Bourbon, Antoine de
Bourbon, Antoine de
(äNtwän` də bo͞orbôN`), 1518–62, duc de Vendôme, king of Navarre through his marriage to Jeanne d'AlbretJeanne d'Albret, 1528–72, queen of Navarre (1555–72), daughter of Henri d'Albret and Margaret of Navarre, and mother of King Henry IV of France (Henry III of Navarre). She became queen of Navarre on her father's death.
..... Click the link for more information. ; father of Henry IV of France. He converted to Protestantism after his marriage (1548), becoming one of the most influential Huguenot leaders. Although he did not take part in the conspiracy of Amboise (Mar., 1560), which was masterminded by his brother Louis I de Condé (see under CondéCondé
, family name of a cadet branch of the French royal house of Bourbon. The name was first borne by Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, 1530–69, Protestant leader and general.
..... Click the link for more information. , family), he supported Condé in another plot later that year. It miscarried, and Antoine was forced to hand Condé over to Catherine de' Medici. Upon the death of Francis II in Dec., 1560, Antoine renounced his right to the regency for the minor Charles IX in return for Condé's release; he was awarded the prestigious but powerless position of royal lieutenant general. In 1561 he reembraced Roman Catholicism, joining the Guise-Montmorency alliance, which hoped to replace Catherine's regency with his own. He was killed the next year fighting the Protestants at Rouen.
Bourbon, Antoine de
Born Apr. 22, 1518; died Nov. 17, 1562. French statesman; became Duke of Vendôme in 1537. Through his marriage in 1548 to Jeanne d’Albret, sole heir to the throne of Navarre, Bourbon in 1555 became king of Navarre and ruler of all the lands of the d’Albret house (in the south of France). Enmity for the Guise family and his wife’s influence pushed Bourbon into the camp of the Huguenots, and he found himself involved in the Amboise Conspiracy of 1560 against members of the Guise family. After Francis II’s death in March 1561, he was appointed viceregent of the French kingdom. Abandoning Calvinism, he took command of the Catholic army. Bourbon died in the siege of Rouen, which had been taken by the Huguenots. He was the father of the French king Henry IV.