Charles de Bourbon (22 September 1523 – 9 May 1590) was a French cardinal. The Catholic League considered him the rightful King of France as Charles X after the death of Henry III in 1589. His claim was recognized as part of the secret

Treaty of Joinville The Treaty of Joinville was signed in secret on 31 December 1584 by the Catholic League, led by France's first family of Catholic nobles, the House of Guise, and Habsburg Spain. Treaty provisions In the treaty: * Philip II of Spain agreed to fi ...

concluded between Philip II of Spain and the League.

Biography

He was born at

La Ferté-sous-Jouarre La Ferté-sous-Jouarre () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne département in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located at a crossing point over the river Marne between Meaux and Château-Thierry. History This area of Fr ...

, in what is now the department of

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

, the eighth child of Charles IV de Bourbon, duke of Vendôme. His mother was

Françoise d'Alençon Françoise d'Alençon (1490 – 14 September 1550) was the eldest daughter of René of Alençon and Margaret of Lorraine, and the younger sister and despoiled heiress of Charles IV, Duke of Alençon. The sister and heiress of Charles IV of ...

. Charles made a rapid career in the Roman Catholic hierarchy. He was

bishop of Nevers The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers ( la, Dioecesis Nivernensis, link=no; french: Diocèse de Nevers, link=no) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Nièvre, in the Regio ...

(1540–1545),

bishop of Saintes The former French diocese of Saintes existed from the 6th century to the French Revolution. Its bishops had their see in the cathedral of Saintes in western France, in the modern department of Charente-Maritime. After the Concordat of 1801, the ...

(1545–1550, elevated to cardinal in 1548),

archbishop of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Arch ...

(1550–1590),

bishop of Nantes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nantes ( la, Dioecesis Nannetensis; french: Diocèse de Nantes; br, Eskopti Naoned) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Nantes, France. The diocese consists of the department of Loire- ...

(1550–1554), Papal legate in Avignon (1565–1590) and

bishop of Beauvais The Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis ( la, Dioecesis Bellovacensis, Noviomensis et Silvanectensis; french: Diocèse de Beauvais, Noyon et Senlis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The di ...

(1569–1575). Following the massacre at Wassy and with tensions rising between Guise and Conde forces in Paris, Catherine de' Medici appointed him governor of Paris. Charles attempted to get both to leave Paris to no avail. On 31 December 1578 he was made the first commander in the

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed: Louis Alphonse, Duke of AnjouJean, Count of Pari ...

. When the duke of Alençon and Anjou died childless in 1584 while King Henry III of France was also still childless it was clear that the

house of Valois The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. Junior members of the f ...

would come to an end with the death of the king and the succession to the French throne would then pass to the house of Bourbon-Vendôme who were descended from

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

. However, the senior member of the family,

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

(son of Charles's late elder brother Antoine), was a Protestant. The Catholic League, party to the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

, excluded all Protestants from the succession, which made Charles de Bourbon their champion. In the secret

of 31 December 1584 he was recognized by the leaders of the league and a representative of Philip II of Spain as the heir to Henry III of France. Henry III had Charles imprisoned in the castle of

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...

on 23 December 1588. He was transferred from one castle to another, presumably to prevent escape. On Henry III's death in 1589, the League proclaimed Charles king, while he was still a prisoner and in the castle of

Chinon Chinon () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine, became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginning in the late 15th and early 16th centur ...

. He was recognized as Charles X by the parlement of Paris on 21 November 1589. His prison was considered too close to Catholic territory, so he was again transferred, this time to Fontenay-le-Comte. The Catholic League issued coins in his name from 2 August 1589 to his death from 15 Mints, including Paris. Charles, however, renounced the royal title and recognized Henry IV as king. He died in the castle of

Fontenay-le-Comte Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a po ...

. When the

Comte d'Artois Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

ascended the French throne in 1824, choosing to believe that Charles de Bourbon had never been King, he styled himself Charles X of France.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourbon, Charles 1523 births 1590 deaths People from La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Charles 16th-century French cardinals French people of the French Wars of Religion Bishops of Beauvais Bishops of Carcassonne Bishops of Nantes Bishops of Nevers Archbishops of Rouen Bishops of Saintes Heirs presumptive to the French throne 16th-century peers of France Court of Henry II of France Court of Francis II of France Court of Charles IX of France Royal reburials