Henry II, Duke of Lorraine

Henry II (French: Henri II; 8 November 1563 – 31 July 1624) was Duke of Lorraine from 1608 until his death. His two daughters were Duchesses of Lorraine by marriage. He was also the brother-in-law of King Henry IV of France.

History and Family

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

From birth he was styled as the hereditary prince of Lorraine (prince héréditaire de Lorraine).

His siblings included Catherine of Lorraine, Abbess of Remiremont, and whose namesake was Catherine de' Medici; Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany as wife of Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany as well as his eventual successor Francis II, Duke of Lorraine.

He married first to princess Catherine de Bourbon, Duchess of Albret, and sister of king Henry IV of France and aunt of Louis XIII. The couple were married at the Château de Saint Germain-en-Laye outside Paris on 31 January 1599. The bride was already 40 years of age and the union was merely to secure relations with the House of Lorraine which had previously been rivals with the House of Bourbon.

Catherine died childless in 1604. With no issue from that union, he married for the second time to Margherita Gonzaga. She was a daughter of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and his wife Eleonora de' Medici (Eleonora was in turn the sister of Marie de' Medici, wife of Henry IV). Margherita's sister Eleonor Gonzaga was the future Holy Roman Empress.

Henri married Margherita on 24 April 1606 in Mantua with whom he had four children of which only two daughters survived and both married to cousins.

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

Issue

• a daughter (1607) who died in infancy;
• Nicole de Lorraine (3 October 1608 – 23 February 1657), married Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, no issue; separated in 1635;
• a daughter (10 February 1611 - 11 November 1611) who died in infancy;
• Claude Françoise de Lorraine (1612–1648), married Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine, had issue, died as a result of childbirth.

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 8 November 1563 – 14 May 1608 His Highness the Hereditary Prince of Lorraine
• 14 May 1608 – 31 July 1624 His Highness the Duke of Lorraine

See also