On This Day
·

France and England sign an anti-Spanish military agreement

Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from...

Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. He pragmatically balanced the interests of the Catholic and Protestant parties in France, as well as among the European states. He was assassinated in Paris in 1610 by a Catholic zealot, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII.

Henry was baptised a Catholic but raised as a Huguenot in the Protestant faith by his mother, Queen Jeanne III of Navarre. He inherited the throne of Navarre in 1572 on his mother's death.

Historical Significance

Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610.

Events Before

  1. Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of Catholic states formed by Pope Pius V destroys an Ottoman fleet in a significant defea

    Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of Catholic states formed by Pope Pius V destroys an Ottoman fleet in a significant defeat off Western Greece

  2. Spanish troops occupy Manila

    Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people.

  3. Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England

    Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England

  4. Miguel Lopez de Lagazpi founds Manilla in the Philippines

    Miguel Lopez de Lagazpi founds Manilla in the Philippines

  5. Catholic rebellion in Scotland

    Catholic rebellion in Scotland

Events After

  1. The Geuzen set fire to the city of Woudrichem

    Woudrichem is a city and former municipality in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

  2. Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, granting religious freedom in Poland

    The Warsaw Confederation, also called the Compact of Warsaw, was a political-legal act signed in Warsaw on 28 January 1573 by the first Convocation Sejm (Sejm konwokacyjny) held in the Polish...

  3. Turkey and Venice sign a peace treaty

    Turkey and Venice sign a peace treaty

  4. The spire of Beauvais Cathedral, France, which made it the tallest human-made monument in the world at the time, collaps

    The spire of Beauvais Cathedral, France, which made it the tallest human-made monument in the world at the time, collapses (never rebuilt)

  5. Polish Parliament selects Duke of Anjou as king

    Polish Parliament selects Duke of Anjou as king

More from the 1570s

Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible begins his march to Novgorod

The massacre of Novgorod was an attack launched by Ivan the Terrible's oprichniki on the city of Novgorod, Russia, in 1570.

The Geuzen set fire to the city of Woudrichem

Woudrichem is a city and former municipality in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) abjures Catholicism at Tours

Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from...

Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.

Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 21, 1572?
Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. He pragmatically balanced the interests of the Catholic and Protestant parties in France, as well as among the European states.
Why is France and England sign an anti-Spanish military agreement significant?
Henry IV (French: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (le Bon Roi Henri) or Henry the Great (Henri le Grand), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610.

Explore More

April 21 in HistoryYear 1572