Four Weird Facts About King Charles IX of France You May Find Interesting
Reigning during the French Wars of Religion as a young and immature King, Charles IX’s time on the throne could have had so much more potential if circumstances were different.
Catherine de’ Medici saw the reigns of three of her sons, and Charles IX’s thirteen years on the throne were for her the years of her greatest influence by far. Much to the dismay of her son, Catherine’s influence over his decisions was hard to get rid of. Though when she did stage an abandonment of him in 1572, Charles was quick to urge his mother not to leave him. All he sought after, in the end, was his mother’s love and approval, which she instead mostly saved for his brother Henri.
He hated his younger brother
Queen Mother Catherine de’ Medici was highly controlling of her children, particularly whichever son happened to be on the throne. (Three of her five sons would end up in this position.) Though she loved all in her own way, her fourth (third surviving) son Henri was her clear favourite. Almost all of her children had inherited poor health, and while certainly Henri was among them, his constitution was far better than Charles’s. As a result of these…
