biography
| name: |
Henry II (of France)
|
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1519–59)
|
| biography:
| King of France (1547–59), born near Paris, the second son of Francis I. In 1533 he married Catherine de' Medici. Soon after his accession, he began to oppress his Protestant subjects. Through the influence of the Guises he formed an alliance with Scotland, and declared war against England, which ended in 1558 with the taking of Calais. He continued the long-standing war against the Emperor Charles V, gaining Toul, Metz, and Verdun, but suffered reverses in Italy and the Low Countries, which led to the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559). |
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