author
King of France Henry IV
1553–1610
A Protestant-born king who fought his way to the French throne, he is remembered for helping end the bitter Wars of Religion and for trying to rebuild a divided kingdom. His life mixes battlefield drama, sharp political instinct, and one of the most famous royal assassinations in French history.
1 Audiobook
Edict du Roy, & Declaration sur les precedents Edicts de Pacification
by King of France Henry IV
About the author
Born in Pau on December 13, 1553, Henry first became king of Navarre in 1572 and later inherited the French crown in 1589, becoming the first Bourbon king of France. Raised in the Protestant tradition, he came of age during the French Wars of Religion, a long and violent struggle that shaped both his career and his reputation.
To secure his rule over a deeply divided country, he converted to Catholicism in 1593. He is closely associated with the Edict of Nantes of 1598, which granted important rights to French Protestants while keeping Catholicism as the kingdom's official religion. Historians also remember him for backing practical reforms that helped restore order, improve finances, and strengthen France after years of conflict.
Henry's popularity later inspired nicknames such as "Good King Henry," though his reign remained politically tense and dangerous. He was assassinated in Paris on May 14, 1610, ending a reign that many saw as a turning point between civil war and recovery in early modern France.