Henry IV in seven castles: from the cradle of Pau to the Grand Canal of Fontainebleau

Historical portrait of Henry IV through seven castles, from Béarn to Île-de-France, marking his birthday (13 December) and the exhibition "The Flair of the

Henry IV in seven castles: from the cradle of Pau to the Grand Canal of Fontainebleau

Born in Pau on 13 December 1553, Henry IV left his mark from Coarraze to Fontainebleau. Seven castles recount the story of the King of Navarre who became King of France, to be explored before the conference on 12 December in Pau and the exhibition in Fontainebleau, open until 25 January 2027.

Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·

De Pau à Fontainebleau, 1553-1610

In the Saint-Louis rooms of the Château de Fontainebleau, a series of paintings by François-André Vincent recounts the life of Henry IV as Louis XVI wished it to be remembered: a king who was good, brave and popular, summoned to rescue a weary monarchy. The exhibition "The Flair of the Enlightenment" remains open until 25 January 2027, and its preparatory sketches are preserved eight hundred kilometres away, at the Château de Pau, where the king was born. Between these two places, the life of Henry of Bourbon is etched in stone: a Béarnese childhood, a court in Navarre on the banks of the Baïse, sieges and treaties in Picardy, and then the grand projects of a king finally master of his kingdom. Here are seven castles, in the order of his life, to follow the Béarnais up to his 473rd birthday on 13 December next.

Château de Pau

PYRENEES-ATLANTIQUES · Pau

Château de Pau

Le château de Pau, dont une première fortification remonterait au Xe siècle, est attesté au XIIe siècle et conserve trois tours des XIIe-XIIIe siècles (Mazères, Billère, donjon Montauser). Gaston Fébus le transforme au XIVe siècle (donjon de 33 m, tour de la Monnaie en brique). Henri IV y naît le 13 décembre 1553 ; sous Henri II et Marguerite d'Angoulême, il devient palais Renaissance. Louis-Philippe le restaure de 1838 à 1848. Il est musée national depuis 1929 et forme aujourd'hui le Musée national et domaine du château de Pau.

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Ancient depiction of the château and stronghold of La Fère in 1595
La Fère in 1595: the stronghold held by the Spanish, besieged by Henry IV's army from November 1595 to 16 May 1596. — Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Engraving by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau depicting the Château de Folembray
Folembray as depicted by Du Cerceau: the lodge of François Ier, where the peace between Henry IV and the Duke of Mayenne was signed in January 1596, was demolished in 1672. — Wikimedia Commons, domaine public
Château de Fontainebleau

SEINE-ET-MARNE · Fontainebleau

Château de Fontainebleau

Le château de Fontainebleau est un château royal de styles principalement Renaissance et classique, près du centre-ville de Fontainebleau, à une soixantaine de kilomètres au sud-est de Paris, en France. Les premières traces d'un château à Fontainebleau remontent au XIIe siècle. Les derniers travaux sont effectués au XIXe siècle. Haut lieu de l'histoire de France, le château de Fontainebleau est l'une des demeures des souverains français depuis François Ier, qui en fait sa demeure favorite, jusqu'à Napoléon III. Plusieurs rois laissent leur empreinte dans la construction et l'histoire du château, qui est ainsi un témoin des différentes phases de l'histoire de France depuis le Moyen Âge. Entouré d'un vaste parc et voisin de la forêt de Fontainebleau, le château se compose d'éléments de styles médiévaux, Renaissance, et classiques. Il témoigne de la rencontre entre l'art italien et la tradition française exprimée tant dans son architecture que dans ses décors intérieurs. Cette spécificité s'explique par la volonté de François Ier de créer à Fontainebleau une « nouvelle Rome » dans laquelle les artistes italiens viennent exprimer leur talent et influencer l'art français. C'est ainsi que naît l'École de Fontainebleau, qui représente la période la plus riche de l'art renaissant en France, et inspire la peinture française jusqu'au milieu du XVIIe siècle, voire au-delà.

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The Béarnais's inner circle

Jeanne d'Albret

1528 - 1572

Daughter of Henri II d'Albret and Marguerite d'Angoulême, Queen of Navarre from 1555, she married Antoine de Bourbon and gave birth to Henry in Pau in 1553. Converted to Calvinism, she made her States a Protestant stronghold and completed the Château de Nérac. She died in Paris in June 1572, weeks before her son's wedding.

Marguerite de Valois

1553 - 1615

Daughter of Henri II and Catherine de' Medici, she married Henry of Navarre in August 1572, days before the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre. She joined him in Nérac in 1579 and presided over a brilliant court. Estranged from her husband and then from her brother Henry III, she lived in retirement in Usson from 1587 to 1605 and accepted the annulment of her marriage in 1599.

Gabrielle d'Estrées

vers 1573 - 1599

Daughter of Antoine d'Estrées, Marquis of Cœuvres, she became Henri IV’s companion around 1590–1591 and was granted the title of Duchess of Beaufort. Mother to three of his children, including César de Vendôme, she stayed with him at Folembray. Her sudden death in April 1599 paved the way for the king’s remarriage to Marie de Médicis.

Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully

1559 - 1641

A Protestant comrade-in-arms of Henri de Navarre, he rose to become Superintendent of Finances and the king’s chief minister. A pavilion was built for him at Folembray, and he commissioned the Château de Rosny-sur-Seine in the late 16th century. He retired from political life following the king’s assassination in 1610.

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Sources

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The Flair of the Enlightenment, Henry IV exhibition at the Château de Fontainebleau — Sortir à Paris ↗Henry IV Agenda — Musée national et domaine du château de Pau ↗Château de Pau — Techno-Science ↗Château de Coarraze — Ancient History Sites ↗Nérac — Wikipedia ↗The Two Wives of Henry IV — Musée protestant ↗Gabrielle d'Estrées — History of Royal Women ↗Siege of La Fère, November 1595 – 16 May 1596 — History of War ↗Château de Folembray — Wikipedia ↗Louis XIII — Wikipedia ↗