Henry II, Duke of Lorraine

Henry II (French: Henri II; 8 November 1563 – 31 July 1624), known as "the Good (le Bon)", was Duke of Lorraine from 1608 until his death. Leaving no sons, both of his daughters became Duchesses of Lorraine by marriage. He was a brother-in-law of Henry IV of France.

Henry II "the Good"
Duke of Lorraine and Bar
Reign14 May 1608 – 31 July 1624
PredecessorCharles III
SuccessorNicole
Born8 November 1563
Ducal Palace of Nancy, Lorraine
Died31 July 1624(1624-07-31) (aged 60)
Ducal Palace of Nancy, Lorraine
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1599; died 1604)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1606)​
    IssueNicole, Duchess of Lorraine
    Claude, Duchess Consort of Lorraine
    Names
    Henri
    HouseLorraine
    FatherCharles III, Duke of Lorraine
    MotherClaude of France
    ReligionRoman Catholicism

    History and family

    Henry was the son of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine,[1] and Claude of Valois,[2] daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.[3] His paternal grandparents were Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark.[4]

    Henry married, firstly, Catherine of Bourbon, Duchess of Albret, daughter Antoine of Navarre and Jeanne d'Albret, sister of King Henry IV of France.[5] The couple were married at the Château de Saint Germain-en-Laye outside Paris on 31 January 1599.[5] The bride was already 39 years of age and the union was merely to secure relations with the House of Bourbon which had previously been rivals with the House of Lorraine. As Catherine was a Protestant and Henry was a Catholic, a papal dispensation was needed for the two to marry.[6] Pope Clement VIII refused to grant a dispensation,[6] but Catherine's brother, Henry, convinced their illegitimate half-brother, Charles, Archbishop of Rouen, to officiate at the wedding.[5]

    Catherine died childless in 1604, aged 45. With no issue from that union, Duke Henry married, secondly, Margherita Gonzaga on 24 April 1606 in Mantua.[7] She was the eldest daughter of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and his wife Eleonora de' Medici.[7] Margherita's sister Eleonor Gonzaga was a future Holy Roman Empress.

    Henry was succeeded by his younger brother as Francis II, Duke of Lorraine.

    Issue

    Henry and Margherita had four daughters, two of whom survived to adulthood:

    Ancestry

    References
    1. Bogdan 2007, p. 286.
    2. Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1911, p. table 34.
    3. Knecht 1999, p. 34.
    4. Bogdan 2007, p. 119-120.
    5. Pitts 2009, p. 223-224.
    6. Duke 2009, p. 239.
    7. Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1911, p. 88.

    Sources
    • Bogdan, Henry (2007). La Lorraine des ducs (in French). Perrin.
    • Duke, A. C. (2009). Pollmann, Judith; Spicer, Andrew (eds.). Dissident Identities in the Early Modern Low Countries. Ashgate.
    • Knecht, R.J. (1999). Catherine de' Medici (2nd ed.). Longman.
    • Pitts, Vincent J. (2009). Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
    • Ward, Adolphus William; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley, eds. (1911). The Cambridge Modern History. Vol. 13. The Macmillan Co.
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