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Francis II of France

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Francis II
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(born Jan. 19, 1544, Fontainebleau, France — died Dec. 5, 1560, Orléans) King of France (1559 – 60). He was the son of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis and was married in 1558 to Mary Stuart (later Mary, Queen of Scots), a relation of the powerful Guise family. Sickly and weak-willed, Francis was dominated throughout his brief reign by the Guises, who tried to use him to break the strength of the Huguenots. His premature death temporarily ended the Guises' dominion. He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Francis II
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Francis II, 1544-60, king of France (1559-60), son of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici. He married (1558) Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart), and during his brief reign the government was in the hands of her uncles, François and Charles de Guise. Their ruthless persecution of Protestantism led to the conspiracy of Amboise (1560; see Amboise, conspiracy of), an attempt to remove the Guises from power. During Francis's reign French Protestantism became a political force (see Huguenots). Francis was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX.
Wikipedia: Francis II of France
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Francis II
King of France
Reign 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560
Coronation 21 September 1559
Predecessor Henry II
Successor Charles IX
King consort of Scots
Tenure 24 April 1558 – 5 December 1560
Spouse Mary I of Scotland
House House of Valois
Father Henry II of France
Mother Catherine de' Medici
Born 19 January 1544(1544-01-19)
Château de Fontainebleau, France
Died 5 December 1560 (aged 16)
Orléans, France
Burial Saint Denis Basilica, France

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' Medici (13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589).[1]

He was the grandson of Francis I, King of France, and of Claude of France, and the brother of Charles IX, King of France, and of Henry III, King of France. He was also the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Contents

King consort of Scots

Francis (age 15) with his wife Mary (age 17) shortly after Francis became king in 1559.
Coat of arms of Francis as Dauphin and King consort of Scots

Following the death of her father, James V, King of Scots, Mary Stuart had been crowned Queen of Scots, in Stirling Castle, on 9 September 1543, at the age of nine months. The marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France, was arranged by Henry II of France in 1548, when Francis was just four years old. Once the marriage agreement had been formally ratified, the now six-year-old Mary was sent to France, to be raised in the royal court until the marriage.

Despite the fact that Mary Stuart was tall for her age and fluent in speech, while Francis was abnormally short and stuttered, Henry II commented that "from the very first day they met, my son and she got on as well together as if they had known each other for a long time".[2]

On 24 April 1558, the fourteen-year-old Dauphin was married to the Queen of Scots in a union that would have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary's great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England. However, Mary and Francis were to have no children during their short lived marriage, possibly due to Francis' illnesses or his undescended testicles.[3]

King of France

A year after his marriage, Francis's father, Henry II, died, and Francis, still only fifteen years old, was crowned king at Reims. The crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it in place for him.[4] His mother, Catherine de' Medici, was appointed regent, but it is considered that Mary's uncles François de Guise and Charles de Guise may have held the real power in that period.

Francis II, who had always been a sickly child, died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans, Loiret, at the age of sixteen, when an ear infection worsened and caused an abscess in his brain. He is buried in Saint Denis Basilica.

He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX (27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574).[5]

References

  1. ^ Rose, Hugh James, Henry John Rose and Thomas Wright, A new general biographical dictionary, Vol. 7, (London, 1857), 436.
  2. ^ Guy, John, My Heart is my Own, London, Fourth Estate, 2004, ISBN 0–00–71930–8:47
  3. ^ Farquhar, Michael (2001). A Treasure of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors, p.81. Penguin Books, New York. ISBN 0739420259.
  4. ^ Guy:102.
  5. ^ Rose, 436.

Ancestors

Francis II of France
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 19 January 1544 Died: 5 December 1560
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Henry II of France		 King of France
10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Charles IX
Scottish royalty
Preceded by
Mary of Guise		 King consort of Scotland
24 April 1558 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Henry Stuart
French royalty
Preceded by
Henry, 16th Dauphin		 Dauphin of France
as 'Francis, 17th Dauphin'
31 March 1547 – 10 July 1559		 Succeeded by
Vacant
(eventually Louis, 18th Dauphin)
Preceded by
Henry, Dauphin of France		 Heir to the Throne
as Heir apparent
31 March 1547 — 10 July 1559		 Succeeded by
Charles, Duke of Orléans
French nobility
Preceded by
Henry II of France		 Count of Provence and Forcalquier
as 'Francis II'
10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Charles IX
Preceded by
Henry I of Viennois		 Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois
as 'Francis V of Viennois'
31 March 1547 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Charles IX
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Francis I (1515–1547) • Henry II (1547–1559) • Francis II (1559–1560) • Charles IX (1560–1574) • Henry III (1574–1589)
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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