The second half of the 16th century in France was an era of cruel and bloody religious clashes between Catholics and Huguenots. One of the most zealous enemies of the Protestant faith proved to be Henry I de Guise - the offspring of a noble French family, the son of the hero Francois of Lorraine who was killed in battles with the Protestants. The scar left on Henry's face after a serious wound received as a result of a blow with a Huguenot spear became the reason for the nickname that was firmly entrenched in him. Subsequently, he was called none other than Marked or Chopped. Under such names, the Duke de Guise, an active participant and inspirer of the events of St. Bartholomew's Night, remained a staunch Catholic until his last breath, and entered the history of France.
Origin
The founder of the influential noble family of de Guise was a prominent military leader Claude of Lorraine - Henry's grandfather. He was the second offspring of René II, Duke of Lorraine, and therefore, not being the firstborn, onthe duchy had no right to claim. Moreover, his descendants could not consider it possible for themselves to take the French throne.
However, the Lorraine legalists, obsessed with motives of a religious and political nature, sought to prove the exact opposite, and therefore made up a false genealogy. According to this document, the heir of Claude of Lorraine could be proclaimed a monarch, since he was allegedly a descendant of the Carolingians, an imperial and royal dynasty that had a huge influence even in the state of the Franks.
It was this pedigree that subsequently became one of the reasons for the murder of Henry the Chopped, who also bore the title of Prince de Joinville.
Early military career
Heinrich was born in December, on the last day of 1550. He received his first baptism of fire at the age of 13, becoming one of the participants in the battle with the Huguenots during the siege of Orleans. It was there that his father was killed. And his eldest offspring (namely, that was Henry) automatically became a peer of France, having received this title of the upper class of feudal lords by inheritance.
Three years later he fought with the Turks, then distinguished himself in the battles of Jarnac. All this helped de Guise to be known in Paris as a courageous warrior, and also contributed to the creation of his indisputable authority among the Catholic population of France.
St. Bartholomew's Night
In which capital the events of Bartholomew's night took place, everyone is well aware of the novel by Dumas père "Queen Margot". A bloody skirmish began in Paris with the marriage of the Protestant leader - King Henry of Navarre - to Marguerite of Valois,sister of the French king.
At first it seemed that this marriage would be an occasion for a truce between Protestants and Catholics. However, for the Huguenots, the wedding turned out to be just a trap for Catherine de Medici and her son, King Charles. Those who came to the celebration, as well as those who were already in the capital, adherents of the Protestant faith in the amount of several tens of thousands of people were most cruelly and treacherously exterminated on the night of August 24, 1572.
The organizer of the bloody events Heinrich de Guise is not considered. But he was their direct and zealous participant. Including the murder of Gaspard Coligny - an admiral, a prominent statesman, a prominent leader of the Huguenots - he also took over, explaining this as revenge for his father. However, for all his hatred of the Protestants, on that ill-fated night, the Duke of Guise for some reason contributed to the salvation of two dozen Gentiles, including sheltering his Protestant grandmother from death. Some felt that the cunning duke did all this just in case, in order to have an excuse.
Victory on the love front
Despite the scar on his face, which crossed the entire cheek and seemed very deep, Heinrich de Guise was reputed to be very handsome and enjoyed enviable attention from the ladies. He had impressive shoulders, strong muscles, two meters in height, thick blond hair, blue eyes and regular, pleasant features. In addition, he was known as a fearless skilled warrior and talentedmilitary leader. All this simply could not help but contribute to his victories on the love front. Heinrich is also credited with a relationship with Margaret of Navarre, a brilliant, incredibly beautiful and very educated woman of that time, born a princess from the Valois family.
