For the kingdom of France and for God!
The wars of religion
fashioned the Europe we live in today.
(dramatic music)
I have the heart and the stomach of a king.
In the 16th century,
religion and power were inextricably linked
(laughing)
Ma'am, the Catholics are defying you.
I will never marry this heretic, you hear me, never.
What have you done Henry,
what have you done to this kingdom?
Promise he'll remain Catholic.
At the time of the Renaissance,
the rulers of Europe's most important nations
rivaled each other's violence in the name of God.
Kill them, yes.
(screaming)
Kill them all.
(baby crying)
God punishes heretics.
(screaming)
(lances crashing)
(dramatic music)
There must be another solution.
She who must take the English throne.
Plots.
Your prince is offering me the crown of the Netherlands
for an army.
Betrayal.
Oh, it can't be true.
Jealousy and grief
rocked the most powerful families.
We cannot allow this.
I admire your audacity.
(Statue breaking)
The pitiless game between power and faith.
(screaming)
Is the true history behind today's era.
(dramatic music)
(sword slashing)
France had a new king.
But his country was at war.
(yelling)
And his brother continued to betray him.
In England, the virgin queen was in love.
(laughing)
While the King of Spain had a unique opportunity
to expand his empire.
Jealousy, sex and betrayal,
have set Europe on the verge of explosion.
(dramatic music)
On February 13th, 1575, Henry Duke of Anjou
and 3rd son of Henry II,
was crowned in the Cathedral of Reims in eastern France.
The same cathedral where his father
and two brothers had been crowned.
This was where almost every King of France
had been crowned since the 9th century.
(dramatic music)
His beloved mother Catherine de Medici was in attendance,
as were his younger brother Francis Duke of Alencon,
his sister Margaret of Valois, known as Margot,
and her husband Henry of Navarre.
May the mediator of God and men
make you a mediator of priests and of the people.
It was an emotional day
for Catherine de Medici,
she made no secret of the fact
that Henry was her favorite son.
As the Cardinal of Guise placed Charlemagne's old crown
on the young king's head,
(ringing) (gasping)
it slipped.
(ominous music)
And worse still,
the holy ampulla containing the holy oil
used in the baptism of Clovis didn't look right.
(ominous music)
For the superstitious in the gathering,
these incidents did not bode well for the coming reign.
(dramatic music)
23 year old Henry III finally wore the crown
he had coveted for years.
But the task ahead was daunting.
Henry had inherited a country in ruin,
devastated by civil war.
He knew he could count on his mother,
Catherine de Medici, now 56 years old
to help him rebuild his kingdom.
(light music)
A victorious military leader in his youth,
once crowned the new King's behavior changed dramatically.
Previously ungodly,
the King suddenly became incredibly devout.
But when not praying,
Henry III delighted in the pleasures of the court.
(laughing)
Cheers.
He sometimes lazed around for days
surrounded by his favorites,
who he called his mignon.
(laughing)
So I am now your king.
I shall reward your fidelity,
as well as your loyalty,
and your dedication.
(laughing)
At this time, the walls of The Louvre
were covered in offensive graffiti against the king.
The behavior of Henry did not fit the image the French had
of a strong ruler.
Everyone thought he should be fighting heretics
instead of wasting his time with his favorites.
But while much maligned, the King of France
was still perceived as a threat across the channel.
(ominous music)
(birds chirping)
(ominous music)
What news of France?
In England, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I
kept the new King of France under close watch.
Her spies reported that Henry
was busy strengthening his ties with other Catholic rulers
across Europe.
He is worse than a demon!
Eliabeth feared that Henry III
and the King of Spain were plotting to overthrow her,
and place her cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots,
on the English throne.
I shall not accept it.
(ominous music)
To thwart them,
Elizabeth continued to support Protestant rebels in Europe.
Urging them to dethrone their Catholic rulers.
While Spain and France are fighting in their own kingdoms,
they will balk at giving my crown to that Scot.
Take this to whom it may concern.
Ever since her coronation 16 years ago,
Elizabeth had been threatened by Catholics at home.
They wanted to see Mary Stuart take her place on the throne.
So for the past seven years,
Eliabeth had held her troublesome cousin prisoner
in a castle in northern England.
(door clanking)
Day after day, in front of her jailers,
Mary Stuart feigned acceptance of her house arrest.
But in the shadows, she was plotting
with the Catholic rulers of Europe
to secure her freedom.
She often wrote coded diplomatic letters
to the courts of France, Spain, and Rome.
(dramatic music)
The messages were passed to accomplices
who visited her in various disguises
before being transported to Europe.
The plots only increased the tensions
between England and France.
(dramatic music)
Across the channel,
far from seeking to overthrow Queen Elizabeth,
Catherine de Medici was eager to forge an alliance
with her rival.
Five years ago,
Catherine suggested Elizabeth should marry her son Henry.
But he refused to wed a Protestant.
Choosing instead Louise of Lorraine Vaudemont,
a young princess without fortune.
Catherine then offered Elizabeth the hand
of her youngest son Francis, Duke of Alencon.
(dramatic music)
(laughing)
It was a union that Elizabeth initially refused.
But her advisors urged her to reconsider the marriage.
Francis unlike Henry, was known to be a moderate Catholic,
and therefore a far better match for the Protestant Queen.
But Francis of Alencon was no prince charming,
he suffered from a slight deformity of the spine.
Surly and devious, Francis, who everyone called Monsieur,
was hungry for power, and extremely jealous
of his older brother, King Henry.
He felt cheated of the honors and riches
he believed were his birthright.
(dramatic music)
The new King of France knew to be wary of his brother,
and others, because Francis of Alencon
was not the only dissident in the royal court.
Three years earlier, their sister Margot,
married Henry of Bourbon, King of Navarre,
forced to become Catholic in the aftermath
of the Saint Bartholomew's Massacre.
Navarre remained however, a fervent Protestant.
(dramatic music)
The King suspected that his brother Francis
and Navarre were supporting the Protestants,
with Margot's full complicity.
To prevent their mistake,
King Henry placed them all under house arrest.
Within the royal family,
the atmosphere was incredibly tense.
Do not be fooled.
Remember my son that you are the King.
With the help of his ever faithful Mignon,
Henry III tried to find a way to drive a wedge
between the disloyal trio.
That is an excellent idea my friend.
(dramatic music)
His idea was to use the charms
of a pretty young noble woman, named Charlotte of Sauve.
(door opening)
(romantic music)
You are divine.
Charlotte's mission
was to seduce Francis, the King's brother.
(light romantic music)
(ominous music)
You're beautiful.
Navarre's infidelity
was a blow to his wife Margot.
She had really never been in love with Navarre,
but she felt utterly betrayed.
Now three years into her marriage,
things were at breaking point.
(light music)
Under the rule of Charles the 9th,
the Court of France was a hotbed of political intrigue.
During this period, the intrigues were amorous,
the air was heavy with jealousy and hatred.
Navarre described his daily life
in a letter to his cousin dated 1575.
The court is the strangest thing
you've ever seen.
We're almost constantly poised to cut each other's throats,
we carry daggers and wear coats of armor.
Not from breastplates beneath our capes.
King Henry's plan had worked,
divide and conquer.
(dramatic music)
But behind the scenes in court,
Catherine de Medici wanted to reconcile her sons,
she believed that unity was strength.
She pleaded with King Henry
to grant his brother more freedom.
Francis for his part promised not to attempt any escape.
(dramatic music)
On the night of September 15, 1575,
the newly liberated Francis of Alencon
seized the opportunity
to visit one of his mistresses in Paris.
But the lovely lady's residence had two exits.
(dramatic music)
The King of Frances' younger brother just slipped out.
At nine o'clock that evening,
the king heard that Monsieur had escaped.
Henry flew into a violent rage.
He was convinced
that his brother would now join the Malcontent,
a group of hard line Catholics
and Protestants opposed to his reign.
Henry. -: My Lord
My dear Friend.
In Dreux, Francis of Alencon
went to meet Henry of Bourbon Conde,
the leader of the Huguenots, France's Protestants.
How right you are.
Francis was not a Protestant,
but he was ready to fight for religious freedom
if it meant he could use the Huguenot's power and wealth
to force his brother to grant him honors
and privileges in keeping with his standing.
Henry of Bourbon, the Prince of Conde,
was 23 years old when he succeeded his father,
Louis Bourbon.
He had died at the Battle of Jarnac six years earlier.
A resolute Calvinist, the Prince of Conde
was an accomplished military leader
who had taken a key role in the Protestant movement.
(dramatic music)
In Germany, Conde had recruited soldiers
ready to fight for the Protestant cause.
He was now able to count on 30,000 men to invade France,
and obtain what diplomacy had failed to achieve.
Three days after his escape,
Francis sent his brother a solemn declaration.
In the name of the common good,
he demanded religious freedom for all,
and permission for Protestants
to practice their faith in public.
Furious, Henry III considered his response.
(dramatic organ music)
He was determined to declare war on his brother
and the Prince of Conde.
But the catastrophic state of France's finances
threatened to plunge the kingdom into an unwinnable war.
You have no choice, you must relent
and give way to your brother's demands.
I'll do my utmost to make him see reason.
Trust me, I beg you.
(dogs barking)
(trumpets sounding)
On February 3, 1576,
the situation became even worse for King Henry.
Four months after his brother's escape,
his brother-in-law Henry of Navarre
fled Paris while out hunting.
(dogs barking)
(dramatic music)
After four years locked behind the walls of The Louvre,
he rode to the stronghold of Navarre and Albrecht, Nerac.
(dramatic music)
Once safe, Navarre renounced Catholicism.
After all he was forced to embrace it
to save his own skin,
after the Saint Bartholomew's Massacre.
France was on the brink of chaos.
For Catherine de Medici, it was now a matter of urgency
to reconcile her sons.
She invited them to sign a peace agreement.
Preserved in the National Archives in Paris
is the Edict of Boulogne,
better known at the time as the Peace of Monsieur.
At the request of his brother,
King Henry agreed to allow Protestants
to freely practice their faith throughout the kingdom.
Henry also agreed to give Francis a healthy pension,
and the title Duke of Anjou.
The peace of Monsieur attracted the attention
of Protestants throughout Europe.
(driving music)
In their eyes, Francis was a hero.
Soon afterwards, Francis received the messenger
from William of Nassau, Prince of Orange,
leader of the Flemish rebels.
Your prince is offering me the Crown of the Netherlands
for an army?
William of Orange refused to accept
the Spanish occupation of his country,
and for the last 10 years,
had been fighting for independence.
He wanted to enlist Francis' support.
He promised him the throne of The Netherlands,
if he agreed to help drive out Phillip II of Spain.
This was a very tempting offer.
But the Flemish would have to wait
for the hero they so desperately wanted.
Because in France, the Peace of Monsieur
had unleashed the fury of the Catholics.
Catholic leagues began to spring up
throughout the kingdom.
Nobles and peasants united in defense of their faith,
their single objective, to overturn the Peace of Monsieur.
Henry of Guise was the leader of the Catholic League.
Ultra-Catholic, and power hungry,
this young man of 27 years was hellbent
on avenging the death of his father, Francis of Guise,
who had been murdered by Protestants four years earlier.
Henry of Guise was so popular among Catholics
that the King of France was wary of him.
(dramatic music)
Propaganda pamphlets were regularly distributed,
denouncing the weak and corrupt house of Valois.
They claimed that the Guise, descendants of Charlemagne,
were the legitimate rulers of France,
ready to lead the fight against heretics.
(paper crumbling)
To crush the revolt, King Henry decided to make himself
head of the Catholic League,
and to that end, ask his brother Francis for help.
Francis had every reason to help his brother the King,
after all, he was now titled, rich and powerful.
Francis had forced the King to agree to Protestant worship
throughout the kingdom, but now acquiesced without protest.
On January 3, 1577,
Henry III canceled the Peace of Monsieur.
Two religions would no longer be tolerated.
The King intended to totally purge his kingdom of heresy.
For the sixth time in 15 years,
France was plunged into Civil War.
On May 2, 1577, under the orders of Francis Duke of Anjou,
royalist troops destroyed the Huguenot bastion
of Cherrette di Luar.
