author
King of France Henry IV
1553–1610
A soldier-king who helped pull France out of the Wars of Religion, he became one of the country's most remembered rulers for choosing peace over division. His life joins battlefield drama, political compromise, and a violent end in Paris.
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 IV began as Henry of Navarre and became king of France in 1589, the first Bourbon monarch to rule the country. He grew up in the bitter age of the French Wars of Religion, and his rise to the throne came through years of conflict, shifting alliances, and personal danger.
He is best known for helping restore stability to France after decades of civil war. After converting to Catholicism in 1593, he was able to secure Paris and strengthen his hold on the crown. His reign is closely linked with the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted important rights to French Protestants and helped ease religious violence.
Henry IV later earned a lasting reputation as a practical, energetic ruler who worked to rebuild the kingdom's finances and authority. He was assassinated in Paris on May 14, 1610, but his image as "Good King Henry" remained powerful long after his death.