n.
French François
born Jan. 19, 1544, Fontainebleau, France
died Dec. 5, 1560, Orléans
King of France (155960).
He was the son of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis and was married in 1558 to Mary Stuart (later Mary, Queen of Scots ), a relation of the powerful Guise family. Sickly and weak-willed, Francis was dominated throughout his brief reign by the Guises, who tried to use him to break the strength of the Huguenots . His premature death temporarily ended the Guises' dominion. He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX .