Since 1562, there had been a a series of wars in France which were mostly fought between Catholics and Protestants, and sometimes with more than one groups of Catholics fighting each other. In 1584, Henry became the heir to the throne of France. Most people in France were Catholics, and many of them did not want a Protestant king. This led to the War of the Three Henrys between Henry of Navarre, the existing Catholic king Henry III and Catholic League leader Henry, Duke of Guise. Although both Henry III and Guise were Catholics, they did not get on with each other. Guise was murdered in 1588 and Henry III was murdered the following year.
Henry of Navarre could now be crowned King of France, but he still faced opposition from the Catholic League. After four years of fighting, he decided to convert to being Catholic. He supposedly said "Paris is well worth a Mass." After this, the opposition to Henry died down. In 1598, Henry made the Edict of Nantes. This law allowed people in France to be Protestant, even though most people were Catholic. In Europe at the time, a policy like this was unusual. Most countries forced people to be either Catholic or Protestant. However, the Edict did not make the Protestants fully equal.
Henry's children were Louis XIII and Henrietta Maria of France, who married Charles I and became the Queen of England. He was a friend of Michel of Montaigne.
During his reign, he built the Grande Galerie onto the Louvre. Two landmarks in Paris were started during his reign: the Pont Neuf and the Place des Vosges.
Henry was murdered by a Catholic fanatic on a street in Paris on 14 May 1610.
At first, many people in France did not want Henry to be king, because he was a Protestant. Although this mostly ended once he joined the Catholic Church, some Catholics called him a liar, while some Protestants called him a traitor. It was only after his death that he became known as "Good King Henry" (in French, "le bon roi Henri") and one of France's most popular kings. During the early years of the French Revolution, Henry IV was celebrated as an example of what a king should be. He was also celebrated during the Bourbon Restoration.
Henry IV is remembered for being the king who ended the French Wars of Religion, and for his policy of allowing more than one church in his country, which was unusual in those days. He was also known for trying to make sure that poor people had enough to eat. He once said he wished that there could be "a chicken in every pot on a Sunday."
In 2010 scientists found part of his embalmed head and used forensic tests to prove that it was his. It had been stolen from the tombs of the French kings and queens in Saint Denis in 1793 at the time of the French Revolution.
Margaret of Valois
Margaret of Valois (May 14, 1553 – May 27, 1615) was a Princess of France and a member of the house of Valois.
Her father was Henry II of France and her mother was Catherine of Medici. She was also the sister of Francis II of France, Charles IV of France and Henry III of France. Margaret was then married to Henry IV of France.
The author Alexandre Dumas, père wrote a book about Margaret called "Queen Margot".
Queen Margot
Queen Margot is a book written in 1845 by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is a story about Margaret of Valois and Henry IV of France. The same author wrote many other books including "The Man in the Iron Mask", "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers".
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France (November 25, 1609 - September 10, 1669) was the youngest daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. She was born in the Louvre Palace in Paris on November 25, 1609. She was a Roman Catholic.
Henrietta Maria married Charles I and became the Queen of England.
Madonna
Madonna could mean:
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna Louise Ciccone, commonly known as Madonna (born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, director and philanthropist. Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan, but she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance.
During her career, she has sold over 300 million records worldwide and is the top-selling female artist of all time. Some of her most famous albums are "Like a Virgin", "True Blue", "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light" and "Confessions On a Dance-Floor". She has won seven Grammy awards. Madonna is considered the "Queen Of Pop" due to her extremely successful career on music and for being the most selling female singer in history. She has been in many movies; she received positive reviews for her role in "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985). Her later movies received mixed reviews. She received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for "Evita" (1996). She got harsh feedback for other performances.
After the release of some dance hits she released her first album, "Madonna", in 1983. The album was a great success. Her next album, "Like a Virgin" (1984), sold over 6 million copies in the United States only and overall 10 million copies worldwide. Her album "True Blue" has sold 25 million copies. Her album "Like a Prayer" caused controversy, as it had to do with Christianity but the album sold over 15 million records worldwide. During the 1980s, Madonna was a huge fashion icon and was an idol for millions of girls and boys. Songs like "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl", "Into the Groove", "Papa Don't Preach", "Holiday", "Lucky Star", "La Isla Bonita", and "Like a Prayer" are believed to be classics.
In 1990, she released her best selling greatest-hits album "The Immaculate Collection" which sold over 30 million copies, and this album became the most-sold greatest-hits album in music history. She released a book of naked pictures called "SEX" in that year. Her album "Erotica" was a big hit but was criticized by some, the album sold 5 million copies. Madonna starred in the film "A League of Their Own", alongside American actor Tom Hanks and comedienne Rosie O'Donnell. In 1994, her album "Bedtime Stories" was released. She also performed in the movie "Evita", which was very successful and released a soundtrack album of the same name. She also received the Golden Globe for Best Actress. Her 1998 album "Ray of Light" is considered to be a masterpiece and sold over 18 million copies worldwide. Some of her most famous and classic songs of the '90s are "Vogue", "This Used to Be My Playground", "Erotica", "Take a Bow", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "You Must Love Me", "Frozen" and "Ray of Light".
In 2000, her album "Music" sold over 15 million copies worldwide, helped by the global hit song of the same name. "Music" became her twelfth number-one song on the "Billboard" Hot 100. She also released a successful greatest hits album titled "GHV2". Madonna acted in the film "The Next Best Thing", along with "Swept Away", which got bad reviews. On October 22, 2002, a single called "Die Another Day" was released. The music video for the single was the second most expensive music video ever to make. The single reached number one in several countries. Her 2003 album, "American Life," reached #1 in many countries but it was criticized by some, as it was against war in Iraq and sold 5 million copies. In 2005, her album "Confessions on a Dance Floor", helped by the singles "Hung Up" and "Sorry" that reached #1 in 45 countries, sold 12 million copies. In 2008 she released her album "Hard Candy" which reached #1 in almost every country in the world and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The first single from the album, "4 Minutes", had Justin Timberlake singing in it.
In 2011, "W.E.", the second movie directed by Madonna, was released. It got bad reviews.