14th of May 1610: assassination of King Henri IV
Henri was known as le bon Roy, the good King. I found memoirs of the Revolution in which he is mentioned, almost 200 years after his death, as “the only king whose memory the people of France have treasured.” When the royal tombs at the Abbey of Saint-Denis were destroyed in 1793, an eyewitness reports that the embalmed body of Henri, perfectly preserved, was displayed in state in the Basilica, and that for days people filed in silence to pay their respects. And this at the height of the Revolution.
Assassination of Henri IV
Why this enduring popularity? Henri had, through his exceptional qualities as a military leader and politician, put an end to the religious wars that had torn France apart for decades. A Protestant, he had converted to Catholicism to unite his subjects. He had shown compassion to many, in particular the poorest, and presided over a time of national recovery and reconciliation.
And yet Henri faced over twenty assassination attempts during his reign, all unsuccessful until the 14th of May 1610. That day Henri is riding in an open carriage in the streets of Paris, but suddenly two carts block the passage. Guards leave the carriage for a moment to make way for the King. This is the moment a drifter by the name of François Ravaillac seizes to strike. He approaches the carriage and stabs Henri twice, severing the aorta. Then a group of armed men appear out of nowhere to kill the assassin on the spot, but one of the King’s attendants, the Baron de Courtomer, has enough presence of mind to disperse the men by telling them Henri is safe.
Ravaillac can then be arrested and questioned. The man is clearly unbalanced. He sought to take orders, first with the Feuillants, then with the Jesuits, but had been rejected by both on account of his hallucinations, which he believed to be religious visions. Had Ravaillac been manipulated by court factions, by foreign powers, by Queen Marie de Medici herself, crowned only the previous day? Had the assassin been forewarned of the path to be followed by the King? Had someone arranged for the carts to stop the cortege and distract the bodyguards?
Lone assassin, or far-ranging conspiracy? The investigation is suspiciously hasty: only 13 days between the crime and the execution of the assassin! Ravaillac’s prior connections and activities are left unexplored, people who have spoken in advance of the King’s untimely death as a sure thing are arrested, but not questioned. Ravaillac himself insists under torture that he has no accomplices, but when he is drawn and quartered on the 27th of May, he exclaims “I was deceived when they persuaded me that my deed would be well received by the people.” Who were the persons who so “persuaded” Ravaillac?
Four hundred years later, the mystery remains. What is certain is that a plaque still marks the spot on Rue de la Ferronnerie, in the Halles district, where the King was killed. And today the windows of bookstores are full of books commemorating Henri.
A king whose memory has been treasured indeed…
In a time when the words “Cruel and Unusual” did not exist, it seems that this assassin was treated as harshly as possible. Barrière another assassin received the rack and dismemberment. Châtel a third suffered as Ravaillac, even his priest was executed as well by burning.
Since St Bartholomew’s day assissination seemed to follow Henri IV.
I believe the next attempt of assissination in 1757, perpetrated by Damiens, upon the body of Louis XV, brought about an execution so horrible it shocked the King.
Pity. I think the world would be far different had Henri lived.
Yes indeed, Louis XV was shocked when he learned of Damien’s execution by ecartelement. Since no one really remembered in the 18th century how it was “done” it was even worse than before. Sanson, the bourreau, had to research Ravaillac’s execution.
And when it comes to Henri’s death, it is tempting to indulge in alternate history. Think of the tortured relationship, and long strife between Marie de Medicis and her son Louis XIII. I don’t believe she had any part in it herself, but I wouldn’t put such a heinous crime past some of the members of her entourage, namely the Concinis. The coincidence with her coronation is striking.
As I began reading this post I thought you meant Henri III. But it appears that you guys are serial king killers!
Joking aside, it’d be indeed interesting to see a “what if” history of France. Perhaps the king would reform her long before the Revolution, and the country would be strong enough to help us in the late 18th century? Ahh…
BTW As I look at Fragonard’s Kiss on the cover of your book it reminds me that the painting belonged to the collection of Poland’s last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, whose cousin in law used to have an affair with Lauzun, so everything fits.
“What if” indeed. Henri IV was as brilliant a politician as his grandon, Louis XIV, but far more popular. With a few kings of this caliber, it is doubtful the Revolution would have happened, or if it had, the King would have led it, as Louis XVI, another very popular leader, could have done.
Speaking of the Poniatowskis, another member of that family, Michel, was a prominent French politician in the 1970s… Indeed everything fits, doesn’t it?
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Poniatowski
Oh, and your politician was a descendant from a natural son of our king! The king, even though a latecomer, didn’t waste his time once he began. His first lover was Catherine the Great. But Michel comes from an affair with Cassandra Luci. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Poniatowski
I’d say that the entire “Familia” as they’re called here, i.e. the Czartoryskis, Poniatowskis and a branch of Potockis, were brilliant in many ways. Poniatowski is very controvercial, because he was our last king and his politics proved unsuccessful or even harmful. However, I’d say that he was a very good king on a very bad throne. In another country he’d do wonders. They did wonders in Poland too, in fact, only it was a century too late. But while they lost the country they saved the nation. It’s unlikely we’d speak Polish today were it not for their huge reforms in the 18th century. And the women in that family are some of our best too, including Izabela Czartoryska, the one who had an affair with Lauzun. Among others she created the first public museum in Poland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czartoryski_Museum
Izabela was married to her uncle, so one can’t blame her for looking for fun elsewhere. The Czartoryskis created a significant intellectual and political centre in their property at Puławy. They might have had affairs, but they were good friends and collaborators in all their political endeavours. Perhaps the saddest outcome of the partitions is that all our best people ended up in France, and they weren’t here when Poland needed them again in the 20th century.
BTW Madame Geoffrin compared Stanisław August Poniatowski to Henri IV.
I know the plaque you describe. My hotel was within the vicinity!
The late English historical fiction novelist Eleanor Hibbert, writing under her Jean Plaidy pseudonym, includes Henri IV’s assassination in her novel about Henrietta Maria, “Myself My Enemy” now reissued as “Loyal in Love” which is part of her “Queens of England” series.
Wonderful post, thanks Catherine,
Was Henri the king who converted because Paris was worth a mass?
I had not realized there was a conspiracy theory and this one has
more to it than the JFK assassination over here in the US
Yes, Henrietta Maria had been named after her father. I didn’t know of the Jean Plaidy book about her. And Penny, indeed Henri is reputed to have said “Paris vaut bien une messe” “Paris is worth a mass”. This is the kind of saying that is a bit too neat not to be apocryphal. The conspiracy theory here has some merit, all the more that there was no investigation to speak of…
Well, Sylwia, my offer of a guest post from you at Versailles and more still holds… As for Izabela Czartoryska, from reading Lauzun’s memoirs, she must have been the great love of his life. Not the only one, mind you…
Interesting post, Catherine! Thanks for taking a momentary excursion into the sixteenth century. I’ll post a link on my blog.
I think you have a thing for coaches and assassins….
Thanks, Julianne! Actually I believe it is assassins who have a thing for coaches, cars, etc. A ruler is far more vulnerable on a street than at home in the familiar surroundings of his or her palace…
Here is a post, surprisingly related to Henri IV:
http://crossoflaeken.blogspot.com/2010/12/royal-chapel-of-argenteuil.html
Happy New Year to all!
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