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Article: Months past: a French monarch dies, a great warship is born and a gangster is caught. Richard Cavendish looks at this month's anniversaries.(Henry II of France, HMS Victory, John Dillinger )
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- July 1, 2009
- Author:
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July 10 1559
Henry II of France dies of tournament wounds
Born in 1519, the future Henry II married Catherine de Medici in 1533 when they were both 14 years old. His father, King Francis I, reportedly supervised the consummation, announcing they had both shown valour in the 'joust'. Catherine was rich but not pretty and Henry was soon in the arms of Diane de Poitiers, a beautiful, ambitious widow in her mid-thirties who became almost a queen behind the scenes. Henry had other mistresses but his two other great loves were hunting and jousting. He succeeded his father to the French throne on his 28th birthday in 1547 and in 1558 his and Catherine's eldest ...