2021-02-27 Sat

Henry IV - also known as Henry the Great was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. He was assassinated in 1610 by Francois Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII.

During his reign, Henry IV works through his faithful right-hand man, minister Maximilien de Bethune, Duke of Sully, to regularize state finance, promote agriculture, drain swamps, undertake public works, and encourage education.

The reign of Henry IV was long remembered by the French people. A statue was erected in his honour at the Pont Neuf in 1614, four years after his death. Depicted here is a Jeton with a portrait of King Henry IV, made in Nuremberg (Germany) by Hans Laufer.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org