Henry IV, King of France

There are some interesting parallels with Henry VIII of England

Henry IV occupies a similar niche in the history of France to that of Henry VIII in England, and there are a number of parallels between the two monarchs. They were certainly both “larger than life” characters who left important and far-reaching legacies in their respective countries.

Henry IV of France

Henry was born in 1553 in the province of Béarn, which formed part of his mother’s domains, she being the queen of Navarre, an independent kingdom in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Henry’s father was Antoine de Bourbon, who, although only distantly related to the ruling house of France, the Valois dynasty, was a serious contender in the line of succession, given that none of the four sons of Henry II (reigned 1547–69) had as yet produced a male heir (and none of them was to do so).

With Antoine’s death in battle in 1562, Henry acquired his father’s place in the line of succession to the French throne, and when his mother died in June 1572 he became King of Navarre.

There was a problem with him ever becoming King of France, however, and that was that the King had to be a Catholic and Henry was a Huguenot, which was the name used for French Protestants. The power behind the throne was…