Henry II (of France)

Henry II (of France) (1519-1559), king of France (1547-1559), second son of King Francis I, born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He married the Florentine noblewoman Catherine de Médicis in 1533, and when his father died in 1547, Henry succeeded to the throne. During his reign he was much influenced by his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, duchesse de Valentinois, and by Duc Anne de Montmorency, constable of France. An ardent Roman Catholic, Henry persecuted the Protestants (Huguenots) in the later years of his reign. He continued the war waged by his father against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, seizing from him the bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun in 1552. Engaging in war with England in 1557-58, Henry won back Calais and Guînes, the last English possessions in France. From 1556 to 1559 he was involved in a war with Charles V's son, Philip II of Spain, notable mainly for the Spanish victory at Saint Quentin, Picardy (1557). Peace with Spain and England was restored by the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), by which Henry agreed to give up France's possessions in Italy. He was succeeded by his son, Francis II.