Henri de Bourbon, 2nd Prince of Condé (29 December 1552 – 5 March 1588) was a French prince du sang and Huguenot general like his more prominent father, Louis I, Prince of Condé.
| Henri de Bourbon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd Prince of Condé | |
| Reign | 13 March 1569 – 5 March 1588 |
| Predecessor | Louis I, Prince of Condé |
| Successor | Henri II, Prince of Condé |
| Born | 29 December 1552 La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Île-de-France, France |
| Died | 5 March 1588 (aged 35) Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Saintonge, France |
| Spouse | Marie of Cleves Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille |
| Issue | by Marie: Catherine, Marquise d'Isles by Charlotte Catherine: Éléonore, Princess of Orange Henri II, Prince of Condé |
| House | Bourbon-Condé |
| Father | Louis I, Prince of Condé |
| Mother | Eléanor de Roye |
| Religion | Reformed (Huguenot) |
Life
editHenri was the eldest son of Louis de Bourbon and Eléanor de Roye, daughter and heiress of Charles de Roye, Count of Roucy.[1] Of the eight children in his family, he and his brother François, Prince of Conti, were the only ones to have children.
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Following the death of his father, Louis, at the Battle of Jarnac, Jeanne d'Albret introduced Henri and her own son, Henry of Navarre, as pages to Admiral Coligny.[2] Since both were princes of the blood, this act gave the Huguenot cause legitimacy.[2]
At the Battle of Moncontour on 3 October 1569, Henri was wounded in the face and was forced to retreat.[3] Attending the wedding of Henry of Navarre and the subsequent massacre of Protestants, Henri was forced to convert to Catholicism, face death or life imprisonment.[4] In his escape from Paris, Henri was joined by Theodore Beza, who published his Du droit des magistrats sur leurs sujets in Germany.[5]
By 1573 the Huguenot cause had made some political gains in the Midi, consequently Henri was assigned "governor general and protector".[6] Following the Peace of Monsieur, he was restored to his governorship of Picardy.[7] During the sixth war of religion, he commanded the forces that captured Brouage and allowed English aid for the Huguenots.[8] And, it would be Henri, angered by Catholic resistance to his governorship of Picardy, who started the seventh war of religion by seizing the town of La Fère in November 1579.[9]
In 1588, Henri died at Saint-Jean-d'Angély after a brief illness.[10]
Marriages
editHe married twice, first to his cousin, Marie of Cleves.[1] With Marie, Henri had one child:
- Catherine (30 October 1574 – 30 December 1595), Marquise of Isles, never married.
Secondly, Henri married his second cousin once removed, Charlotte Catherine de La Tremoille (1568–1629),[1] daughter of Louis III de La Trémoille. They had at least two children:
- Éléonore de Bourbon (1587–1619), married in 1606 to Philip William, Prince of Orange.
- Henri II, Prince of Condé (1588–1646)[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Knecht 1989, p. 134.
- ^ a b Knecht 2000, p. 151.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 152.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 166.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 168.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 185.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 193.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 208.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 217.
- ^ Knecht 2000, p. 231.
Sources
edit- Knecht, R.J. (1989). The French Wars of Religion, 1559-1598. Longman.
- Knecht, R.J. (2000). The French Civil Wars. Pearson Education Limited.