BIRTH OF FRANCIS II OF FRANCE
Francis was born on the 19th of January 1544 at the ‘Château de Fontainebleau’ in France.
His parents Henry II and Catherine de Medici, were said to initially have great trouble in conceiving.
Finally, Francis was born eleven years after his parents wedding.
Francis was the eldest son and, as such, it was expected from birth that he would one day become the King of France.
Francis spent the beginning part of his life at the ‘Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye’.
It was clear from very early on in Francis’ life that he was a sickly individual.
He suffered from respiratory problems and stunted growth during his childhood and was plagued by illness throughout the rest of his life.
A huge part of Francis’ life was his betrothal and marriage to Mary Queen of Scots
At the time of their betrothal, Francis was just 4 years old.
Mary provided a powerful alliance for France, as she had been crowned the Queen of Scotland since she was 9 months old.
Mary was also the niece of Claude, the Duke of Guise, who was a very influential figure in the court of France.
At 6 years old, Mary was sent to France to be raised in court until her marriage.
On the 24th of April 1558, 14-year-old Francis became King consort of Scotland, when he married the 15-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots.
They remained married until Francis’ untimely death.
Mary was tall for her age and eloquent, and Francis was unusually short and stuttered.
King Henry II said,
“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”
Just over a year into their marriage, on the 10th of July 1559, Francis became the King of France after his father died during a jousting accident.
The crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it in place for him.
Despite the fact that Francis was still only 15 years old, he was considered an adult and, therefore, did not need a regent.
However, he still delegated his power to Mary Queen of Scot’s uncle François, the Duke of Guise, and Charles, the Cardinal of Lorraine.
This delegation was due to a number of factors, including his youth, inexperience, and ill-health.
As part of Francis’ marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, France became inherently joined to Scotland.
This meant that, if one country suffered, the other also suffered.
In fact, there was a secret clause, known as the Crown Matrimonial, which dictated that Scotland would become part of France, if Mary and Francis never had children.
Whilst Mary lived in France with her husband, her mother, Marie of Guise, took on the role of regent for Scotland.
In November 1560, Francis already frail health took a turn for the worse, and on 16th November he fainted.
Less than a month later, on the 5th of December 1560, Francis II of France died from an ear condition.
He had spent only 17 months on the throne.
Multiple diseases have been suggested, such as mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis exacerbated into an abscess.
Francis was buried on 23rd December 1560, in the Basilica of St Denis, France.
Francis died without an heir.
This meant that his brother, Charles, who was just 10 years old at the time, succeeded him as King of France.
As Charles was so young, his mother, Catherine de Médici became the Regent of France.
The Guises left the court following Francis’ death, and Mary, Queen of Scots returned to her home country of Scotland.
Francis II had a brief reign.
He became king as an inexperienced teenager, at a time when the kingdom was struggling with religious troubles.
Historians agree that Francis II was fragile, both physically and psychologically, and his frail health attributed to his early death.
