Henry II of Navarre

Henry II
Henry II by an unknown French painter
King of Navarre
Reign	12 February 1517 - 25 May 1555
Predecessor	Catherine
Successor	Joan III
Spouse	Margaret of Angouleme
House	House of Albret
Father	John III of Navarre
Mother	Catherine of Navarre
Born	(1503-04-18)18 April 1503 Sangüesa
Died	25 May 1555(1555-05-25) (aged 52) Hagetmau

Henry II (18 April 1503 – 25 May 1555) was king of Navarre from the death of his mother, Queen Catherine, until his own death. Born at Sangüesa, he was the son of Catherine's husband and co-ruler, King John III.

King of Navarre

Coat of arms of Henry II.

When Catherine died in exile in 1517, Henry was proclaimed king of Navarre. The title was also claimed by Ferdinand II of Aragon, who had invaded the realm in 1512. Under the protection of Francis I of France, he assumed the title of King of Navarre and was lavishly crowned in Lescar, despite Ferdinand's claim being continued by his grandson Charles I.

After ineffectual conferences at Noyon in 1516 and at Montpellier in 1518, an active effort was made in 1521 to establish him in de facto sovereignty. The French and Navarrese invaded Spanish Navarre, but were ultimately expelled by Charles after the Battle of Noain (June 1521).

Henry in contemporary miniature

In 1525, Henry was taken prisoner at the Battle of Pavia, but he contrived to escape under a guise and in 1526, married Margaret, sister of King Francis I and widow of Charles, Duke of Alençon. By her, he was the father of Joan III of Navarre, and was consequently the grandfather of Henry IV of France. Henry, who had some strong sympathy with the Huguenots, died at Hagetmau on 25 May 1555.

Marriage

In 1526, he married Margaret of Angoulême who became known as Marguerite de Navarre (11 April 1492- 21 December 1549) and had issue:

1. Joan III of Navarre (16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572)
2. John (7 July 1530 - 25 December 1530)

Ancestors

Henry's ancestors in four generations

									Jean I of Albret
						Alain I of Albret
									Catherine de Rohan
			John III of Navarre
									William of Châtillon-Limoges
						Françoise of Châtillon-Limoges
									Isabelle de la Tour d'Auvergne
Henry II of Navarre
									Gaston IV, Count of Foix
						Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana
									Eleanor of Navarre
			Catherine I of Navarre
									Charles VII of France
						Magdalena of Valois
									Marie of Anjou

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Henry II of Navarre House of Albret Born: April 18 1503 Died: May 25 1555
Preceded by Catherine	King of Navarre Count of Foix 1517 – 25 May 1555	Succeeded by Joan III

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