King Charles IX of France (1550-1574)

This portrait of Charles IX forms a pair with that of Henri II [1515445], and are reductions after originals by Francois Clouet in the Louvre. Charles IX: (27 June 1550-30 May 1574). King of France (1560) during the French Wars of Religion. Second son of King Henry II (1519-1559) and Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589), was only 10 when he succeeded his brother, Francis II (1544-1560); his mother ruled as Regent until he was proclaimed of age on 17 August 1563. On November 26 1570 he married Elizabeth of Austria (1554-1592), daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II. They had one daughter Marie-Elizabeth (1572-1578) and Charles had an illegitimate son, the Duke d’Angouleme, by his mistress, Marie Touchet. Sad, sickly, and vacillating, he was dominated by mother, whose policies contributed to the outbreak of Wars of Religion in March 1562. Alternately in grip of Guises and Bourbons, he had little effect on events except during a brief period of Huguenot ascendency at Court, 1570-2, when their leader Gaspard de Coligny (1519-1572), acting as second father, advocated unity at home in a patriotic war against Spain by sending troops to help the Dutch in the Revolt of the Netherlands. Coligny almost extracted Charles from maternal influence, but not quite, for, by histrionically playing on his emotions, she persuaded him to decisions which led to the murder of Coligny and the Massacre of St. Bartholomew (23-4 Aug 1572). Depressed by remorse, he died at Vincennes of tuberculosis.