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| Henry II | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by unknown French artist | |
| King of Navarre | |
| Reign | 12 February 1517 –25 May 1555 |
| Predecessor | Catherine |
| Successor | Jeanne III andAntoine |
| Born | (1503-04-18)18 April 1503 Sangüesa |
| Died | 24 May 1555(1555-05-24) (aged 52) Hagetmau |
| Spouse | |
| Issue more... | Jeanne III |
| House | Albret |
| Father | John of Albret |
| Mother | Catherine of Navarre |
| Religion | Roman Catholic, although strongly sympathized withCalvinists throughout his life |
| Signature |  |
Henry II (Spanish:Enrique II; Basque:Henrike II; 18 April 1503 – 24 May 1555), nicknamedSangüesino because he was born inSangüesa, was theKing of Navarre from 1517. The kingdom had been reduced to a small territory north of the Pyrenees mountains by theSpanish conquest of 1512. Henry succeeded his mother,Queen Catherine, upon her death. His father was her husband and co-ruler,King John III, who died in 1516.
Henry was the son ofKing John III andQueen Catherine.[1] His father died in 1516.[2] His mother died on 12 February 1517 and Henry ascended the throne of Navarre.[3][4] Since he was 14 years old, his sisterAnne 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.
After the failedreconquest attempt of Navarre in 1516, John III died, followed by Catherine I's demise in her independent dependencies ofBéarn one year later, in 1517. Heir apparent Henry was proclaimed King ofNavarre, and was lavishly crowned inLescar. The title was also claimed byFerdinand II of Aragon, who had invaded the realm in 1512 and usurped the title, and the claim was continued by his grandsonCharles V. Henry II enjoyed the protection ofFrancis 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 theBattle of Noain in June 1521.[5]
In 1525, Henry was taken prisoner during theBattle of Pavia,[6] but he managed to escape and in 1526, marriedMargaret, the sister of King Francis I of France and the widow ofCharles, Duke of Alençon.[7] In 1530, after theTreaty 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 theHuguenots, and was fluent in both French and Spanish, according to theseigneur de Brantôme.[8] He died atHagetmau on 24 May 1555.[9]
In 1526, Henry marriedMarguerite of Angouleme.[10] They had:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Henry II. of Navarre".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 293.Henry II of Navarre Born: April 18 1503 Died: May 25 1555 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Navarre Count of Foix 1517 – 25 May 1555 | Succeeded by |
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