Henry IV of France
Henry IV (1553 – 1610), born Henri de Bourbon, was King of Navarre as Henry III from 1572 to his death and King of France from 1589 to his death.[1]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Although a baptized Catholic, Henry was raised a Protestant. Shortly after inheriting the Navarrese throne from his mother Catherine de' Medici,[2] he barely survived the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, a series of violence against French Protestants during the French Wars of Religion.[3]
In 1589, Henry rose to the French throne after the Dominican friar Jacques Clément[4] assassinated his brother-in-law and distant cousin Henry III.[2] In order to stabilize his rule, Henry converted to Catholicism in 1593, and supposedly stated that "Paris is well worth a mass".[3] In 1600, he married Marie de' Medici.[2] In stark contrast to Henry, however, she was hated by her subjects.[5] During his reign, he attempted in vain to set up a hospital for invalid soldiers.[6]
In 1601, Henry announced the creation of a triangular square, later known as Place Dauphine, that was to be given to Achille de Harlay. Harlay was the first President of the Parliament of Paris and had remained loyal to Henry during the Wars of Religion.[7] Near the square, a bronze equestrian statue dedicated to Henry was installed in 1614.[3]
From 1605, Henry oversaw the design of the 36 pavilions of the Place Royale, later known as the Place des Vosges. He requested perfect symmetry, with four arcades and two rows of high windows for each pavilion.[8] Around this time, he accepted French engineer Christophe Marie's proposal to build Pont Marie, a double wooden bridge across Île Saint-Louis which would be finished after the king's death. He also enlarged the Tuileries Palace, connecting it to the Louvre.[9]
In 1608, he appointed Pierre de Lancre and Jean d'Espaignet, two judges from Bordeaux, as inquisitors responsible for leading the Labourd witch-hunt of 1609, a plan hatched by Pierre de Lancre to locate Pieces of Eden and achieved through the courts' French Templar contacts, who persuaded Henry IV of the need for such a witch-hunt.[10] In 1609, Henry IV reassigned Jean d'Espaignet to the French-Spanish border in order to neutralize the brewing religious tensions with Spain.[11]
In 1610, the Catholic fanatic François Ravaillac assassinated Henry while was riding his carriage.[3] Following his death, he was succeeded by his son Louis XIII.[2] Henry's grandson, Charles, would become King of England.[12]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
In 1614, an equestrian statue of Henry was cast in Florence and shipped to Paris, where it stood at Pont Neuf.[3]
In 2012, he was included in a mnemonic set in Abstergo Industries' Project Legacy.[12]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (first mentioned) (Mnemonic set only)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Witches of the Moors (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑
Henry IV of France on Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed: Unity – [citation needed]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Statue of Henri IV
- ↑ Henry III of France on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Palais et Jardin du Luxembourg
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Les Invalides
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Place Dauphine
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Place des Vosges
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Pont Marie
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Witches of the Moors – Chapter 21 - Pierre de Lancre
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Witches of the Moors – Prologue - Pierre de Lancre
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy