Jacques Clément (1567 – 1 August 1589) was a French conspirator and the assassin of King
Henry III.
He was born at
Serbonnes, in today's
Yonne ''
département'', in
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
, and became a
Dominican lay brother.
[
During the French Wars of Religion, Clément became fanatically religious and an ardent partisan of the Catholic League.][ Viewing Protestantism as heresy, he talked of exterminating the Huguenots and formed a plan to assassinate Henry III in retaliation for the killing of the Duke of Guise and his brother.][ His project was encouraged by some of the heads of the League, in particular Catherine de Guise, the Duchess Montpensier. He was assured of worldly rewards if he succeeded and of eternal bliss if he failed.][ Having obtained letters for the king, he left Paris on 31 July 1589 and reached Saint-Cloud, the headquarters of Henry, who was besieging Paris, on 1 August 1589.][
]
Assassination
Clément was admitted to the king's presence, and while he was presenting his letters he told the king he had an important and confidential message to deliver.[ The attendants then withdrew and, as Clément leaned in to whisper in Henry's ear, he mortally wounded him with a dagger concealed beneath his cloak.][ The assassin was immediately killed by the returning attendants, but Henry died early in the morning of the following day. Clément's body was later quartered and burned at the stake
.][ His crime led Le Laboureur to anagrammatize "Frère Jacques Clément" into "C'est l'enfer qui m'a créé" ("It is hell that created me").][ Clément was seen as a martyr and was praised by ]Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...
. His praise was such that even canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
was discussed.[
]
References
* See E Lavisse, ''Histoire de France'', tome vi. (Paris, 1904).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Jacques
1567 births
1589 deaths
French Dominicans
French Roman Catholics
16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs
16th-century venerated Christians
French people of the French Wars of Religion
French regicides
Murder in 1589