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Henry III of France
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Everything about Henry Iii Of France totally explained
Henry III of France () ( September 19 1551 – August 2, 1589), born Alexandre-Édouard de Valois-Angoulême, was King of France from 1574 to 1589, and as Henry of Valois, King of Poland from 1573 to 1574.
Life
Early years
Henri was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, third son of King Henri II and Catherine de' Medici, grandson of François I and Claude de France, and brother of François II and Charles IX of France. He was made duc d'Angoulême and duc d'Orléans in 1560, and duc d'Anjou in 1566.
In 1564 his name became Henri. He was his mother's favorite; she called him chers yeux ("Precious Eyes") and lavished her fondness and affection upon him for most of his life. His elder brother Charles grew to detest him, resenting Henry's greater health and activity.
Siblings
Youth
In his youth, he was considered the best of the sons of Catherine de' Medici and Henry II. Unlike his father and elder brothers, he'd little interest in the traditional Valois pastimes of hunting and physical exercise (although he was both fond of and skilled in fencing), preferring instead to indulge his tastes for the arts and reading – leanings which were attributed to his Italian mother.
He also, at one point in his youth, showed a tendency towards Protestantism as a means of rebelling - at the age of nine, calling himself un petit Huguenot, he refused to attend Mass, sang Protestant psalms to his sister Margot (exhorting her all the while to change her religion and cast her Book of Hours into the fire), and even bit the nose off a statue of Saint Paul.
His mother firmly cautioned her children against such behaviour, and he'd never again show any Protestant tendencies - instead becoming nominally Catholic.
His artistic tastes were a source of concern to the court. Unlike the other men of his family, he showed a marked interest in clothes and fabrics, jewels, lapdogs, and toys. He also had a keen eye for fashions and beauty which in his later years would become an obsession, and constantly appeared elegant and sophisticated, although not always appropriate – on festive occasions, he was known to dress more richly and fantastically than the ladies of the court, adorning himself with jewels and fantastic costumes, prompting the Spanish ambassador, Zuniga, to write to Philip II of Spain;
With all of this he shows who he really is.
On another occasion, a ball given by Catherine de' Medici at Chenonceau in June 1577, the King whole-heartedly participated in the theme - transvestism - by wearing;
diamonds, emeralds and pearls. His hair was tinted with violet powder and wearing a dress of superb brocade, he made a definite contrast to his wife, who had chosen not to dress in men's clothing.
Such appearances earned Henry blunt epithets such as "Prince of Sodom".
Henry is still widely assumed to have been homosexual or at least bisexual, though this is disputed.
Marriage?
In 1570, discussions commenced to arrange for Henri to court Elizabeth I of England. Elizabeth, almost 37, was in need of a husband and needed to produce an heir. However, nothing came of these discussions: Elizabeth, on her part, is viewed by historians as having intended only to concern Spain, rather than to have seriously intended marriage; and the chances of such a marriage were further blighted by their differing religious views (Henri was at least formally a Catholic, Elizabeth a firm Protestant), and his opinion of Elizabeth (he tactlessly referred to her as a putain publique (a "public whore"), made stinging remarks about their difference in age, and upon hearing she limped because of a varicose vein, called her an "old creature with a sore leg").
Burial
Henri III was interred at the Saint Denis Basilica. Childless, he was the last of the Valois kings. Henri III of Navarre succeeded him as Henri IV, the first of the Bourbon kings.
Additional viewing
The French movies, La Reine Margot (1954) and La Reine Margot (1994), both based on Alexandre Dumas' novel of the same title, are fictional depictions of the lives of Henri III's family, his sister Margot, and her Protestant husband Henri around the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Henri is played by the actor Pascal Greggory.
In Dumas' novel, Henri wasn't portrayed as homosexual, whereas, in the 1954 film, he was shown as an effeminate, comical queen.
In the 1994 film, he was portrayed as a more sinister character, bisexual and showing sexual interest for his sister. His brother dies by being accidentally poisoned by his mother, who had intended to kill Henri of Navarre instead.
The film Elizabeth, released in 1998, depicts the historical courtship between Elizabeth I of England and François, Duke of Anjou, Henry III's youngest brother. The film borrows some of the aspects of Henry III's life and features Anjou as a comical foolish transvestite. The role is portrayed by French actor Vincent Cassel.
In the film Dangerous Beauty he's a short affair with the main character, venetian courtesan Veronica Franco. He appears masculine, although he declared to Veronica that the "rumors" about him were true. He is played by British actor Jake Weber.
In an episode of Animaniacs, entitled The Three Muska-Warners, an Elmer Fudd-like Henri III is protected by Yakko, Wakko and Dot. In this version, Henri is portrayed by Jeff Bennett as nervous and jumpy, and for no apparent reason speaks with an English accent.
Conclusion on the reign in Poland
The short-term of reign of Henri Valois in the castle of Wawel was a real clash of civilization between the reality of Polish and French. Young king and his French fellows were amazed by few Polish particular practices, disappointing poverty of the rural areas and harsh climate of the country. Poles on the other hand wondered if all the Frenchmen are as caring about their appearance as Henri III tended to be.
Interestingly, in many aspects, Poland has been overtaken France though. It is at Wawel where Valois saw a kind of toilet-invent for the first time from which litter was taken outside the castle walls, and after returning to France, ordered the construction of such facilities in the Louvre and other palaces. It has been a lot of time, however, before the French and his men got used to this technical news, ceasing its handle physiological needs to fireplaces and the castle halls. The same matter looked with bath (regulating the hot and cold water), as well as using a fork - these inventions the French also didn't know.
Ancestors
Further Information
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