A month later, on June 12, 1577,
the city of Espoir in Auvergne was destroyed.
3000 innocent Protestants were murdered.
Francis, who had once defended the Huguenot cause,
was now their sworn enemy.
(regal music)
At the Chateau de Chinonclau,
where the royal court was based,
Catherine de Medici organized a party
to celebrate her sons' reconciliation.
Then she said did not look like each other.
For the occasion,
Chinonclau was renamed the Chateau of Good News.
I would like to raise my glass to this fabulous.
The court was once again
a place of entertainment.
I'm glad you've seen sense brother.
Well, who am I to contradict the King?
(glasses clinking)
The Valois were now united
against the Huguenots, but short of money,
the fighting had to stop.
With no clear winner,
six months into this latest religious war,
Catholics and Protestants were forced to make peace.
On September 14, 1577, a new agreement was signed.
It prohibited the formation
of any form of league in the kingdom.
Officially, France was at peace.
But at court,
Henry and Francis were very wary of one another.
(ominous music)
Henry suspected his brother wanted to switch sides
and secretly harbor designs on the Dutch crown.
He knew the Flemish rebels
had asked Francis to raise an army
to free them from the Catholic Spanish occupation,
which would plunge France into a war against Spain.
To test his suspicions,
the King decided to pay his brother a surprise visit
in the middle of the night.
What are you doing?
I know my brother that you intend to betray me.
Go on, search everything.
I forbid it, I won't allow it.
Tell him to stop immediately.
You forbid it (laughing)
You have no business here, these are my private quarters.
Get off me. -: Get out of my room.
You demon, you may be the King,
but I am the brother of the King
Yes but I am the King. -: and I deserve respect.
I deserve a little bit more regard
Let go of me.
Stop that immediately Henry.
Have you taken leave of your senses?
(dramatic music)
Mad with rage, the King was sure
he had found evidence of his brother's treachery.
But it was only a love letter from his mistress.
Nevertheless, Francis realized
that his life was in serious danger.
(ominous music)
Four days later, he fled through the window,
and headed for The Netherlands.
On the way, Francis of Anjou gathered together an army,
and in July 1578, he arrived in Mons,
in what is now Belgium.
But his supply of money was running low,
and he did not have enough to feed his men.
His half-starved army began to plunder the very towns
and villages they were meant to protect.
In the eyes of the Flemish,
Francis was no longer the longed for savior
to fight the King of Spain's armies.
(dramatic music)
A year after hie escape,
a contrite Francis returned to France.
I await your apology.
I pray that his highness, in his great mercy,
will grant me forgiveness.
Henry III was furious.
His brother narrowly avoided starting a war
between Spain and France.
But for the King's mother, her young son's mistakes
were not her main concern.
The most pressing matter,
was producing a Catholic heir to the throne
for the House of Valois,
which had ruled France for 250 years.
But after four years, Henry's marriage was still childless.
If Francis, heir to the throne was also to die
without providing an heir,
the French crown would pass
to the Protestant Henry of Navarre.
After all, Henry of Navarre
was the next in line to the throne.
He was a descendant of the Capsaicin Kings,
and a cousin to the House of Valois.
Their most recent common ancestor,
dated back to the reign of King Saint Louis.
So if Henry III couldn't produce a son and heir,
then it was up to his brother Francis.
(waves crashing)
Catherine de Medici revived the marriage talks
she began eight years earlier
with the Queen of England, Elizabeth.
(flute music)
Queen Elizabeth was now 46, not old,
but not young either by Tudor standards.
Her doctors assured Catherine de Medici
that she was still able to bear a child.
After months of diplomatic negotiations,
Francis and Elizabeth were to officially meet.
On August 17, 1579,
the younger brother of the King of France
was ushered into the Queen of England's presence.
Madam, I could not be more delighted
to make your acquaintance.
(laughing)
Thank you for welcoming me.
Charming, is he not?
Despite their great age difference,
Elizabeth immediately fell under the spell of Francis.
I am pleased to hear this.
The 24 year old Francis
made up for his physical deformity with charm and wit.
