PAGE 1.--1. HENRY II., son of Francis I. and Claude de France, was born
at Saint Germain-en-Laye, March 31, 1519. Upon his accession to the
throne of France in 1547, he filled the Court with favorites of his own,
among whom the highest position was occupied by Diana of Poitiers (see
page 8, note 1). Although he continued his father's persistent
persecution of the French Protestants, he was, at the same time, at the
head of the league of Protestant princes opposed to Charles V. In this
conflict he was successful and took Toul, Metz, and Verdun from Germany
in 1552. After the accession of Philip II. to the throne of Spain, the
war against the French was carried on with varying success for seven
years. In 1558, after the Battle of Gravelines, proposals of peace were
made and the treaty was signed at Câteau-Cambrésis, April 3, 1559. Henry
II. was shortly after wounded in a tournament, and died on July 10,
1559.
2. MADAME ELISABETH DE FRANCE (1543-1568) was the daughter of Henry II.
and Catherine de Medici. She was promised in marriage to Edward VI. of
England, but the latter died before attaining his majority. Philip II.
of Spain sought her as a match for his son, Don Carlos; but in the
meantime his wife, Mary of England, died, and he demanded and obtained
the princess for himself. The romantic attachment of Don Carlos to her
is vividly depicted in Schiller's drama, though it must be borne in mind
that Schiller's picture is very far from being an accurate historical
representation. Her death took place shortly after that of Don Carlos.
"She was," says Brantôme, "the best princess of her time, and was loved
by every one. She was extremely beautiful, and to this she joined a
demeanor of incomparable majesty. She was endowed with a lively
understanding and was a great lover of poetry and the arts."
3. MARIE STUART (1542-1587) was born at Linlithgow, a small town not far
from Edinburgh. She was the daughter of James V. of Scotland by his
second wife, Mary of Lorraine. Henry VIII. desired her as a match for
the Prince of Wales, but her mother favored a marriage with the Dauphin,
afterwards Francis II. She accordingly set out for France in 1548 and
the marriage took place on April 24, 1558. From this time until the
death of Henry II., Francis and Mary Stuart were called _le Roi Dauphin_
and _la Reine Dauphine_ respectively. The young princess soon drew upon
herself the enmity of her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, and
shortly after her husband's death she left for Scotland (August 15,
1561). Her checkered career from this time on is well known.
$1s (afterwards Francis II.), son of Henry II., was born at
Fontainebleau, January 19, 1543. He was married to Mary Stuart in 1558
and the next year ascended the throne of France. Owing to his weak
health and mental incapacity the affairs of the kingdom fell into the
hands of the Guises, uncles of Mary Stuart. This led to great discontent
among the people, which was aggravated by the fierce religious factions
of the times. The young ruler died on December 5, 1560. The agitation of
the Court was so great that neither his mother nor any of his family
paid him the last duties, and his body was borne to St. Denis
accompanied only by two noblemen and the Bishop of Senlis.
5. LA REINE, Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), was born in the city of
Florence. She was the daughter of Lorenzo de Medici and the niece of
Pope Clement VII. Her marriage with Henry II. took place at Marseille,
October 28, 1533. Her ambitious schemes were repressed during the reign
of her husband and of Francis II.; but, as she had charge of affairs
during the minority of Charles IX., she made good use of this
opportunity to destroy her enemies both political and religious. She
designed the massacre of St. Bartholomew and was continually fomenting
strife among her sons. After the death of Charles IX. she again became
regent for a short time till the return of Henry III. Never did Italian
craftiness and cruelty wield such influence in France. At last, however,
the people grew weary of the rule of the foreigner, and Catherine's
later years were marked by the loss of all political power.
6. MADAME, SOEUR DU ROI, Marguerite de France, daughter of Francis I.,
was born in 1525 at Saint Germain-en-Laye. In 1559 she married the Duke
of Savoy. She was a patron of literature and art, and drew many
celebrated men to the University of Turin. Her kindly disposition won
her the title of "Mother of the People." She died on the 14th of
September, 1574.
