Henry II of Navarre

Early life

Henry was the son of King John III and Queen Catherine. His father died in 1516. His mother died on 12 February 1517 and Henry ascended the throne of Navarre. Since he was 14 years old, his sister Anne of Navarre functioned as his regent until he was 15 and was declared of legal majority on 18 April 1518. As Henry was often absent from Navarre, his sister Anne continued to act as his regent during his absences.

King of Navarre

After the failed reconquest attempt of Navarre in 1516, John III died, followed by Catherine I's demise in her independent dependencies of Béarn one year later, in 1517. Heir apparent Henry was proclaimed King of Navarre, and was lavishly crowned in Lescar. The title was also claimed by Ferdinand II of Aragon, who had invaded the realm in 1512 and usurped the title, and the claim was continued by his grandson Charles V. Henry II enjoyed the protection of Francis I of France.

A French and Navarrese expedition made another attempt at reconquering occupied Navarre, conquered Pamplona in May 1521, but were ultimately repelled by Charles after the Battle of Noain in June 1521.

In 1525, Henry was taken prisoner during the Battle of Pavia, but he managed to escape and in 1526, married Margaret, the sister of King Francis I of France and the widow of Charles, Duke of Alençon. In 1530, after the Treaty of Cambrai between Castile and France, Charles V evacuated the northernmost county (merindad) of Navarre, Lower Navarre, allowing Henry to seize it. The Pyrenean border between Lower and Upper Navarre now constitutes the Franco-Spanish border in this sector.

Henry had some strong sympathy with the Huguenots, and was fluent in both French and Spanish, according to the seigneur de Brantôme. He died at Hagetmau on 24 May 1555.

Marriage

In 1526, Henry married Marguerite of Angouleme. They had:

• Jeanne III of Navarre (16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572); mother of Henry IV of France
• John (7 July 1530 – 25 December 1530)

References

Sources

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