hands of the catholics.

The large turn makes an excursion with Bayonne (June 14th) by Mount-with-Marsan to negotiate a treaty with Spain, which fails. In July, the Gascogne is again crossed, then in August and September, the valley of the Charente. In these areas with strong Protestant minority, peace is extremely fragile, and the Protestants apply not without reproaches the edict of Amboise. However, everywhere, greatest loyalty is testified to the king. The only hitches are with La Rochelle (last entry of the king before 1627) where the Protestants are dissatisfied, and with Orleans, where the convoy is accommodated by a riot.

The resumption of the hostilities

In June 1566 with Pamiers, in spite of the pacification of the royal family, the hostilities begin again and the Protestants attack the Catholic churches. The repression of the catholics is wild: 700 calvinists are massacred with Foix. In August 1567, the Protestants develop a plan to remove the king and his mother. The latter flee with Meaux on September 24th. The 29, of the notable catholics are assassinated with Nimes, then in all Languedoc. At the head of the Protestant troops, Henri de Condé and Gaspard de Coligny arrive at the doors of Paris.

The Protestants are beaten with Saint-Denis by the constable of Montmorency on November 10th 1567, with Jarnac and Moncontour by the duke of Anjou. The peace and finally signed between Cop and Catherine de Médicis in Longjumeau on March 23rd 1568, confirmed by the Peace of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer in 1570.

The peace of Saint-Germain

Charles IX diplomatically approaches England and of the Saint Worsens Germanic. Some would see king France well to gird one day the imperial crown. Charles IX marries in 1570 Elisabeth of Austria (1554 - 1592), girl of Maximilien II (1527 - 1576), Germanic Roman Emperor, and of Marie of Spain (1528 - 1603), infante of Spain. In March 1571, the queen and the king make their entry in Paris. The largest French artists contributed to the development of the decoration and the program of the procession. For the occasion, Ronsard written:

“happy the century, happy the day

Where German very old blood

was mixed again with Trojan blood

By the benefit of happy hyménée… ”

According to Pierre Gaxotte, a picture representing a foreigner pressing a meadow of saffron and camomile was drawn with the Saint-Denis door, accompanied by a saying: “ In France, more invincible in adversity than in prosperity . ”

Of this union is resulting a young dead girl, Marie-Elisabeth de France (1572 - 1578). In addition, the king maintained a connection with Marie Touchet (1549 - 1638), lady of Belleville, which gave him bastard, Charles de Valois or Charles of Angouleme (1573 - 1650), titrated count of Auvergne (1589 - 1619) then duke of Angouleme in 1619. While the king spends his time driving out, the queen mother continues the reconcilitation between catholics and Protestants. With the autumn 1571, Coligny makes its return to the court.

The massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

The marriage of the sister of the king Marguerite with a young protesting, the king de Navarre, future prince Henri IV, seems to be the pledge of a durable reconciliation; but on August 22nd 1572, a few days after the marriage, takes place an attack against one of the chiefs of the party of the huguenots, Gaspard de Coligny. Fearing a rising, and after having listened to the councils of his mother Catherine de Médicis, Charles IX decides the elimination of the Protestant chiefs, except for the princes of blood, Henri de Navarre (future Henri IV) and the prince de Condé. He would have pronounced this famous sentence: But that they are killed all! That there is not of them more one for me to reproach it! This decision starts the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (August 24th 1572) which makes thousands of dead in several big cities of France.

This massacre weighed heavy on the reputation of the king. During very a long time, Charles IX was perceived like a fanatic king encouraging itself the murderers, the novelists and the popular tradition not hesitating to say that it shot him even at the Protestants from the windows from Louvre, which is not regarded any more as truth by the contemporary historians.

End-of-life

The physical health of the king was always poor. After these dramatic events, it declines little by little. A plot is fomented against him and his/her mother to make assemble her brother François d' Alençon on the throne. Thwarted by Catherine de Médicis, these tumults finish weakening the king who takes refuge with the Château of Vincennes, where it is confined to bed. The fever does not leave it any more, its breathing is done difficult. Begun again bleedings and feeling its close end, he would have asked his nanny huguenote: “ Nourrice, that of blood around me! Isn't this that which I spread? ”

He dies the May 30th 1574. As of the following day, Ambroise Paré proceeds to an autopsy and confirms that the king died of a Pleurésie making following a pneumonia tubercular patient.

It is under its reign that was returned, on the proposal of Michel of Hospital, the Édit of Mills (1566), which regulated the successions and declared the field royal inalienable. This prince, who had received the lessons of Jacques Amyot, was informed and cultivated the letters: there are of him the pretty ones towards and a treated royal Hunting , published for the first time in 1625, reprinted by Henri Chevreul, 1858.

Guillaume-Gabriel Breton the made represent in front of him, in 1569, its tragedy Adonis .

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