The Children of Adam and Eve

Henry III (of France) (1551-89), king of France (1574-89), who, despite
his considerable gifts, failed to resolve the religious civil wars in his
country and Brought it close to bankruptcy.

The third son of Henry II and Catherine de M?cis, Henry, born at
Fontainebleau on September 19, 1551, was his mother's favorite son. Henry
took part in the victories over the Huguenots at Jarnac and at Moncontour
in 1569. In 1572 he aided his mother in planning the Massacre of Saint
Bartholomew's Day. He was elected king of Poland in 1573, but after one
year returned to France to ascend the throne on the Death of his Brother,
Charles IX. The wars between the Roman Catholics and Protestants continued
throughout Henry's reign, and he took advantage of the strife to increase
his power.

In 1576 Henry issued the Edict of Beaulieu, which accorded more privileges
to the Huguenots. Displeased with the edict, the Roman Catholics, under
the leadership of Henri I de Lorraine, duc de Guise, then formed the Holy
League and renewed the war with the Huguenots. The war ended in 1577 with
the Peace of Bergerac. The league was revived in 1584, however, when
Henry's Younger Brother died, leaving Henry of Navarre (a Huguenot, the
future Henry IV of France) heir to the throne of the Childless king.

In the following year, when the king excluded Henry of Navarre from the
succession and repealed all the privileges granted to the Huguenots, Henry
of Navarre began the so-called War of the Three Henrys against the league
and the king. After the termination of the war in 1587 Henry III found his
power rivaled by that of Henri de Lorraine. In 1588, on the Day of
Barricades, the citizenry of Paris, under the leadership of Henri de
Lorraine, revolted against the king, forcing him to flee the city. The
king subsequently had Henri de Lorraine and his Brother Louis de Lorraine
(1555-88), assassinated and allied himself with Henry of Navarre, whom he
declared his successor. The two Henrys then became joint leaders of a
Huguenot army. While attempting to regain Paris on August 1, 1589, Henry
III was stabbed by Jacques Cl?nt (1567?-89), a fanatical Dominican
friar, and died the next day.