Guise, Family

GUISE, FAMILY. - A French ducal house that took its name from the castle and town of G. in northern France (department of the Aisne). It derives from a cadet branch of the dukes of Lorraine, which began to gain importance at the court of Louis XII and Francis I with Duke CLAUDE, husband of Antoinette of Bourbon. His son FRANCIS, b. at Bar on 17 February 1519, d. at Orléans on 24 February 1563, married Anne d'Este, daughter of Ercole II, duke of Ferrara. He distinguished himself as a general in the last campaigns of Francis I and in those of Henry II against the Habsburgs.

He was sent by Henry II in 1557 to Rome to direct the war that Paul IV had begun against the Spaniards of the duke of Alba in Roman territory; but he had to return to France after the defeat of Saint-Quentin. He was then appointed lieutenant general of the Kingdom. He took part in the war against the Spaniards and the English and in 1558 reconquered Calais. During the reign of Francis II, G., together with his brother the cardinal, effectively held the government of France, and their power was strengthened by the failure of the Huguenot conspiracy of Amboise. But this predominance declined under Charles IX because of the policy of balance between the two factions adopted by Catherine de' Medici. F. nevertheless continued to be the recognized head of the Catholics; after the civil war began with the attack of Vassy (1562), F. took Rouen from the Huguenots, defeated Coligny at Dreux, but during the siege of Orléans he was killed by a pistol shot treacherously fired at him by a Huguenot.

HENRY I, duke of G., son of Francis and of Anne d'Este, b. on 31 December 1550, d. at Blois on 23 December 1588. He succeeded his father as head of the Catholics in the struggle against the Huguenots. In 1567 he served in Hungary against the Turks. He then played a preeminent part in the civil wars of France. In 1569 he fought the Huguenots at Jarnac, at Moncontour and at the siege of Poitiers. After having vainly aspired to the hand of Margaret of Valois, he married Catherine of Cleves. His prestige, weakened by the court's agreement with the Huguenots, rose again after the massacre of St. Bartholomew.

In 1575 he received a wound to the face in combat, whence he was given the nickname of Balafre. In 1576 he promoted the "holy union" or League of the Catholics. In 1584 Henry III, worried by his power, outlawed him. G. then concluded an alliance with Philip II (Treaties of Joinville and of Péronne). From 1585 began the war that was called the war of the three Henrys. The people of Paris, on the "day of the barricades" (1588), rose up in favor of G., but he did not dare to seize the person of the king and let him flee from the city, contenting himself with the office of lieutenant general of the Kingdom. Henry III invited him to the meeting of the Estates General at Blois and there had him killed by his Gascon guard (the Forty-five). H. of G. was a man of great courage and boundless ambition; if the implacable war that he waged against the Huguenots rallied around him the people, in their great majority Catholic, the understandings with Spain were the first seed of the dissensions that a few years later brought Henry of Bourbon to the throne.

At the same time as this predominance in the affairs of France, the G. had a large share in ecclesiastical offices. By an uninterrupted contrivance of commendams and of resignations at the opportune moment, they held throughout the 16th century the churches of Metz, Reims, Lyon and others in France and representatives in the College of Cardinals. JOHN, son of René, king of Sicily and duke of Lorraine, bishop of Metz on 20 October 1505, received the cardinalate from Leo X on 28 May 1518, and died on 10 May 1550. He also held the administration of Reims and of Lyon, which he transmitted to his nephew

CHARLES, who became archbishop of Reims at the age of 14. He, the brother of Duke Francis, was created cardinal at the age of 23 at the request of King Henry II on 27 July 1547; he was present at the Council of Trent in 1562-1563, where he played a large part in the disputes concerning the constitution of the Church, upholding there the doctrines of Constance and Basel; he died at Avignon on 26 Dec. 1574. His brother LOUIS, bishop of Metz on 2 June 1558, was created cardinal by Julius III on 22 Dec. 1553 and died on 29 March 1578. A second LOUIS, this one the brother of Duke Henry, archbishop of Reims in 1574, was created cardinal by Gregory XIII on 21 Feb. 1578, but never came to Rome and held no cardinalitial title. He was killed together with his brother by order of Henry III, at Blois, on 24 Dec. 1588. The son of Duke Henry was CHARLES, who succeeded Cardinal Louis in the bishopric of Metz on 18 July 1578 and on 1 July 1592 received that of Strasbourg in administration. Sixtus V created him cardinal on 20 Dec. 1589; he died on 24 Nov. 1607.