Henry II, Duke of Lorraine

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Henry II "the Good"
Duke of Lorraine
Henri II Lorraine.jpg
Born8 November 1563
Ducal Palace of Nancy, Lorraine
Died31 July 1624(1624-07-31) (aged 60)
Ducal Palace of Nancy, Lorraine
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1599; died 1604)​
​
​
(m. 1606)​
IssueNicole, Duchess of Lorraine
Claude, Duchess of Lorraine
Names
Henri
HouseLorraine
FatherCharles III, Duke of Lorraine
MotherClaude of France
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Henry II (French: Henri II; 8 November 1563 – 31 July 1624), known as "the Good (le Bon)", was Duke of Lorraine from 1600 until his death. Leaving no sons, both of his daughters became Duchesses of Lorraine by marriage. He was a brother-in-law of Henry IV of France.

History and Family[]

He was the son of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine,[1] and Claude of Valois,[2] daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.[3] His paternal grandparents were Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark.[4]

He married, firstly, Catherine de Bourbon, Duchess of Albret, daughter Antoine of Navarre and Jeanne d'Albret, sister of King Henry IV of France.[5] The couple were married at the Château de Saint Germain-en-Laye outside Paris on 31 January 1599.[5] The bride was already 39 years of age and the union was merely to secure relations with the House of Bourbon which had previously been rivals with the House of Lorraine. As Catherine was a Protestant and Henry was a Catholic, a papal dispensation was needed for the two to marry.[6] Pope Clement VIII refused to grant a dispensation,[6] but Catherine's brother, Henry, convinced their illegitimate half-brother, Charles, Archbishop of Rouen, to officiate at the wedding.[5]

Catherine died childless in 1604, aged 45. With no issue from that union, Duke Henri married, secondly, Margherita Gonzaga on 24 April 1606 in Mantua.[7] She was the eldest daughter of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and his wife Eleonora de' Medici.[7] Margherita's sister Eleonor Gonzaga was a future Holy Roman Empress.

Henri was succeeded by his younger brother as Francis II, Duke of Lorraine.

Issue[]

Henry and Margherita had four daughters, two of whom survived to adulthood:

  • Stillborn daughter (February 1607).
  • Nicole of Lorraine (3 October 1608 – 23 February 1657), married her cousin, Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine,[7] separated in 1635.
  • A daughter (10 February 1611 - 11 February 1611).
  • Claude Françoise de Lorraine (6 October 1612 – 2 August 1648), married her cousin, Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine,[7]

Ancestry[]

References[]

  1. ^ Bogdan 2007, p. 286.
  2. ^ Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1911, p. table 34.
  3. ^ Knecht 1999, p. 34.
  4. ^ Bogdan 2007, p. 119-120.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Pitts 2009, p. 223-224.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Duke 2009, p. 239.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1911, p. 88.

Sources[]

  • Bogdan, Henry (2007). La Lorraine des ducs (in French). Perrin.
  • Duke, A. C. (2009). Pollmann, Judith; Spicer, Andrew (eds.). Dissident Identities in the Early Modern Low Countries. Ashgate.
  • Knecht, R.J. (1999). Catherine de' Medici (2nd ed.). Longman.
  • Pitts, Vincent J. (2009). Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Ward, Adolphus William; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley, eds. (1911). The Cambridge Modern History. Volume 13. The Macmillan Co. |volume= has extra text (help)

External links[]

Preceded by
Charles III 		Duke of Lorraine and Bar
and Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson
1608–1624 		Succeeded by
Nicole and Francis II
Preceded by
1610–1624
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