Henry III. of France was a controversial king. Let’s see why!
His marriage
After Henry II. his son, Henry III. († 1589) ruled. He was not brought to the news by his lovers. More like his boyfriends, the infamous “mignons.” First Henry III. at the age of 22, he was the fiancé of Queen Elizabeth of England, who was forty-year-old. Later, Anna Jagiellonia, of Poland who was 50 years old. But he was in love with someone else. Henry hoped the Pope would end the woman’s marriage. But she, unfortunately, died in her first birth. When Henrik found her, he fainted.
But after that, he got love marriage. He married Louise de Vaudémont. Her mother hoped that the gentle, humble wealthy Louise would be an obedient bride. And so it became.
“Dear” mignons
However, even though Louise was an ideal wife, she became pregnant once and unfortunately had an abortion. And then she remained barren. Because of the childless marriage, the king was blackened by a number of pamphlets. He was accused of blood feuds, and it was also common for the king to be actually gay. What could have been behind this?
The royal court was full of young, handsome men. They were called mignons in the royal court, meaning “kind.” Various writings in the French Renaissance style detailed the orgies arranged by Henry and the Mignons. Probably none of this was true. It is a fact, however, that the relationship between the ruler and the mignons was not expected. Other kings also had confidants, but they did not caress them or beat them with fists in their anger. They did not exchange gentle-sounding letters with them, nor did they keep their hair in a pendant after their death.
But then what was this whole mignons case at Henry III.? The childless ruler found companions in the mignons. They did not have homosexual partners but replaced their unborn children. Henry III. did everything he could to get his “mignons” to marry and make a real marriage. He richly married the mignons, and even the wives were chosen by him.
Despite the name, the mignons were strong, savage, and robust soldiers! Many lost their lives in battle or duel. Henry entrusted them with the most dangerous and confidential tasks, and there were plenty of opportunities to do so.
The strange habits of Henry III.
Henry’s strange habits reinforced the rumors. He excelled at a young age with his special attire. He was prone to eccentricity and liked extravagant attire. For example, she sewed tiny silver skulls on her dress. The dresses were otherwise embroidered with gold and decorated with precious stones and pearls. She had scented necklaces and huge earrings. He even wears earrings in a formal portrait!
If it is true that Henry had no physical connection with the “mignons,” the courtiers rightly discovered a sign of repressed homosexuality. The king sometimes dressed as a woman at masquerade balls.
In a country where things are going well, the king is popular and confident; the people forgive many things to the ruler. However, there were significant troubles in the country, and the people saw perversion in all the actions of the ruler. But for sure: if a man today would act and behave like Henry III, they’d say that he is gay.
And the situation is even more confusing if we look even more closely at the fact that one of Henry’s lovers was Veronica Franco, the famous Venetian courtesan!
