Original subtitles

May the mediator of God and men make of you a mediator of priests and of the

people.

Previously on Throne Wars.

In England, the Virgin Queen fell in love.

Charming, is he not?

But she refused to release her cousin, former Queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart.

In France, the wars between the Protestants and Catholics continued.

Your prince is offering me the crown of the Netherlands for an army.

Henry III was a despised monarch.

Do not be fooled.

Remember, my son, that you are the king.

The Protestant Henry of Navarre led the Louvre to form an army. I'll do my

utmost to make him see reason.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Guise was at the head of the powerful Catholic League,

backed by the King of Spain.

Now the king of France was trying to save his throne.

His sister went to war.

His worst enemy was serving Spain.

In England, the queen was preparing for the greatest sea battle of the

Renaissance.

All over Europe, plots were being hatched. Battles were taking shape.

and royal blood was about to be spilled.

In France, after nine years of marriage, the king and queen still had no

children and the kingdom had no heir.

The House of Valois had reigned over France for more than two and a half

centuries.

Desperate not to be the last Valois ruler of France, King Henry III and

Louise of Lorraine resorted to mysticism.

the King of France had a holy shirt sent from Chartres.

The shirt had been placed on a statue of the Virgin Mary and was believed to

have special powers of fertility.

Rumors circulated that Henry was more interested in his mignon than his wife.

But the truth was that driven by his faith and his desire for a son, He spent

most of his nights with Queen Louise, hoping for a miracle.

This is the Chateau of Chenonceau, in the Loire Valley where Queen Louise of

Lorraine and King Henry III desperately tried to have a child.

Because his younger brother, Francis of Anjou, had died, the legitimate heir to

the throne was Henry of Bourbon, king of Navarre.

But he was a Protestant and refused to convert.

For Catholic France, the prospect of the Protestant Navarre wearing the crown

was unthinkable.

My friends,

King Henry III knew the Catholic's position, and yet... Today, I recognize

the King of Navarre as my only true heir.

He is a well -born prince of good character, and I have always

been well disposed to him.

Henry knew that Navarre refused to convert, but that did not stop him from

officially recognizing him as his successor to the throne of France.

That is all.

Henry's decision was the most devastating blow for Catholics across

Particularly for the most radical among them, 34 -year -old Henry of Lorraine.

the third Duke of Guise. He had despised the French king for many years.

He cited Henry III's handling of the Huguenots as proof of his weakness.

To prevent Henry of Navarre from ever

wearing the French crown, the Duke of Guise immediately revived the Catholic

League. an organization which was disbanded and outlawed seven years

Guise amassed an army of 40 ,000 men and was given a large sum of money from

Spain.

Because not only was Guise the head of the Catholic League, he was also a spy

working for Philip II, King of Spain.

Guise and Philip had a common goal.

the triumph of the Catholic faith across Europe.

In a treaty signed with the Spaniards on January 17, 1585, Guise pledged to

overthrow King Henry, to seize power by force, and to support King Philip's war

in the Netherlands.

In the spring of 1585, the Duke took action.

On March 20, with 12 ,000 men, he attacked Chalons, then Reims.

On April 3, he was about to besiege Troyes.

Within months, the League had won whole provinces, including Champagne,

Burgundy, Picardy, and Normandy. Almost all of the north and east of the kingdom

had been seized by the Guises and the Catholic League.

France had just been plunged into the last of the eight wars of religion that

marked the Renaissance.

Across the channel, news of the alliance between Spain and the fanatical

Catholic League struck fear into Queen Elizabeth.

Convinced that England was under threat, she prepared her country's defenses.

It is time to take our palms again.

Sir Francis Drake, make the ships ready.

In June 1585, Elizabeth ordered a flotilla of ships to attack a fleet of

fishermen off Newfoundland.

In her fight against the Catholic Coalition in Europe, the English Queen

looking for allies.

In August 1585, Elizabeth signed a pact with the Protestants in the Netherlands.

She also sent her ambassadors to meet with the Protestant princes of Germany

Denmark.

Elizabeth was eager to form an international Protestant League powerful

to crush the King of Spain and the Duke of Gizeh's Catholic League in France.

But no one in Europe dared to support the Protestant Queen in her fight

the Catholics.

Elizabeth was alone against her French and Spanish enemies.

She prepared to face them.

In the south of France, at the court of Henry of Navarre, the atmosphere was

just as explosive.

The sister of the King of France and Navarre's wife, Margaret of Valois, had

left Paris to join him, but there was a rift between the couple.

Adultery, Betrayal and religious differences had long poisoned their

But she had ambitions to the throne, because if Navarre was crowned, Margot

would become queen.

