Francis de Lorraine II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale (February 17, 1519 – February 24, 1563), called
Balafré ("the scarred"), was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
soldier and politician.
Early life
Born at
Bar-le-DucBar-le-Duc is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-History:Bar-le-Duc was at one time the seat of the countship, later duchy, of Bar...
(
LorraineLorraine is a historical area in present-day northeast France. Some of the main cities are Metz, Nancy and Verdun.-Lotharingia:Lorraine was originally an independent kingdom. It was created in 843, when the Carolingian empire was divided between the three sons of Louis the Pious...
), Guise was the son of
Claude, created duc de GuiseClaude de Lorraine, duc de Guise was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528....
in 1527, and his wife
Antoinette de BourbonAntoinette de Bourbon-La Marche was a French noblewoman of the House of Bourbon. She was the wife of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise...
. His sister
Mary of GuiseMary of Guise was the Queen of Scots as the second spouse of King James V of Scotland. She was the mother of Queen Mary I of Scotland and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560....
was wife of
James V of ScotlandJames V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his premature death at the age of thirty, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
and mother of
Mary I of ScotlandMary I was Queen of Scots from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She was six days old when her father died and made her Queen of Scots...
. His younger brother was
Charles, Cardinal of LorraineCharles of Guise, Cardinal of Lorraine, , Duke of Chevreuse, was a French Cardinal, a member of the powerful House of Guise. He was known at first as the Cardinal of Guise, and then as the second Cardinal of Lorraine, after the death of his uncle, John, Cardinal of Lorraine...
. He was the youthful cousin of
Henry IIHenry II of the House of Valois and son and successor of Francis I was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death in 1559.-Early years:...
, with whom he was raised and by birth a prominent individual in France, though his detractors emphasised his "foreign" origin, namely the Duchy of Lorraine.
In 1545, he gained his sobriquet through a wound sustained at the second siege of Boulogne. In 1548 he was magnificently wedded to
Anna d'EsteAnna d'Este, also Anne d’Este was an important princess with considerable influence at the court of France and a central figure in the French Wars of Religion...
, daughter of the duke of Ferrara and his French princess, a daughter of
Louis XIILouis XII , called "the Father of the People" was king of France and the sole monarch from the Valois-Orléans branch of the House of Valois. He reigned from 1498 to 1515 and pursued a very active foreign policy....
.
Military career
In 1551, he was created
Grand Chamberlain of FranceThe Grand Chambellan de France – here translated as Grand Chamberlain of France to distinguish it from the similar but different position of Grand Chambrier de France, translated as "Grand Chamberman of France", although both positions could equally be translated by the word Chamberlain...
. He won international renown in 1552 when he successfully defended the city of
MetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers....
from the forces of Emperor Charles V, and defeated the imperial troops again at the
Battle of RentyThe Battle of Renty was fought on August 12, 1554, between France and the Holy Roman Empire. The French were led by Francis, Duke of Guise, while the Imperial forces were led by Emperor Charles V. The French repelled Charles's invasion....
in 1554, but the Truce of Vaucelles temporarily curtailed his military activity.
He led an army into
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
in 1557 to aid
Pope Paul IVPope Paul IV , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
(and probably to further
his familyThe House of Guise was a French ducal family, partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion.The Guises were Catholic, and Henry Guise wanted to end growing Calvinist influence...
's pretensions to the Angevin inheritance), but was recalled to France and made Lieutenant-General of
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
after the defeat of the Constable de Montmorency at the
Battle of St. QuentinThe Battle of Saint-Quentin of 1557 was fought during the Franco-Habsburg War . The Spanish, who had regained the support of the English, won a significant victory over the French at Saint-Quentin, in northern France.- Battle :...
