NAVARRE / BÉARN - Lot 91

NAVARRE / BÉARN HENRI II of Béarn / HENRI II of Navarre* 1572 - 1589 + HENRICVS. II. D. G. REX. NAVARE. BD bound. Cross flory and fleurdelisée. R/. GRATIA. DEI. SVM. ID. Q. SVM. 1584. Crowned shield quartered of Navarre, Béarn and Bourbon. ♦ Boudeau 608; P.A. 3495 Silver quarter shield struck in Morlaàs in 1584 (9.29g). Rare vintage. Trace of corrosion. Beau/T.B. *Henri de Navarre (1553 - 1610), grandson of Henri d'Albret, was the son of Antoine de Bourbon and Queen Jeanne de Navarre. His mother raised him in the Reformed faith. Young Henri escaped the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre on August 24, but remained a prisoner at the French court until February 1576. Henri fled, became the leader of the Protestant party, then heir to the throne after the death of François. Henri III was assassinated on August 2, and Henri II of Navarre became Henri IV of France. It would take him another ten years to conquer his kingdom before the Edict of Nantes of April 13, 1598 put an end to the Wars of Religion. His motto: GRATIA DEI SUM ID Q SUM "Thanks to God, I am what I am".