FRANCIS II, King of France. - Son of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, b. at Fontainebleau on 19 Jan. 1544, d. on 4 Dec. 1560. With the death of his father (10 July 1559) he ascended the throne at a very young age. His policy was directed by his uncles, Francis of Lorraine and Cardinal Charles of Lorraine, and formed part of the bitter struggle waged by them against French Calvinism. Under his reign, in March 1560, the conspiracy of Amboise was suppressed, with which the Calvinists, instigated by the Prince of Condé, had prepared the abduction of F. II in order to detach him from the influence of the Catholic nobility. F.'s uncles, who had at their disposal select Scottish troops (in 1558 F. had married Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland), arrested Condé at Orléans and subsequently succeeded in having him condemned to death (26 Nov.): the sudden death of F. and Catherine de' Medici's attempt at reconciliation saved the prince Louis of Condé.

Bibliography

BIBL.: H. Hauser, La preponderance espagnole, Paris 1933, n. 41 app. and bibliography cited therein.

Massimo Petrocchi

@incollection{ec5_francesco_ii_70_di_francia, author = {Petrocchi, Massimo}, title = {Francesco II, 70 di francia}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {1592}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/francesco-ii-70-di-francia} }

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Francis II, King of France

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