Samuel de Champlain learned how to successfully lead from his mentor King Heny IV, the king of France from 1553 to 1610.
29. Champlain and his mentor King Henry IV
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Henry IV, King of France from 1553 to 1610, shared much in common with the People of Saintonge. Both were cheerful and optimistic. They loved life. They were ambitious. They were full of energy and were comfortable with both Protestantism and Catholicism. This was reflected in the name given to the French monarch - le Bon Roi Henri, the Good King Henry. His reign ended the exhausting war between these religions. Never again would France suffer a civil war like the Wars of Religion, until the horrific death toll of the French Revolution. Sadly, Henry would be assassinated in 1610 by an extremist Catholic.
Samuel de Champlain came of age before Henry’s reign. Nevertheless, le Bon Roi Henry would become Samuel’s mentor, setting the example for the young explorer to be. Champlain, like his Monarch, tackled problems head on and succeeded not by the edge of a sword but by diplomacy and trust.
Antoine de Bourbon and Queen Jeanne of Navarre#
King Henry IV was the first of the House of Bourbon to rule France. This House would continue until it was overthrown during the French Revolution.
In 1547, Henry’s father Antoine de Bourbon married Jeanne d’Albret the daughter of the King of Navarre and of the Principality of Béarn. Her father was known as Henri II. When King Henri II died in 1555, Antoine and Jeanne jointly ruled these territories. Their lands straddled what is now Southern France and Northern Spain. It also included the territory of Andorra.
Antoine de Bourbon enjoyed jus sanguinis, which was the right of blood to inherit the French throne through the Capetian dynasty. But he never had the opportunity to exercise that right.
In 1553, Jeanne d’Albret crossed into France proper to stay at the Château de Pau. She was expecting a child and wanted to ensure the child was born in France. Shortly after arriving, she gave birth to a son whom they named Henri. When King Henri II died in 1555, their son became known as Prince Henri de Béarn and Navarre. Although Henri was baptized Catholic his mother raised him a Calvinist.
Despite Jeanne’s Calvinism, Antoine was hostile to the Huguenots. He would eventually die during the Wars of Religion in 1562. Jeanne III Queen of Navarre would become sole ruler of Navarre until her death in 1572. Her son Henri inherited his father’s title as King Henri III of Navarre.
During his mother’s reign, Henri was deeply influenced by his mother. Henri’s success as a leader, both politically and militarily, is due to that influence. She put him in situations that would give his son opportunities to develop the skills needed to be an effective King.