7. FRANÇOIS IER (1494-1547), son of Charles, Comte d'Angoulême. At the
age of twenty he married Claude, daughter of Louis XII., and succeeded
his father-in-law, January 1, 1515. His first act was to undertake the
conquest of the French possessions in Italy which had been lost during
the reign of Louis XII. He was successful and regained Milan with
Lombardy. Upon the death of the German Emperor Maximilian in 1519, he
became the rival candidate of Charles V. for the imperial crown. Upon
his loss of the latter, he attempted an alliance with Henry VIII. of
England against the Emperor. Henry, however, soon afterwards united with
the Emperor and the Papacy against Francis; the French troops in Italy
were defeated and Francis was captured at Pavia and carried as prisoner
to Madrid. He was released the next year. From this time almost till his
death he was engaged in expeditions against the German Emperor, and on
two occasions went so far as to make an alliance with the Turks. He was
the first to give to the French Court that magnificence which afterwards
made it the envy of all the Courts of Europe. In religion he pursued a
double policy: while he severely persecuted the Protestants in France,
he did all in his power to encourage the German Protestants and, in this
way, to weaken the power of his old enemy, Charles V.
PAGE 2.--1. LE ROI DE NAVARRE. Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, was
born April 22, 1518. He was the son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of
Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon. In 1548 he married Jeanne d'Albret,
daughter of Henry II., King of Navarre. By this marriage he obtained the
crown of Navarre and the Seniory of Béarn. His son, Henry of Navarre
(Henry IV. of France), was born in 1553. During the first part of
Antoine de Bourbon's political career he belonged to the Huguenots and
was associated with them at the conspiracy of Amboise (see page 64, note
2), but after the death of Francis II. he passed over to the Catholic
party, was appointed _lieutenant-général_ of the kingdom, and formed,
with the Duke of Guise and the Constable of Montmorency, the union which
was called "the Triumvirate." During the siege of Rouen he received a
severe wound, from which he died thirty-five days after, on November 17,
1562.
2. LE DUC DE GUISE, François de Lorraine, second Duke of Guise
(1519-1563), was the eldest son of Claude, first Duke of Guise. In his
early life he showed a love of danger and thirst for renown. Having been
placed in charge of the French troops in the "Three Bishoprics," he
sustained against 100,000 imperial troops the memorable siege of Metz.
In 1557 he had charge of the army sent into Italy at the request of Paul
IV., to undertake the conquest of the kingdom of Naples. After the
disastrous defeat of Saint-Quentin, he was placed in command of all the
armies, both within and without the kingdom; then followed a series of
brilliant victories for the French, resulting in the capture of Calais,
Guines, and Thionville. A ghastly face-wound at the hands of the English
at Boulogne got him the name of "Balafré." He wielded great influence at
Court and was a chief promoter of the persecution of the Huguenots,
figuring prominently in the Massacre of Vassy and the siege of Rouen.
During his attack on Orleans he was shot by a Protestant named Poltrot
de Méré.
3. LE CARDINAL DE LORRAINE, Charles, second cardinal of Lorraine
(1524-1574), was the second son of Claude of Guise. He was by far the
ablest of the Guises. At the age of twenty-three he was taken into the
confidence of Henry II. and gained universal favor by his agreeable and
flattering address. In early life he was appointed Archbishop of Rheims
and not long after was made cardinal. At first he was inclined to favor
the Protestants, but subsequently used his influence toward their
extermination. During the reign of Francis II. he was, together with his
brother, the Duke of Guise, in virtual control of the government.
4. LE CHEVALIER DE GUISE, François de Lorraine, was born in 1537; joined
the order of Malta and became Grand Prior towards 1555, and about the
same time was made General of the Galleys. He led an expedition from
Malta to Rhodes, where he was wounded. He was one of the nobles who
accompanied Mary Stuart to Scotland in 1561, and while returning visited
the Court of England. He got overheated at the battle of Dreux (December
12, 1562) and died of pleurisy a few weeks later. He had already in 1562
waged successful war against the Huguenots in Normandy. Brantôme, his
secretary, describes him at length in vol. v., pp. 62-77, Mérimée's
edition, Paris, 1858.
5. LE PRINCE DE CONDÉ. Louis I. of Bourbon, Prince of Condé (1530-1569),
was the son of Charles of Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme. During the wars of
Francis I. he took part in the defence of Metz against Charles V., and
was afterwards a vigorous leader of the Protestants against the Guises.
He was implicated in the conspiracy of Amboise and sentenced to death,
but was saved by the early death of Francis II. After the massacre at
Vassy (1562) he was again in arms and was taken prisoner at Dreux, but
regained his liberty by the peace of 1565. During the wars of religion
he was relentlessly pursued by the Catholic powers and took refuge in La
Rochelle. He was killed in the battle of Jarnac, March 13, 1569.
6. LE DUC DE NEVERS. Francis I. of Clèves, Duke of Nevers (1516-1562),
was the son of Charles of Clèves. In 1539 he obtained the establishment
of Nevers and in 1545 the government of Champagne. His first military
expedition was in Piedmont under Marshall Montmorency. In 1551 he was
entrusted with the protection of the frontier of Lorraine. He took part
in all the campaigns against Charles V. and Philip II., and was one of
the most valiant defenders of Metz. He was present at the defeat of
Saint-Quentin, and by his skillful manoeuvres saved a great part of
the French forces from destruction. In 1560 he revealed to Francis II.
the conspiracy of Amboise. His death took place on February 13, 1562.
