Henri III: King of Poland & King of France

Henri III Of France was born on 19 September 1551 in Fontainebleau and died on 2 August 1589 in Saint-Cloud. He was King of Poland from 1573 to 1575 and King of France from 1574 to 1589. Henri was the last king of the Valois dynasty. As he was the fourth son of King Henry II and Queen Catherine de Medici, Henry was not destined to reign. During the reign of his brother Charles IX, he distinguished himself as head of the royal army by winning the battles of Jarnac and Moncontour against the Protestants. At the age of 21, he ran for the vacant Polish throne and on 11 May 1573 was elected as Henryk Walezy, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His reign did not last more than a year, since when his brother died without male offspring, he abandoned his kingdom to succeed Charles on the throne of France. On becoming King of France, Henry III inherited a divided kingdom where his authority was only partially recognised. His reign was marked by serious religious, political and economic problems. Four religious wars took place during his reign. Henry III had to deal with political and religious parties supported by foreign powers, which eventually undermined his authority, the party of the Malcontents, the party of the Protestants and finally the party of the League, which managed to have him assassinated. He died in Saint-Cloud on 2 August 1589 after being stabbed by the monk Jacques Clément.