Henri II (apr 1, 1547 – jul 10, 1559)

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son of Francois I. Married to Catherine deMedici. As a child, Henry and his elder brother spent over four years in captivity in Spain as hostages in exchange for their father. Henry pursued his father's policies in matter of arts, wars, and religion, including continuing to decorate Paris and the Louvre in Renaissance style. He persevered in the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and tried to suppress the Protestant Reformation, even as the Huguenot numbers were increasing drastically in France during his reign. The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), which put an end to the Italian Wars, had mixed results: France renounced its claims to territories in Italy, but gained certain other territories. Spain remained the dominant power but the Holy Roman Empire was somewhat weakened. After an untimely death at a jousting tournament, he was succeeded in turn by three of his sons, whose ineffective reigns helped to spark the French Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. Henry was first succeeded by his sickly fifteen-year-old son, Francois II, who was married to sixteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots. Francis II died 18 months later in 1560, and Mary returned to Scotland the following summer. Francois II was succeeded by his ten-year-old brother Charles IX. His mother, Catherine de Medici, acted as Regent.

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