7. LE PRINCE DE CLÈVES, second son of Francis I. of Nevers. "Ce prince,"
says Brantôme, "qui s'appelloit Jacques de Clèves, bien qu'il fût de
faible habitude, si promettoit-il beaucoup de soi, car il avoit en lui
beaucoup de vertu." He died in 1564.
PAGE 3.--1. LE VIDAME DE CHARTRES (1522-1560). Francis of Vendôme,
Vidame of Chartres, Prince of Chabanois, was one of the most
distinguished courtiers of his time. "He was as great," says Brantôme,
"in his lineage and his enormous wealth as in his valor and illustrious
deeds, so that in his time men spoke only of the Vidame of Chartres; and
if the people celebrated his prowess, they did not forget his
magnificence and liberality." In Francis I.'s Italian campaign he
furnished at his own cost a splendid company of a hundred noblemen. He
was one of the hostages sent into England to confirm the treaty of peace
between the two countries. In 1558 he was placed in command of the
armies in Piedmont. After the battle of Gravelines, he was appointed
_lieutenant-général_ of the kingdom, but soon relinquished this office
in favor of the Prince of Condé. He was shortly after suspected of
complicity in the conspiracy of Amboise, and was imprisoned in the
Bastille by order of Francis II. During his life at Court he had been
passionately loved by Catherine de Medici, but he showed only
indifference toward her. She avenged herself later on by ill-treating
him, and it is suspected that his death was caused by poison given to
him by her order. He died on December 16, 1560, "aussi mal content de
cette dame qu'elle de lui," says Brantôme naïvely. The title _Vidame_ is
derived from _vice_ (Latin _vicem_) and _dame_ (Latin _dominus_), hence
"vice-lord." The Low-Latin is _vice-dominus_.
2. LE DUC DE NEMOURS (1531-1585). Jacques de Savoie, Duke of Nemours,
was born at the Abbey of Vaulinsant in Champagne. At the age of fifteen
he was brought to the Court of Francis I. He served in the campaigns
against Charles V., was present at the siege of Metz, and afterwards
fought with great bravery in Flanders and in Italy. He was one of the
_tenants_ in the tournament in which Henry II. lost his life. Having
been branded with suspicion, he was compelled to leave the Court during
the reign of Henry III., but was soon recalled. In 1562 he aided in the
capture of Bourges from the Protestants and later succeeded the Marshall
of St. André as Governor of Dauphiné. In 1566 he married Anne d'Este,
widow of the Duke of Guise. His later years were spent in retirement
from the Court. He died at Annecy, June 25, 1585. Brantôme says of him:
"C'étoit un très-beau prince et de très-bonne grâce, brave et vaillant,
aimable et accostable, bien disant, bien écrivant autant en rime qu'en
prose; s'habillant des mieux. Il étoit pourvu d'un grand sens et
d'esprit; il aimoit toutes sortes d'exercices et si y étoit si universel
qu'il étoit parfait en tous, si bien que qui n'a vu Monsieur de Nemours,
il n'a rien vu, et qui l'a vu le peut baptiser par tout le monde la
fleur de toute la chevalerie."
3. SAINT-QUENTIN, a city in the Department of Aisne, about eighty miles
northeast of Paris. It is the center of the French manufacture of linen,
muslin, and gauze. The battle of Saint-Quentin took place on July 29,
1557; the French forces met with a great defeat at the hands of the
Spaniards, who were reinforced by a body of English troops.
4. CHARLES-QUINT (Carolus Quintus). Charles V. (1500-1558) was the
eldest son of Philip, Archduke of Austria, and Joanna, daughter of
Ferdinand and Isabella. Upon the death of Ferdinand in 1516, Charles
ascended the throne of Spain, and also became ruler of the Netherlands,
Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. By the death of his paternal grandfather,
Emperor Maximilian, he obtained possession of Austria and was elected
Emperor of Germany. The other candidates for the imperial crown were
Henry VIII. of England and Francis I. of France. Charles soon became
involved in a long struggle with the French, in which he was for the
most part successful, and captured Francis I. (see page 1, note 7). The
war was continued by Henry II. and a portion of Lorraine was taken from
the Emperor. The latter, not long after, retired to the monastery of
Yuste in Estremadura, where he died after two years.
