François, Duke of Anjou
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Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon, (March 18, 1555 – June 19, 1584) was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.
An attractive child, he was unfortunately scarred by smallpox at age eight, and his pitted face and slightly deformed spine did not suit his august birth name of "Hercules". He changed his name to François in honour of his brother François II of France when he was confirmed.
In 1574, following the death of his brother Charles IX of France and the accession of his other brother Henry III of France, he became heir to the throne. In 1576, he was made Duke of Anjou, Touraine, and Berry.
In 1576, he negotiated the Edict of Beaulieu during the French Wars of Religion. In 1579, he was invited by William the Silent to become hereditary sovereign to the United Provinces. On September 29, 1580, the Dutch Staten Generaal (with the exception of Zeeland and Holland) signed the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours with the Duke, who would assume the title "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands" and become the sovereign.
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[edit] Courting Elizabeth I
At the same time, in 1579, arrangements began to be made for his marriage to Elizabeth I of England. Alençon was in fact the only one of Elizabeth's many suitors to court her in person. He was 26 and Elizabeth was 47. Despite the age gap, the two soon became very close, Elizabeth dubbing him her "frog". Whether or not Elizabeth truly planned on marrying Alençon is a hotly debated topic. It is obvious that she was quite fond of him, knowing that he was probably going to be her last suitor. She brought him beef tea every morning and gave him a jewel-encrusted toque to wear until she could give him a crown of his own. However, the English people were very much against the match. They complained loudly and vigorously over Alençon's religion (Catholic), his nationality (French) and his mother (Catherine de Medici). English Protestants warned that the "heart of the [English] people would be galled by such a marriage... even the very common people know that he is the son of the Jezebel of our age"[citation needed]. Indeed, at her age, Elizabeth feared the hazards of childbirth, and pragmatically speaking did not think the union was a wise one. However, she continued to play the engagement game for 3 months, if only to warn Phillip II of Spain what she might do if it became necessary. Finally, the game played itself out and Elizabeth bid her "frog" farewell. Alençon continued on to the Netherlands. He did not arrive until February 10, 1582, when he was officially welcomed by William in Flushing.
[edit] Alençon in the Netherlands
Alençon was not very popular with the Dutch, who continued to see the Catholic French as enemies; the provinces of Zeeland and Holland refused to recognise him as their sovereign, and William was widely criticised for his "French politics". When Anjou's French troops arrived in late 1582, William's plan seemed to pay off, as even the Duke of Parma feared that the Dutch would now gain the upper hand.
However, Alençon himself was dissatisfied with his limited power, and decided to take the city of Antwerp, Bruges, Dunkirk, and Ostende by force.
[edit] The "Folly of Antwerp"
He decided to personally head the attack on Antwerp on January 18, 1583. In an attempt to fool the citizens of Antwerp, Alençon asked to be permitted to enter the city in order to honor them with a parade. No one was fooled. As soon as the troops entered the city, the gates of Antwerp were slammed shut behind them. The French troops were trapped in the city and were bombarded from windows/rooftops with stones, rocks, logs and even heavy chains. Then, the city's garrison opened deadly, point-blank fire on the troops. Only a few Frenchmen, including Alençon, escaped. Over 1500[citation needed] troops perished, eventually hacked to death by the enraged citizens of Antwerp.
[edit] Death
Antwerp marked the end of Alençon's military career. His mother, Catherine de Medici is said to have written to him that "would...you have died young. You would then not have been the cause of the death of so many brave gentlemen"[citation needed]. Another insult followed when Elizabeth I formally ended her engagement to him after the massacre. The position of Alençon after this attack became impossible to hold, and he eventually left the country in June. His leave also discredited William, who nevertheless maintained his support for Alençon.
Soon Alençon fell seriously ill with what was said to be "tertiary ague". Catherine de Medici brought him back to Paris, where he was reconciled to his brother, King Henri III of France in February 1584. Henri even embraced his brother, who he had famously called 'le petit magot' (the little ape). By June, Alençon was dead.
Alençon's premature death meant that the Huguenot Henry of Navarre became heir-presumptive, thus leading to an escalation in the French Wars of Religion.
| Preceded by New Creation |
Duke of Évreux 1560–1584 |
Succeeded by Extinct |
| Duke of Alençon and Château-Thierry Count of Perche, Meulan and Mantes 1566–1584 |
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| Duke of Anjou, Berry and Touraine 1576–1584 |
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