Charles IX of France
 | King Charles IX |
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Charles IX (
June 27,
1550 –
May 30,
1574) was born
Charles-Maximilien, the son of King
Henri II of France and
Catherine de Medici. He was born in the royal chateau at
Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
After the death of his elder brother,
Francis II, in
1560, he inherited the throne and was crowned King of
France in
1560 in the cathedral at
Reims. The politics of that era was greatly influenced by the power of the ambitious Catherine de Medici and the
Guises.
During the reign of Charles IX a new product was introduced, designed to cure ulcers and heal wounds along with other such benefits.
Tobacco soon gained wide acceptance.
He was made a knight of the
order of the Garter on Sunday
May 14 1564 at St George's, Windsor, along with
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and
Sir Henry Sidney.
On
November 26,
1570 he married
Elisabeth of Austria. They had one daughter, Marie-Elisabeth (
October 27,
1572 â€"
April 9,
1578).
In 1572, Charles IX oversaw the massacre of thousands of
Huguenots (
Protestants) from in and around Paris in what became known as the
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
Charles IX died at
Vincennes,
Val-de-Marne in 1574 and was succeeded by his brother,
Henri III.
Charles IX had an illegitimate son from his mistress,
Marie Touchet: the
Duc d'Angoulême.
*
French Wars of Religion
