Francis II of France
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Francis II (French: François II) (January 19, 1544 – December 5, 1560, King-consort of Scotland (1558–1560), and King of France (1559 – 1560), was born at the Royal Chateau at Fontainebleau, 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 the grandson of Francis I, King of France, and of Claude of France, and the brother of Charles IX, King of France, and of Henry III, King of France.
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[edit] King consort of Scots
Following the death of her father, James V, King of Scots, Mary Stuart had been crowned Queen of Scots, in Stirling Castle, on September 9, 1543, at the age of nine months. The marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France, was arranged by Henry II of France in 1548, when Francis was just four years old. Once the marriage agreement had been formally ratified, the now six-year-old Mary was sent to France, to be raised in the royal court until the marriage.
Despite the fact that Mary Stuart was tall for her age and fluent in speech, while Francis was abnormally short and stuttered, Henry II commented that "from the very first day they met, my son and she got on as well together as if they had known each other for a long time".[1]
On April 24, 1558, the fourteen-year-old Dauphin was married to the Queen of Scots in a union that would give the future King of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary's Great-Grandfather, King Henry VII of England. However, Mary and Francis were to have no children during their short lived marriage.
[edit] King of France
A year after his marriage, Francis's father, Henry II, died, and Francis, still only fifteen years old, was crowned king at Reims. The crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it in place for him.[2] His mother, Catherine de Medici, was appointed regent, but it is considered that Mary's uncles François de Guise and Charles de Guise may have held the real power in that period.
Francis II, who had always been a sickly child, died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans, Loiret, at the age of sixteen, when an ear infection worsened and caused an abscess in his brain. He is buried in Saint Denis Basilica.
He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX (June 27, 1550 - May 30, 1574).
[edit] Ancestors
| Francis II of France | Father: Henry II of France |
Paternal Grandfather: Francis I of France |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles, Count of Angoulême |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Louise of Savoy |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Claude of France |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Louis XII of France |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Anne of Brittany |
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| Mother: Catherine de' Medici |
Maternal Grandfather: Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Alfonsina Orsini |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne |
Maternal Great-grandfather: John III, Count of Auvergne |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Jeanne de Bourbon-Vendome |
[edit] References
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Francis II of France
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 19 January 1544 Died: 5 December 1560 |
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| Preceded by Henry I of Viennois, 16th Dauphin |
Dauphin of France as 'Francis, 17th Dauphin' 31 March 1547 – 10 July 1559 |
Succeeded by Vacant (eventually Louis, 18th Dauphin) |
| Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois as 'Francis V of Viennois' 31 March 1547 – 10 July 1559 |
Succeeded by Himself as King of France |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Henry II of France |
King of France 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560 |
Succeeded by Charles IX of France |
| Count of Provence and Forcalquier as 'Francis II' 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560 |
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| Preceded by Himself as Dauphin of France |
Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois as 'Francis V of Viennois' 10 July 1559 – 5 December 1560 |
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| Preceded by Mary of Guise |
King consort of Scotland 24 April 1558 – 5 December 1560 |
Succeeded by Henry Stuart |
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