Elizabeth seemed bewitched.
(regal music)
(laughing)
Elizabeth nicknamed Francis, The Frog,
and declared that no man was ever more pleasant.
For two weeks, the couple were inseparable.
(door opening)
My queen.
Frog Prince.
I have heard word from Paris,
I must leave immediately.
So soon?
Yes.
Francis' visit was broken off abruptly,
when he heard news of the death of one of his friends.
When will you return?
As soon as possible, I swear it,
we shall meet again.
Farewell.
On August 29, he left for France,
from where he sent letters in English to Elizabeth,
which is said, could set water on fire.
[Francis Voiceover] On the brink of this troublesome sea,
I kiss your feet.
Elizabeth was so sad
at the departure of her French prince,
that she wrote a poem entitled
Words on the Departure of Monsieur.
[Elizabeth Voiceover] I grieve,
and dare not show my discontent.
I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate.
I do, yet dare not say I never meant.
I am and not,
I freeze and yet am burned.
Since from myself, another self I turned.
Everything suggested
that for the first time in her life,
Elizabeth was seriously considering marriage.
But the prospect of a foreign king
was met with dismay by the English,
they threatened to rebel.
(dramatic music)
In the autumn, anti-French feeling was running high.
Pamphlets were circulating around the country.
In response on September 27th, the Queen proclaimed
that she would no longer tolerate any insult
to foreign princes, England's allies.
And that she would marry whoever she pleased.
But wedding plans between Elizabeth and Francis
were suddenly put on hold
by events over 2000 kilometers from London.
(bell tolling)
(organ music)
In 1580, Cardinal King Henry of Portugal
died without an heir.
Every sovereign in Europe, including Catherine de Medici
was eager to seize the vacant throne,
but all were blindsided by a much stronger monarch,
King Phillip II of Spain.
He had long dreamed of uniting his kingdom with Portugal,
using military means if necessary.
But to seize Portugal,
Phillip II must first reassign some of his troops
stationed in Flanders.
This left far fewer Spanish soldiers
defending The Netherlands.
Francis of Anjou saw his chance,
and planned to profit from the situation.
Francis went to the aid of the Flemish,
after all, they had promised him their throne,
if he helped them overthrow Spain.
(yelling)
(swords clanging)
In 1581, he attacked Cambrai,
a city in northern France,
ruled at the time by the Spanish.
(fire crackling)
The offensive was a success.
But once again, lack of money cut short Francis' march
to the Spanish ruled Netherlands.
(dramatic music)
He turned to the French king for help.
(dramatic music)
But his request for assistance fell on deaf ears,
both in France and in England.
Even Elizabeth reluctant to get bogged down
in a costly war against Spain, refused to send money.
(dramatic music)
(coughing)
By mid-autumn, Francis could no longer feed his men.
They grew desperate.
On January 17, 1583, he ordered his troops
to attack the Citadel of Antwerp.
But inside the city,
the furious Flemish resolved to destroy the French invaders
once and for all.
(yelling)
Trapped in narrow alleyways,
Francis' men were quickly defeated.
Get out, get out, get out!
(yelling)
The King's brother managed to escape
with his life, but abandoned his men to their fate.
(dramatic music)
More than 1000 soldiers died that day,
hundreds more were captured.
The catastrophe of Antwerp
was the death knell for Francis of Anjou's military career.
(birds chirping)
(gasping)
For Francis, the defeat was too much to bear.
No sooner was he back home in France,
when he fell seriously ill.
Hello brother.
My little monkey.
(gasping)
On June 10, 1584, Francis died of tuberculosis,
he was 30 years old.
The next day in London, Elizabeth was given the news.
(sobbing)
(melancholy music)
She reportedly wept for three whole weeks.
For six months, she was inconsolable,
and described herself to the French ambassador
as like a widow who has lost her husband.
In France, Catherine de Medici too, was devastated
by the death of Francis.
With the passing of her youngest son,
she knew that the future of the House of Valois
was now in peril.
If Henry III did not produce a son and heir,
the next King of France
would be the Protestant Henry of Navarre.
The battle to save the Valois dynasty was about to begin.
(dramatic music)