Francis II of France
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Francis II (French: François II) (January 19, 1544 – December 5, 1560) was a King of France (1559 – 1560). He was born at the Royal Chateau at Fontainbleau, Seine-et-Marne, the son of Henry II, King of France (March 31, 1519 – July 10, 1559) and Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519 – January 5, 1589). He was also the grandson of Francis I, King of France and Claude de France and brother of Charles IX, King of France and Henry III, King of France
King consort of Scotland
His marriage to Mary Stuart was arranged by his father in 1548 when François was 4 years old. Mary had been crowned Queen of Scotland in Stirling Castle on September 9, 1543, at the age of nine months. Once the marriage agreement had been formally ratified, in 1548, Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland, sent her six-year-old daughter, Queen Mary, to France to be raised in the Royal Court until the marriage.
On April 24, 1558, the 14-year-old Dauphin was married to Mary, Queen of Scots in a union that would give the future King of France the throne of Scotland and a strengthened claim to the throne of England.
King of France
A year after his marriage, his father Henri II died, and François, still only 15 years old, was crowned King. His mother Catherine de Medici was appointed Regent, but it is considered that Mary's uncles François de Guise and Charles de Guise may actually have been the ones to hold the power in that period.
François II, who had always been a sickly child, died December 5, 1560 in Orléans, Loiret, at the age of 16 when an ear infection worsened and caused an abscess in his brain. King François II is buried in Saint Denis Basilica.
He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX (June 27, 1550 - May 30, 1574).
Marriage
On April 24, 1558, he married Mary Stewart - "Marie Stuart" in French (Mary, Queen of Scots) (December 8, 1542 - February 8, 1587). They had no children.
Monarchical Styles of King Francis II Par la grâce de Dieu, Roi de France |
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Reference style | His Most Christian Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Most Christian Majesty |
Alternative style | Monsieur Le Roi |
Preceded by: Mary of Guise |
King Consort of Scotland April 24, 1558 - December 5, 1560 |
Succeeded by: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley |
Preceded by: Henry II |
King of France July 10, 1559–December 5, 1560 |
Succeeded by: Charles IX |