The Assassination of Henry IV

by Roland Mousnier

This remains the definitive account of Henri IV’s assassination at the hands of the religious fanatic François Ravaillac, the social and historical context that prompted it, and its aftermath. Henri, raised a Huguenot, united France by converting to Catholicism, but lost his life for it. Ravaillac was not alone in questioning Henri’s claim to the throne because of this conversion – there were an estimated 16 prior attempts on the king’s life – but he was the only one to succeed.

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“The great controversy about Henri was that he was originally a Huguenot at a time when there was great religious strife in France, so the idea of a Huguenot on the throne was unthinkable. His conversion to Catholicism was an attempt to unite the country, (his famous but probably apocryphal quip that ‘Paris is well worth a mass’ reveals the depth of his faith). There were up to 16 attempts on his life but, of course, only the last one was successful, by a religious fanatic who believed Henri to be a heretic who should not be on the throne. That, according to the classical definition, he was a tyrant by usurpation. The Huguenot minority were disappointed by his conversion, the Catholic majority suspicious of it, and Henri himself had such a tenuous claim to the throne – he was something bizarre like the 17th cousin of the previous king, if that’s possible – no wonder he had so many enemies.” Read more...

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Lindsay Porter, Historian