Communication with Margarita
While the events of St. Bartholomew's night were taking place in the capital, it is not difficult to guess what the wedding night of the King of Navarre turned out to be. Soon the leader of the Protestants was forced to flee. And although the wife helped her husband in everything, their union became more of a political deal, not a love one. Henry of Navarre (Bourbon) was by no means famous for his puritanical disposition and had mistresses. And therefore, the heiress of the Valois family was soon carried away by the Duke de Guise. Although, according to the version of Dumas-father, the mentioned connection began much earlier. It is even possible that Henry the Marked had other hopes for a love affair with a French princess, believing that this would help him become king.
Holy League
Henry III of Valois - a man who was quite liberal towards the Protestants, besides not wanting to spend money on the war, but rather seeking to use money from the treasury for balls and other entertainment - becoming king instead of the deceased brother Charles in February 1575 year, almost immediately made significant concessions to the Huguenots, which caused extreme discontent among the Catholic population, as well as the hatred of high-ranking Parisian nobility.
In order to oppose the monarch's policies, about a year afterOn the accession of Henry III to the throne, an organization appeared that received the name of the Holy League. Anna of Nemours, the mother of the Duke of Guise, is considered its main organizer. However, the king made a subtle political move and proclaimed himself the head of the League, thus protecting himself from it.
The War of the Three Heinrichs
In subsequent years, the political situation in France escalated to the limit, the struggle for power between the leaders of various groups continued with might and main here. These bitter feuds only fanned the religious war between the adherents of the two Christian faiths, which was already serious.
The Duke of Guise the Bullseye used the League, over which he eventually gained complete control, to increase his influence. For the same reason he allied himself with the pope and entered into an alliance with the Spaniards. The furious desire of opponents for power was only warmed up by the death of Francois of Alençon, the main heir to Henry III and the pretender to the French throne, which occurred in 1584.
This confrontation is commonly referred to in history as the War of the Three Heinrichs. The first of these was the king himself, the second was Guise. And the third was Henry of Navarre - the future French king. This fact itself already indicates that he should be considered the winner in this confrontation.
Conspiracy against existing government
During these years, Heinrich de Guise achieved incredible power. He was even whispered to be called the King of Paris. In all his undertakings, Marked was helped by members of his family. It was rumored that, feeling their support, as well asusing the help of other influential people, the rebellious duke organized a conspiracy against the king. According to the plan, he was to be tonsured as a monk by a relative of the family of the conspirators, Marie de Montpensier. And the Duke of Guise tried with all his heart to take the throne of the soon-to-be deposed monarch.
These events are described in the most colorful way in the novel by Dumas. However, there was no exact historical evidence that this conspiracy really took place.
Death of Marked One
Whether the Duke of Guise, nicknamed the Marked One, wanted to take the French throne in a criminal way and whether he plotted against the king is unknown. Be that as it may, for Henry III, with all his influence increasing every day, he became an extremely dangerous opponent. Moreover, the enemies of the house of Valois became more and more from year to year. There were constant attempts on the life of Henry III, and there were no number of political conspiracies against him. That is why the murder of the Duke of Guise turned out to be very beneficial for the king. It was committed in Blois in December 1588.
Many supporters warned Marked about the impending assassination attempt, but he was too brave and arrogant to heed the warnings. Among those who sympathized with him was a certain Charlotte de Noirmoutier, with whom he was in a secret relationship. She tried to avert disaster, but was unable to reverse her lover's frivolous nonchalance.
After the murder of Marked, a note was found in his pocket, indicating that Heinrich de Guisetried to stir up a civil war in France and asked for money from his criminal patrons. However, it is believed that this compromising evidence was planted on purpose to justify the vile act of Henry III.
Family of Henry the Marked
The personal life of the Duke of Guise Tagged is considered very eventful, with many women he was in love. But he was married to Catherine of Cleves, who, by the way, was a cousin of the King of Navarre. And by her he had fourteen children.
Of the other members of the family, we should especially mention his younger brother Louis de Lorrain, who received the rank of cardinal in 1578, devoted to the cause of Henry the Marked with all his heart, as well as his closest associate. A day after the older brother was killed in the most treacherous way by the daggers of the royal guards, the younger was also arrested and starved to death in cruel imprisonment.