5. METZ, formerly capital of the Department of Moselle, situated at the
confluence of the Seille and the Moselle. During the war with Henry II.
it was besieged by Charles V. and gallantly defended by the Duke of
Guise. The siege lasted sixty-five days, and on December 26, 1552, the
imperial troops left Metz as a permanent possession of the French. It
remained one of their most important strongholds till its cession to
Germany in 1870. Charles V.'s remark upon his defeat is well known: "I
see that Fortune is just like a woman; she favors a young king more than
an old emperor."
6. CERCAMP, a city in the Department of Pas-de-Calais (Artois). The
chief industry of the place consists in its woolen factories. Here, on
October 15, 1558, the plenipotentiaries appointed by the French met
those of Spain, with whom were associated the ambassadors of Mary of
England and of the Duke of Savoy. Stipulations for a peace were
proposed; a truce of fifteen days was proclaimed, which was several
times renewed; part of the troops were dismissed and the rest went into
winter-quarters. However, before any definite arrangements could be
made, Mary, Queen of England, died, and the meeting was dissolved.
PAGE 4.--1. DON CARLOS, son of Philip II. of Spain and of his first
wife, Doña Maria of Portugal, was born at Valladolid on July 8, 1545,
and died at Madrid on July 14, 1568. In 1559, at the Treaty of
Câteau-Cambrésis, Philip negotiated a marriage between his son and
Elisabeth, daughter of Henry II., but he afterwards married the princess
himself. The loss of his chosen bride in this manner appeared to have a
deep effect upon Don Carlos, and the sympathy shown him by Elisabeth and
the gratitude thus awakened in the heart of the young prince aroused a
feeling of jealousy in the mind of the Spanish King. In 1560 Don Carlos
was proclaimed heir to the throne of Spain, but not long after was
removed from Court and sent away from the capital. In 1562 he was
wounded in the head by a fall, and it is thought by many that his reason
was thereby impaired. His father's treatment of him became harsher, and
the important positions at the Court were occupied by his enemies; he
made two vain attempts to escape from Spain, and intelligence was
brought to the King that his son was forming designs against his life.
On January 18, 1568, Don Carlos was seized and placed in close
confinement. The Council of State condemned him to death, but before the
sentence could be executed the prince died in an unknown manner. (See
Gachard: _Don Carlos et Philippe II._, Bruxelles, 1863.)
2. MONSIEUR DE SAVOIE. Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, was born at
Chambéry, July 8, 1528. He was an officer in the army of Charles V., and
in 1557 won the battle of Saint-Quentin. He died August 30, 1580.
3. MARIE, REINE D'ANGLETERRE (1516-1558), was the daughter of Henry
VIII. by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She became Queen of
England in 1553. On July 25, 1554, she married Philip II. of Spain, and
from this time on her energies were directed to the destruction of
Protestantism in England. Her death took place on November 17, 1558.
4. ELISABETH (1533-1603), daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. She
ascended the English throne in 1558.
5. De La Ferrière, in his _Projets de Mariage de la Reine Elisabeth_,
says: "Elisabeth was very desirous of making the acquaintance of the
Duke of Nemours. She received the Count of Randan and directed the
conversation upon the Duke. Randan drew so flattering a picture of the
latter that he soon awakened in her a spark of love which could easily
be perceived in the face and manner of the Queen. It was a matter of no
difficulty for him to obtain her request for a meeting. On his return to
France he announced this to Nemours. The Duke sent Lignerolles, his most
trusted servant, to London; the response brought back by Lignerolles was
encouraging. Nemours then lavished money on his apparel, arms, and
horses; the King also aided him with his purse, and the flower of the
young nobility contended for the honor of following him to England; but
at the last moment the expedition 'se rompit et demeura court,' for,
continues the chronicler, 'd'autres amours serroient le coeur du duc
et le tenoient captif.'"
PAGE 8.--1. MADAME DE VALENTINOIS, Diana of Poitiers, eldest daughter of
Jean de Poitiers, was born September 3, 1499. At the age of thirteen she
married Louis de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier, who died in 1531. She
became the mistress of Francis I., and afterwards of his son, Henry II.
Her influence over Henry was boundless; even the beauty and wit of
Catherine de Medici could not weaken the King's attachment to her. He
loaded her with favors, and in 1548 donated to her for life the Duchy of
Valentinois. Upon the death of Henry, Madame de Valentinois was banished
from the Court by Catherine. Abandoned by all her friends, she retreated
to Anet, where she died in 1566.
PAGE 10.--1. CHEZ LES REINES, in the apartments of Catherine de Medici
and of Mary Stuart.