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Henri IV
1553-1610
Historical Figure
The first king of the House of Bourbon, Henri IV put an end to the Wars of Religion that had torn France apart for more than thirty years. Leader of the Protestant nobility and king of Navarre, he came to the French throne in 1589.
To bring peace to the kingdom, he solemnly renounced Protestantism at Saint-Denis in 1593. The famous phrase "Paris is well worth a Mass" is often attributed to him, but historians say this is incorrect.
In 1598, the Edict of Nantes established a lasting peace between Protestants and Catholics. A popular king devoted to the country's prosperity, he was assassinated on the rue de la Ferronnerie by Ravaillac on May 14, 1610.