. Taking the field, he captured
CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
from the
EnglishThe Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state and island country to the northwest of continental Europe. At its zenith, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands—what is today the legal unit of...
on 7 January 1558— an enormous propaganda victory for France— then
ThionvilleThionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.The city is located near the Moselle River.-Demographics:...
and
Arlon Comté d'Arlon
graafschap Aarle
graafschap Aarlen
|conventional_long_name = County of Arlon|common_name = Arlon|...
that summer, and was preparing to advance into
LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
when the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed. Throughout the reign of Henry II Guise was the premier military figure of France, courteous, affable and frank, and universally popular, the "grand duc de Guise" as his contemporary
BrantômeBrantôme includes:* Brantôme, Dordogne - a commune in the Dordogne département in central France.* Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme - French historian* Brantôme - champion French racehorse...
called him.
The accession of
Francis IIFrancis II Francis II Francis II (19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560, King-consort of Scotland (1558–1560), and King of France (1559 – 1560), was born at the Royal Chateau at Fontainebleau, the son of Henry II, King of France (31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) and Catherine de'...
(10 July, 1559), however, and his consort,
Mary I of ScotlandMary I was Queen of Scots from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She was six days old when her father died and made her Queen of Scots...
, niece of François de Guise, was a triumph for the Guise family, and the
Grand Master of FranceThe Grand Master of France or Grand Maître de France was, during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "Maison du Roi", the king's royal household....
Montmorency- Places :In Australia:* Montmorency, Victoria, suburb of Melbourne* Montmorency railway station, MelbourneIn Canada:* Montmorency Falls, Quebec* Montmorency , Quebec* Montmorency , Quebec...
was disgraced and sent from court. François de Guise and his brother the cardinal were supreme in the royal council. "My advice", he would say, "is so-and-so; we must act thus." Occasionally he signed public acts in the royal manner, with his baptismal name only.
The Wars of Religion
In reaction to the power at court of the ultra-Catholic Guise, La Renaudie, a Protestant gentleman of
PérigordThe Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
, perhaps at the distanced instigation of the Louis of Bourbon, Prince of Conde, organized an amateurish plot (the conspiracy of Amboise, 1560) to seize the person of François de Guise and his brother, the second cardinal of Lorraine. The plot was discovered and violently suppressed, initiating a series of assassinations and counter-assassinations in an increasingly toxic atmosphere. In the immediate aftermath Condé was obliged to flee the court, and the power of the Guises was supreme. The discourse which
ColignyLord Gaspard de Coligny , Seigneur de Châtillon held the office of Admiral of France and is best remembered as an austerely disciplined Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion.-Ancestry:...
, leader of the
HuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Since the eighteenth century, Huguenots have been commonly designated "French Protestants", the title being suggested by their German co-religionists or "Calvinists"...
s, pronounced against
les Guises in the Assembly of the notables at
FontainebleauFontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
(August, 1560), did not influence Francis II in the least, but resulted rather in the imprisonment of Condé, at the cardinal's behest.
The king, however, died, 5 December, 1560—a year full of calamity for the Guises both in Scotland and France. Within a few months their influence waxed great and waned. After the accession of
Charles IXCharles IX born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. He is best known as king at the time of the St...
, François de Guise lived in retirement on his estates. The regent,
Catherine de' MediciCatherine de' Medici was born in Florence, Italy, as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Both of her parents, Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne, Countess of Boulogne, died within weeks of her birth...
, at first inclined to favour the Protestants. To defend the Catholic cause, François de Guise formed with his old enemy, the Constable de Montmorency and the Maréchal de Saint-André the so-called triumvirate (April, 1561) at the head of the
Catholic LeagueCatholic League may refer to:*Catholic League , created by Henry of Guise, in 1576 during the French Wars of Religion*Catholic League , a confederation of Catholic German states formed to counteract the Protestant Union...
, opposed to the policy of concessions which Catherine de' Medici attempted to inaugurate in favour of the Protestants. His former military hero's public image was changing: 'he could not serve for long as the military executive of this extreme political,
ultra-montaneUltramontanism is a religious philosophy within the Roman Catholic community that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope...
