Henry II of Navarre
| Henry II | |
|---|---|
 Henry II by an unknown French painter | |
| King of Navarre | |
| Reign | 12 February 1517 - 25 May 1555 |
| Predecessor | Catherine |
| Successor | Joan III |
| Born |
18 April 1503 Sangüesa |
| Died |
25 May 1555 (aged 52) Hagetmau |
| Spouse | Margaret of Angouleme |
| House | House of Albret |
| Father | John III of Navarre |
| Mother | Catherine of Navarre |
Henry II (18 April 1503 – 25 May 1555), nicknamed Sangüesino because he was born at Sangüesa, was the King of Navarre from 1517, although his kingdom had been reduced to a small territory north of the Pyrenees by the Spanish conquest of 1512. Henry succeeded his mother, Queen Catherine, and her husband, King John III (died 1516).
King of Navarre
After the latest failed reconquest attempt of Navarre in 1516, John III died, followed by Catherine I's demise in her independent dependencies of Béarn (1517). Heir apparent Henry was proclaimed King of Navarre, and was lavishly crowned in Lescar. The title was also claimed by Ferdinand II of Aragon, who had invaded the realm in 1512 and usurped the title, and the claim was continued by his grandson Charles V. Henry II enjoyed the protection of Francis I of France.
After ineffectual conferences at Noyon in 1516 and at Montpellier in 1518, an active effort was made in 1521 to establish him in de facto sovereignty in Pamplona and occupied territory. A French and Navarrese expedition made another attempt at reconquering occupied Navarre, but were ultimately repelled by Charles after the Battle of Noain (June 1521).
In 1525, Henry was taken prisoner at the Battle of Pavia, but he contrived to escape under a guise and in 1526, married Margaret, sister of King Francis I and widow of Charles, Duke of Alençon. By her, he was the father of Joan III of Navarre, and was consequently the grandfather of Henry IV of France. In 1530, after the Treaty of Cambrai between Castile and France, Charles V evacuated the northernmost county (merindad) of Navarre, Lower Navarre, allowing Henry to seize it. The Pyrenean border between Lower and Upper Navarre now constitutes the Franco-Spanish border in this sector.
Henry had some strong sympathy with the Huguenots, and was fluent in both French and Spanish, according to the seigneur de Brantôme.[1] He died at Hagetmau on 25 May 1555.
Marriage
In 1526, he married Margaret of Angoulême[2] who became known as Marguerite de Navarre (11 April 1492- 21 December 1549) and had issue:
- Joan III of Navarre (16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572)
- John (7 July 1530 - 25 December 1530)
Ancestors
Henry's ancestors in four generations
| Jean I of Albret | |||||||||
| Alain I of Albret | |||||||||
| Catherine de Rohan | |||||||||
| John III of Navarre | |||||||||
| William of Châtillon-Limoges | |||||||||
| Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges | |||||||||
| Isabelle de la Tour d'Auvergne | |||||||||
| Henry II of Navarre | |||||||||
| Gaston IV, Count of Foix | |||||||||
| Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana | |||||||||
| Eleanor of Navarre | |||||||||
| Catherine I of Navarre | |||||||||
| Charles VII of France | |||||||||
| Magdalena of Valois | |||||||||
| Marie of Anjou | |||||||||
Notes
References
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
| Henry II of Navarre Born: April 18 1503 Died: May 25 1555 | ||
| Preceded by Catherine |
King of Navarre Count of Foix 1517 – 25 May 1555 |
Succeeded by Joan III |
|}
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