Francis II of France

Francis II
King of France
Reign 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560 (&100000000000000010000001 year, &10000000000000148000000148 days)
Coronation 21 September 1559
Predecessor Henry II
Successor Charles IX
King consort of Scots
Tenure 24 April 1558 – 5 December 1560
Spouse Mary, Queen of Scots
House House of Valois
Father Henry II of France
Mother Catherine de' Medici
Born 19 January 1544(1544-01-19)
Château de Fontainebleau, France
Died 5 December 1560(1560-12-05) (aged 16)
Orléans, France
Burial Saint Denis Basilica, France
Religion Roman Catholicism

Francis II (French: François II) (19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was aged 15 when he succeeded to the throne of France after the accidental death of his father, King Henry II, in 1559. He reigned for 18 months before he died in December 1560. He was also King consort of Scotland (1558–1560) as the husband of Queen Mary I.

He was born at the Royal Chateau at Fontainebleau, the son of Henry II, King of France (31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) and Catherine de' Medici (13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589).[1]

He was the grandson of King Francis I of France, and of Claude of France, and the brother of King Charles IX of France, and of King Henry III of France. He was also the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Contents

King consort of Scots

Following the death of her father, James V, King of Scots, Mary I was crowned Queen of Scots in Stirling Castle on 9 September 1543, at the age of nine months. The marriage between the Queen of Scots and the Dauphin of France, was arranged by Henry II of France in 1548, when Francis was just four years old. Once the marriage agreement had been formally ratified, the now six-year-old Mary was sent to France, to be raised in the royal court until the marriage.

Despite the fact that Mary was tall for her age (eventually reaching 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), making her almost a giant in the sixteenth century) and fluent in speech, while Francis was abnormally short and stuttered, Henry II commented that "from the very first day they met, my son and she got on as well together as if they had known each other for a long time".[2]

On 24 April 1558, the fourteen-year-old Dauphin was married to the Queen of Scots in a union that could have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary's great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England. However, Mary and Francis were to have no children during their short lived marriage, possibly due to Francis' illnesses or his undescended testicles.[3]

King of France

A year after his marriage, Francis' father, Henry II, died, and Francis, only fifteen years old, was crowned king at Reims. The crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it in place for him.[4] His mother, Catherine de' Medici, was appointed regent, but it is considered that Mary's uncles Francis, Duke of Guise and Charles of Guise may have held the real power in that period. There was a two year difference between them.

Francis II, who had always been a sickly child, died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans, Loiret, at the age of sixteen, when an ear infection worsened and caused an abscess in his brain. He is buried in Saint Denis Basilica.

He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX (27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574).[5]

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Rose, Hugh James; Rose, Henry John & Wright, Thomas (1857). A new general biographical dictionary. 7. London. p. 436. 
  2. ^ Guy, John (2004). My Heart is my Own. London: Fourth Estate. p. 47. ISBN 000719308. 
  3. ^ Farquhar, Michael (2001). A Treasure of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors. New York: Penguin Books. p. 81. ISBN 0739420259. 
  4. ^ Guy (2004), p. 102.
  5. ^ Rose et al. (1857), p. 436.
Francis II of France
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 19 January 1544 Died: 5 December 1560
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Henry II		 King of France
10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Charles IX
Scottish royalty
Preceded by
Mary of Guise		 King consort of Scotland
24 April 1558 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Henry Stuart
French royalty
Preceded by
Henry, 16th Dauphin		 Dauphin of France
as 'Francis, 17th Dauphin'
31 March 1547 – 10 July 1559		 Succeeded by
Vacant
(eventually Louis, 18th Dauphin)
Preceded by
Henry, Dauphin of France		 Heir to the Throne
as Heir apparent
31 March 1547 – 10 July 1559		 Succeeded by
Charles, Duke of Orléans
French nobility
Preceded by
Henry II of France		 Count of Provence and Forcalquier
as 'Francis II'
10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560		 Succeeded by
Charles IX of France
Preceded by
Henry I of Viennois		 Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois
as 'Francis V of Viennois'
31 March 1547 – 5 December 1560
Merovingians
(481–751)
Clovis I (481–511) • Chlothar I (511–561) • Charibert I (561–567) • Guntram (561–593) • Chilperic I (561–584) • Sigebert I (561–575) • Chlothar II (584–629) • Dagobert I (629–639) • Sigebert II (639–656) • Clovis II (639–657) • Chlothar III (657–673) • Theuderic III (673–691) • Clovis III (691–695) • Childebert III (695–711) • Dagobert III (711–715) • Chilperic II (715–721) • Chlothar IV (717–719) • Thierry IV (721–737) • Childeric III (737–751)
Carolingians
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House of Valois
(1328–1498)
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House of Valois-Orléans
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House of Valois-Angoulême
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Francis I (1515–1547) • Henry II (1547–1559) • Francis II (1559–1560) • Charles IX (1560–1574) • Henry III (1574–1589)
House of Bourbon
(1589–1792)
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