Henry II (18 April 1503 – 25 May 1555), nicknamed ''Sangüesino'' because he was born at
Sangüesa
Sangüesa (Basque: ''Zangoza'') is a city in Navarre, Spain, 44.5 kilometers from Pamplona. It lies close to the River Aragon and in 2007 had a population of 5,128.
It is located on the Way of Saint James. It has been an important stopping poin ...
, was the
King of Navarre
This is a list of the kings and queens of kingdom of Pamplona, Pamplona, later kingdom of Navarre, Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial desig ...
from 1517, although his kingdom had been reduced to a small territory north of the Pyrenees by the
Spanish conquest
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...
of 1512. Henry succeeded his mother,
Queen Catherine, upon her death. His father was her husband and co-ruler,
King John III, who died of fever in 1516.
King of Navarre
After the latest failed
reconquest attempt of Navarre in 1516, John III died, followed by Catherine I's demise in her independent dependencies of
Béarn
The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...
(1517). Heir apparent Henry was proclaimed King of
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, and was lavishly crowned in
Lescar
Lescar (; oc, Lescar) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Lescar is the site of the Roman city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium, the lo ...
. The title was also claimed by
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...
, who had invaded the realm in 1512 and usurped the title, and the claim was continued by his grandson
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
. Henry II enjoyed the protection of
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
.
Henry II was thirteen when becoming King in February 1517, and his sister
Anne of Navarre functioned as his regent until he became fifteen and was declared of legal majority on 18 April 1518. As Henry was often absent from Navarre, his sister Anne continued to act as his regent there when he was absent.
After ineffectual conferences at
Noyon
Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, northern France.
Geography
Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, a ...
in 1516 and at
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
in 1518, an active effort was made in 1521 to establish him in ''de facto'' sovereignty in Pamplona and occupied territory. A French and Navarrese expedition made another attempt at reconquering occupied Navarre, but were ultimately repelled by Charles after the
Battle of Noain (June 1521).
In 1525, Henry was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Pavia
The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, Au ...
, but he contrived to escape under a guise and in 1526, married
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
, sister of King Francis I and widow of Charles, Duke of Alençon. In 1530, after the
Treaty of Cambrai
The Treaty of Cambrai is also known as the Paz de las Damas or Paix des Dames (Ladies' Peace). On August 3, 1529, this agreement ended a war between the French king Francis I and the Spanish Habsburg emperor Charles V. The treaty temporarily c ...
between Castile and France, Charles V evacuated the northernmost county (''merindad'') of Navarre,
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
, allowing Henry to seize it. The Pyrenean border between Lower and Upper Navarre now constitutes the Franco-Spanish border in this sector.
Henry had some strong sympathy with the
Huguenots
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...
, and was fluent in both French and Spanish, according to the
seigneur de Brantôme. He died at
Hagetmau
Hagetmau () is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Sights
*
Population
Personalities
The sociologist Henri Lefebvre was born here in 1901.
References
See also
*Communes of the Landes departm ...
on 25 May 1555.
Marriage
In 1526, he married Margaret of Angoulême who became known as
Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre (french: Marguerite d'Angoulême, ''Marguerite d'Alençon''; 11 April 149221 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen ...
(11 April 1492 – 21 December 1549) and had issue:
*
Jeanne III of Navarre
Jeanne d'Albret (Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572.
Jeanne was the daughter of Henry II of Navarre and Margaret ...
(16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572); mother of
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 monarc ...
* John (7 July 1530 – 25 December 1530)
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 02 of Navarre
1503 births
1555 deaths
16th-century Princes of Andorra
16th-century Navarrese monarchs
Counts of Bigorre
Counts of Évreux
Counts of Foix
Dukes of Albret
Modern child rulers
Viscounts of Béarn
Burials at Lescar Cathedral