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Author Topic: King Henry IV and his wives  (Read 37877 times)

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ilyala

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King Henry IV and his wives
« on: August 11, 2005, 11:12:14 AM »
just wanted to start a topic about my favorite french king... he really was amazing, wasn't he? brought peace to france when peace was needed...
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umigon

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2005, 11:16:09 AM »


an amazing character, indeed.

Did you know that he bathed only four times in his life and that he was quite proud of it??
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Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2005, 11:16:39 AM »
he reminds me a lot of Elizabeth I of England - religious by political convenience . .  'Paris is worth a mass!'
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ilyala

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2005, 11:17:51 AM »
Quote

an amazing character, indeed.

Did you know that he bathed only four times in his life and that he was quite proud of it??



that's odd... i mean he slept with so many women (:P) did none of them complain? :D

and you're right about religion, lieven, one of the first tolerants of the world :)

(too bad his grandson had to ruin it all)
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Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2005, 11:21:30 AM »
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that's odd... i mean he slept with so many women (:P) did none of them complain? :D

and you're right about religion, lieven, one of the first tolerants of the world :)

(too bad his grandson had to ruin it all)


None of them complained because he was le roi!! Henry passed the Edict of Nantes, did he not, giving freedom of religion to Hugenots . . .?
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"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

ilyala

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2005, 11:23:53 AM »
yes he did. he would've been a hypocrite not to, considering he was a huguenot himself for such a long time...

anyone got any comments about his marriage to margot? :)
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Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2005, 11:29:28 AM »
She was an amazing woman too . . . The film about her, La Reine Margot, is spectacular. she was a little 'depraved' but quite the independent woman. But why on earth did he marry Catherine de Medici's cousin Marie, especially after Catherine's reputation . . .
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Offline cimbrio

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2005, 01:41:15 PM »
Why did he and Margot split up? Forgive me but I'm a bit dodgy on this point of French history...

Paris vaut bien une messe ;)
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Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2005, 01:43:32 PM »
Henri and Margot split up for a number of reasons, but mostly because both of them had had affairs and Margot could not have children.
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Offline cimbrio

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2005, 01:45:51 PM »
Didn't it hinder his chances to become King since she was directly related to the Royal Family and belonged to a cadet branch, or was he actually the nearest surviving male relative?
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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2005, 01:48:33 PM »
In the eyes of most, he was the nearest surviving male-line relative - he was descended from King Louis the Saint. The Conde family disputed this, I think, but by the time he divorced Margot he was well established at the next king.
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"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
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umigon

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2005, 04:03:00 PM »


Henry's father, Antoine de Bourbon, was the First Prince of the Blood, that is, the first male in line to the throne after Henry II and Catherine of Medicis's sons.

The marriage between Henry and Margot was a failure even before it had been done. First of all, a few months before the marriage, Jeanne d'Albret, Henry's mother, had been poisoned in France while negotiating peace with Catherine of Medicis and her son's marriage to Margot.

When they were married Margot was having a passionate affair with the Duke of Guise, with whom she would have loved to be married. During the wedding, when Margot had to say "yes" and accept Henry as her husband, she looked Guise for a while and said nothing. It was not until her brother King Charles IX ran to where she sat and hit her on her neck that she finally said "yes".

Then she refused to sleep with him and, a few days after the wedding, she took a new lover and the Saint Bartholomew Night massacre took place.

It was not a very good start, and it would become worst...
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Offline cimbrio

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2005, 01:53:55 AM »
Henri IV's death mask (I'm sorry the photo's so big). It would appear that the old fellow didn't have a nouth :P

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ilyala

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2005, 07:14:08 AM »
the conde family was actually the family of antoine de bourbon's younger brother so they couldn't contest henry's throne since they were obviously after him in line of succession.

henry and margot divorced mainly because they had no children, by the time of the divorce she was locked away (they had numerous fights), and not last because if by any miracle she became pregnant, chances were the baby wasn't his.

but i understand that for a while they were partners in crime, so to speak. they supported each other
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umigon

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Re: King Henry IV and his wives
« Reply #14 on: September 04, 2005, 07:55:52 AM »


What do you think about this woman? She is as controversial as her mother, Catherine of Medici, her brother Henri III and her husband Henri IV. I would like to start a new thread on her, feel free to contribute!




Margot de Valois as a young girl, by Clouet.
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