It was a prospect that stirred up the jealousy of another woman.

Vianne of Ondouin was Navarre's mistress.

At 26...

This young, well -bred, and intelligent widow was convinced that she would make

a far better queen than Margot.

But how to get rid of her rival?

At the court of Navarre, a rumor began to spread that Henry and Dion were

plotting to murder Margot.

when one of her ladies' companions died after eating soup that was intended for

her.

Margot, fearing for her life, escaped to Agen, a Catholic bastion she held in

the southwest of France.

To take revenge on her Protestant husband and his mistress, Margot decided

join sides with the Duke of Guise and the Catholic League.

King Henry III considered his sister's decision an act of treason.

He sent royal soldiers to arrest her.

excuses.

What do you want me to do with them?

But the Catholic League's military might was far stronger than King Henry's

royal army.

I am a figure of ridicule for everyone!

For everyone!

Margot and her ally had the upper hand over the king's troops.

Soon I'll have to go to war! Enough!

That's enough, Henry!

There is no time for anger! You have to negotiate peace!

Catherine de' Medici feared her son would be overthrown if this war wasn't

stopped immediately.

Catherine begged Henry to make peace with his sister, Margot,

the Duke of Guise, and the Catholic League.

Preserved in the National Archives of Paris is the treaty signed by the Duke

Guise and the King of France on July 7, 1585.

To satisfy the Catholic League, tolerance of Protestant worship was

and King Henry declared Protestantism illegal throughout the kingdom.

Calvinists had six months to either renounce their religion or be exiled.

And Henry of Navarre was declared no longer heir to the throne.

In France, the Catholics were triumphant, but 700 kilometers away.

Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots, was still languishing in an English prison.

For 17 years, Mary Stewart had been living under lock and key.

On the run after being forced to abdicate in favor of her son, She had

refuge in England. She had hoped to receive help from Queen Elizabeth.

But her cousin had imprisoned her.

Queen Elizabeth had always mistrusted her Catholic cousin.

After all, They were both descendants of the Tudor King Henry VII, which meant

Mary had a legitimate claim to the English throne.

Since the wars of religion began 26 years earlier, Mary had become an

figure for Catholics across Europe.

Your Majesty, we must be done with Mary Stuart.

Elizabeth's advisors...

desperately wanted to rid England of the threat posed by Mary Stuart's presence.

Gentlemen, Europe is watching us.

There must be another solution.

Since Mary had been in prison, Elizabeth's life had been threatened on

occasions.

But she refused to kill a fellow queen, even if she was an enemy.

But Elizabeth...

had no qualms about making her detention a hellish ordeal.

Mary Stewart lived in deplorable conditions.

Chartley Castle was extremely cold and damp.

She lost all hope of ever being released until the morning of July 6,

1586.

That day, a letter was smuggled into her cell.

The author was Sir Anthony Babington, a Catholic nobleman.

This is what it said.

My dear sovereign, the queen to whom I owe my loyalty and obedience, I am

outraged by the miserable living conditions you're subjected to.

The devilish heretic Elizabeth.

who removed Your Majesty from her home and placed her under surveillance, is my

mortal enemy.

Please write.

My dear friend, thank you for your letter.

Mary reflected on Babington's proposal for a week, unsure what to do. She

eventually replied.

Asking her secretary to write in code. Now, when all is ready, the six

gentlemen must be set to work.

And when the queen disappears, I must be taken from this prison immediately.

The coded message was hidden in a barrel of beer and smuggled from the castle.

A new plot to assassinate Elizabeth and Crown Mary Stuart, Queen of England, had

been hatched.

But what Mary Stewart did not know was that Elizabeth's cheap spy had

infiltrated Antony Babington's group.

It didn't take him long to decode the former Queen of Scotland's message.

For

several

months, Elizabeth's spies had been closely watching Babington's activities,

hoping that Mary Stewart would involve herself in his plot.

Which is exactly what she did.

My queen, this document proves that your cousin is plotting against you. Listen,

your majesty.

This act of treason can only be punished by death.

Elizabeth was still reluctant to condemn Mary Stuart to death. Not only were

they cousins, she also believed that killing a queen would give her enemies

license to kill her one day.

Three months after the plot was unmasked, Elizabeth was told by her

that the King of Spain was preparing an invasion force to release Mary Stuart.

Elizabeth grudgingly signed Mary Stuart's death sentence.

After 19 years of imprisonment, Mary Stuart, the former Queen of Scotland,

brought before her executioner.

Beneath her coat, she was wearing a red dress, a sign of martyrdom among

Catholics.

