Henri IV

Painted by Charles le Brun, c. 1656

**Henri IV** (*Henri Augustin;* January 16th, 1637 - Present*)* was a Grandelumièrian Emperor, and ascended on the 22nd of May, 1654 following the premature death of his father, Charles XI. Susceptible to seduction attempts, Henri was an exceedingly proud prince and aimed to ensure that his ambitions were recognized both domestically, and abroad. His early reign was marked with internal strife and social unrest throughout his realm.

Henri was the only child produced between Charles XI de Grandelumière, and his consort Mathilde de Bourgogne. Years after his birth, he would eventually be joined by illegitimate siblings.

## Early Life

### Birth and Upbringing

Henri Augustin was born on the 16th of January, 1637. His mother's pregnancy had been marked with constant scares and copious amounts of illness, and reportedly entered confinement three weeks before she was scheduled to do so. When the Dauphine entered labor her bedchamber had become incredibly stuffy and airless; causing her to pass out while delivering the child. After several minutes of silence, Henri was born and the court erupted into cheers with the sight of a new prince. Bells were rung across the Capital to commemorate the birth of a Prince. His birth was widely celebrated, and the Imperial court celebrated with a week of banquets and other grandiose ceremonies. He was granted the appanage of *Monseigneur le Duc de Normandie* at the time of his birth, and was likewise a *Fils de Grandelumière*. Unfortunately after Henri's birth his parents ceased to share a bed, and he would be the only child produced between the couple.

Henri was expeditiously placed into the care of governesses and wet nurses, who constantly dotted on the young prince. From a young age, Henri complained about having no siblings, and even confided in his under governess about the absence of a sibling. In an attempt to resolve this issue, Henri was constantly in the company of playmates who provided him company. Even so, he remarked that playmates were no substitute to a real sibling. When it came time for him to start his education his Governor, *Nicholas de Neufville-Villeroy, Marquis d'Alincourt*, had an elaborate education drawn up which covered a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the arts to scientific theories. Henri showed adequate intellect capabilities, and excelled in his martial studies, and showed great interest in architecture and the wider study of the arts. Unfortunately at aged seven Henri would fall severely ill with smallpox, and had little to chance to survive, luckily the prince recovered with surprisingly little to no scarring. He would go on to use cosmetics to enhance his facial features, and developed a fixation for his outward appearance as a result. While his recovery of smallpox would be seen as a strength, he was particularly sickly in the years following his survival.

## Issue

With his wife, Catherine de Portugal, he had three miscarriages and two living sons:

* **Miscarriage** (1653) †
* **Miscarriage** (1653) †
* **Miscarriage** (1654) †
* **Louis Emmanuel Philippe de Grandelumière, Dauphin de Grandelumière** (2nd September 1654 - Present)
* **Philippe Étienne Xavier de Grandelumière, Duc d'Orléans** (24th January 1656 - Present)
* **Marie Élisabeth Maxilienne de Grandelumière, Madame impériale** (7th July 1658 - Present)

With his Maîtresse-en-Titre, Jacqueline Suzanne de Pompadour, he had two children:

* **Louise Julie Augustine de Valois, Mademoiselle de Montpensier** (16th December 1656 - Present)
* **Louis Antoine Félix de Valois, Duc de Montpensier** (20th October 1657 - Present)

## Titles, Styles and Honours

### Styles

* **January 16th, 1637 - July 12th, 1646:** *Monseigneur le Duc de Normandie*
* **July 12th, 1646 - May 22nd, 1654:** *Monseigneur le Dauphin*
* **May 22nd, 1654 - Present:** *Sa Majesté l'Empereur*

His full style upon his ascension to the throne was:

*Le Très Haut, Très Puissant et Très Excellent Prince, Henri, par la Grâce de Dieu, Empereur de Grandelumière, Roi de France, Roi titulaire de Naples, Roi titulaire de Jérusalem, Duc de Bretagne, Prince Très Chrétien*

### Honours

* Souverain Grand Maître de l'Ordre du Saint-Espirit
* Souverain Grand Maître de l'Ordre de Saint-Michel
* Souverain Grand Maître de l'Ordre de l'Hermine
* Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or