Henry IV of France

FranceBourbon1589-1610
RealmFrance
Reign1589-1610
HouseBourbon
LegacyGood King Henry, ended the Wars of Religion

Biography

Henry of Navarre, a Protestant leader, inherited the throne as the first Bourbon king amid civil war. He converted to Catholicism to win Paris, supposedly remarking that Paris is well worth a Mass. The Edict of Nantes of 1598 granted Protestants religious freedom and ended the Wars of Religion. With his minister Sully he rebuilt the economy. He was assassinated in Paris in 1610 by a Catholic zealot.

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