With dignity, she climbed the scaffold specially erected for her execution

within the castle walls.

confunda inaida.

The execution of Mary Stuart was particularly cruel.

The executioner needed three attempts to behead the former Queen of Scotland.

Mary Stuart's execution triggered a surge of fury throughout Europe.

The most virulent reaction came from King Philip II.

The King of Spain resolved to invade England, to imprison Elizabeth, and to

bring the country back to the Catholic Church once and for all.

To this end, Philip II assembled one of the largest military fleets of the

Renaissance.

We could bring our own men here and stop for the night.

His strategy was simple. While 130 warships called the Invincible Armada

the English fleet, 300 smaller ships would transport 26

,000 Spanish troops from the Netherlands to Kent on the south coast of England.

This imposing army would then march on London, besiege the city, and capture

Elizabeth.

Philip was convinced that his plan was infallible.

But he wanted to be sure that the French King Henry III would not be tempted to

come to Elizabeth's rescue.

So he asked his ally, the Duke of Guise, to organize a diversion to occupy the

King of France during the invasion.

The Duke of Guise jumped at the opportunity.

His plan was to first murder the Duke of Epernon, King Henry's favorite, and

whom Guise despised.

Then storm the Louvre and capture the king. But Henry got wind of the plot and

forbid the Duke to enter Paris.

Despite this ban, on May 9, 1588, Guise and the Catholic League triumphantly

entered the capital.

Henry was shocked at his subject's reaction to the incursion. He

sent 4 ,000 royal soldiers to intimidate the Duke of Guise and the Catholic

League.

But Parisians were outraged by the king's decision to attack Catholics.

up barricades, trapping the royal soldiers, and then shot at them from

roofs, and balconies.

Soon, the dead and wounded were strewn throughout the streets of the capital.

The uprising has been remembered in history as the day of the barricades.

Henry III was blamed for the massacre and forced to flee Paris.

He left the capital in the hands of the Duke of Guise and the Catholic League.

The king was now helpless to prevent the Spanish invasion of England.

The invincible armada was ready to set sail.

On July 12, 1588, 130 ships loaded with 18 ,000 soldiers left the port of

Lisbon. A week later, they were spotted here, off the coast of Cornwall.

On July 29, 34 British warships left Plymouth to confront the Spanish armada.

At the same time, on the mainland, Elizabeth of England inspired her troops

the now famous Tilbury speech.

I am resolved to live and die amongst you all. I know I have the body of a

feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of

too.

I should rather risk my royal blood than incur disorder.

I have no doubt that very shortly, a famous victory over the enemies of God

of my kingdom shall be won, gentlemen!

For twelve days, the British and Spanish engaged in a brutal battle.

But the lighter and more maneuverable English gunships overcame the heavy and

slow armada.

Elizabeth had achieved the impossible and vanquished the Spanish threat.

Throughout England and Protestant Europe, the English victory over the

was seen as proof of God's favor.

In Spain, the news came ten days after the Armada's defeat.

I'm sorry to disturb you, but the war is lost.

Listen, I sent my ships to fight men.

Not the winds and the waves of God.

I hope God did not allow such misfortune.

Indeed, all was done in his service.

Of the 130 ships sent to England, only 60 made it back to Spain.

The King of France and his mother were told the news at the Chateau of Blois in

the Loire Valley. They were relieved.

Henry III and Catherine had always believed that once England had fallen,

Philip II would turn his attack towards France.

The French kingdom may be out of immediate danger, but Henry still had to

himself of the Duke of Guise, who, alongside the Catholic League, still

Paris.

On the morning of December 23rd, 1588, at the Chateau of Blois, Henry, Duke of

Guise, was summoned urgently by the King of France.

Sir, sir, a message has arrived.

On his way to the royal apartment, he was warned that the King had ordered his

murder.

He will not dare.

Gentlemen! But the

king did dare.

Standing over the corpse of his enemy, French history books attribute Henry

these famous words.

How tall he is.

He's taller dead than alive.

Isn't he?

Hmm?

This is the room in the Chateau of Blois in which the Duke of Guise was

assassinated. It was unquestionably... Henry III's greatest mistake.

Henceforth, no Catholic would recognize his authority.

The Pope even excommunicated him.

This time, his mother, Catherine de Medici, was powerless to help him.

Catherine had controlled the kingdom for 29 years, but now, aged 69, she was

suffering from gout, rheumatism, and pleurisy.

In early 1589, she was struck by an unrelenting fever.

On the morning of January 5th, she was so weak that she asked her son to

her will.

Then, at around one o 'clock in the afternoon, Chaplain Julien of Saint

administered Catherine de' Medici the last rites.