, pro-Spanish junta without attracting his share of odium," N. M. Sutherland has observed in describing the lead-up to his assassination.
The plan of the Triumvirate was to treat with Habsburg Spain and the
Holy SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic...
, and also to come to an understanding with the Lutheran princes of Germany to induce them to abandon the idea of relieving the French Protestants. About July, 1561, Guise wrote to this effect to the Duke of Württemberg. The Colloquy of Poissy (September and October, 1561) between theologians of the two confessions was fruitless, and the conciliation policy of Catherine de' Medici was defeated. From 15 to 18 February, 1562, Guise visited the Duke of Württemberg at
SaverneSaverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
, and convinced him that if the conference at Poissy had failed, the fault was that of the Calvinists. As Guise passed through
Wassy-sur-BlaiseWassy or Wassy-sur-Blaise is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.Population : 3,294.-History:On 1 March 1562, a faction of the Catholic Francis, Duke of Guise attacked a Huguenot service in Wassy, marking the start of the First War of Religion in France.-External links:*...
on his way to Paris (1 March, 1562), a massacre of Protestants took place. It is not known to what extent he was responsible for this, but it kindled open military conflict in the
French Wars of ReligionThe French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants...
. The siege of Bourges in September was the opening episode, then Rouen was retaken from the Protestants by Guise after a month's siege (October); the
Battle of DreuxThe Battle of Dreux was fought on 19 December, 1562 between Catholics and Huguenots. The Catholics were led by Anne de Montmorency while Louis I, Prince of Condé led the Huguenots....
(19 December), at which Montmorency was taken prisoner and Saint-André slain, was in the end turned by Guise to the advantage of the Catholic cause, and Condé, leader of the Huguenots, taken prisoner.
The assassination
In the fourth encounter, Guise was about to take
OrléansOrléans is a commune in north-central France, about southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre region.The commune is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central....
from the Huguenot supporters of Condé when he was wounded on 18 February, 1563 by the Huguenot assassin, Jean de Poltrot de Méré, and died six days later, bled to death by his surgeons, at Château Corney. The seminal event of his unexpected death temporarily interrupted open hostilities.
It was not the first plot against his life. A hunting accident — Francis had been appointed Grand Veneur of France in 1556 — had been planned, as Sir
Nicholas ThrockmortonSir Nicholas Throckmorton was an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France and played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots....
informed Queen Elizabeth in May 1560, but the plot was uncovered by one and his five co-conspirators fled.
Ancestors
Family
Guise married in
Saint-Germain-en-LayeSaint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris 19.1 km from the center.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
on April 29, 1548
Anna d'EsteAnna d'Este, also Anne d’Este was an important princess with considerable influence at the court of France and a central figure in the French Wars of Religion...
, daughter of Ercole II d'Este,
Duke of Ferrara, and
Renée of FranceRenée de France was the younger daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany. Her elder sister was Queen Claude of France...
. They had seven children:
- Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I de Lorraine, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise and Anna d'Este...
(1550–1588), who succeeded him as Duke of Guise.
- Catherine (July 18, 1552, Joinville
Joinville is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.Its medieval château-fort, which gave to members of the House of Guise their title, duc de Joinville, was demolished during the Revolution of 1789, but the 16th-century Château du Grand Jardin built by Claude de Lorraine,...
– May 6, 1596, ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), married on February 4, 1570 Louis II, Duke of Montpensier
- Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne, , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
(1554–1611)
- Louis II, Cardinal of Guise
Louis II, Cardinal of Guise was the third son of Francis, Duke of Guise and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole d'Este II, Duke of Ferrara and Renée of France....
(1555–1588), Archbishop of ReimsThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...
- Antoine (April 25, 1557 – January 16, 1560)
- François (December 31, 1559, Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-Sights:...
– October 24, 1573, ReimsThe city of Rheims , in English and in French, lies in the Champagne-Ardenne region in north-eastern France 129 km east-northeast of Paris....
)
- Maximilien (October 25, 1562 – 1567)