Henry II (1519-1559)

A 16th-century engraving of the tournament to celebrate the marriage of Philip II of Spain to Isabella, daughter of Henry II of France. It was in this tournament that Henry received the wounds from which he subsequently died. In wars against England and against the Holy Roman Empire, Henry had succeeded in expanding his country.

King of France from 1547. He captured the fortresses of Metz and Verdun from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Calais from the English. He was killed in a tournament.

In 1526 he was sent with his brother to Spain as a hostage, being returned when there was peace in 1530. He married Catherine de' Medici in 1533, and from then on was dominated by her, Diane de Poitiers, and Duke Montmorency. Three of his sons, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III, became kings of France.