Catherine de' Medici, mother of three kings and two queens, and the power

the throne for three decades, passed away on January 5th, 1589, at the

of Blois.

Among the French citizenry, few wept her passing.

Most believed her responsible for the assassination of their dear Duke of

The funeral of Catherine de' Medici took place in Blois on February 4th, 1589,

in a private ceremony to widespread indifference.

In contrast, five days earlier, on January 30th, the funeral of the Duke of

Guise was held with great pomp at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

That day, the people of Paris packed into the crowded cathedral to mourn the

Duke's passing.

Although he was dead, Paris remained in the hands of the Catholics.

Henry III needed help to regain his sovereignty.

To take back his throne, King Henry III turned to another Henry, his Protestant

brother -in -law, Henry, King of Navarre.

On April 30th, 1589, the two Henrys, who had not seen each other for 13 years,

were reconciled and joined forces.

Navarre was happy to finally enter the service of the kingdom.

Four years ago, I was convicted as a heretic, unworthy to succeed to the

despite being its fiercest defender.

I know, my friend, but times have changed.

Catholic Henry III and Protestant leader Henry of Navarre amassed an immense

army ready to challenge the Catholic League, who were still strong despite

death of the Duke of Guise.

While Navarre and his men set about retaking the city of Chinon, the

League attacked Tours, where King Henry had taken refuge.

The battle was bloody.

But while the king lost many men, the royal army, assisted by the Huguenots,

the day.

The Royal Army and the Huguenot troops then seized Saint -Lith, Etampes, and

Pontoise.

On July 30th, strengthened by 40 ,000 men, Henry III and Navarre prepared to

surround Paris.

Navarre set up camp in Meudon to oversee the attack and monitor the bridges

leading to the capital.

Henry III waited in nearby Saint -Cloud.

On August 1st, 1589, at 8 o 'clock in the morning, a young Jacobin monk

in the suburbs of Saint -Cloud.

The monk, named Jacques Clément, claimed to have an important message he needed

to deliver to the king in person.

Ah, so.

Tell me, brother, what is so important that it cannot wait?

Henry III, seated on his commode, was reassured by Clement's clerical robes

beckoned him to come closer.

Jacques Clement was a fanatical member of the Catholic League.

Villain!

You killed me!

The monk resolved to kill the king.

who he considered to be a heretic for allying himself with Henry of Navarre.

My

dear

friend, fear not.

Despite suffering a deep wound, Henry believed he would survive.

To reassure his wife and loyal supporters, Henry spent the morning

letters.

But the blade had punctured his intestines, and his optimism was not

his doctors.

At eleven that night, his condition had worsened.

His thoughts turned to the succession.

He summoned Henry of Navarre.

Your Majesty.

You see, my brother, how my subjects treat me, huh?

Guard well your own safety.

Justice and the principle of legitimacy require that you succeed me.

You will know much misfortune unless, my dear, you resolve to change your

religion.

Navarre did not answer.

King Henry then pronounced these words. This is your king.

No one's right to the throne is greater than that of the king of Navarre.

You have no one above him.

The kingdom is now his.

Waste no time with religious differences.

During the night, Henry's condition deteriorated further.

At 3 a .m. on August 2nd, 1589, after confessing,

Henry III, the last Valois king of France,

died at the age of 37.

With the death of Catherine de Medici's favorite son, the entire House of Valois

had died out.

This powerful dynasty, which ascended to the throne of France in 1328, had no

heir.

Judged extravagant and arrogant, history remembers Henry III as the least loved

king of France.

Not for 20 years would he be transported to Saint -Denis for internment in the

royal necropolis of French kings.

But Henry was never given his own tomb, only an urn for his heart atop this

column, a gift from his longtime favorite, the Duke of Epernon.

Navarre was now the legitimate heir to the throne of France.

But he was not yet king, and few wanted to see him crowned.

In order to enter Paris, which was still in the hands of the Catholic League,

Navarre sought the help of Queen Elizabeth of England.

Over the next four years, Henry of Navarre, helped by both Protestants and

Catholic nobles, was forced to do battle with the Catholic League.

My companion, God is with us!

Rally now to my white flume!

You will find it on the path to victory and honor!

But

on

July 23rd, 1593, here at the Abbey of Saint -Denis, Henry of Navarre

renounced Protestantism and converted to Catholicism.

in order to receive the crown of France.

He did so after uttering these famous words, Paris is well worth a math.

Henry IV would become one of the most popular kings in the history of France.

But along the way, he too would have to tackle enemies across Europe. The throne

wars were far from over.