n.
born June 27, 1550, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France
died May 30, 1574, Vincennes
King of France (156074).
Son of Catherine de Médicis , he became king on the death of his brother Francis II , under his mother's regency. Though he was proclaimed of age in 1563, he remained under his mother's domination. His reign was marked by conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots , and he was remembered for authorizing the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572) at his mother's instigation, an event that apparently haunted him the rest of his life. He died of tuberculosis at age 23.