I
born June 27, 1550, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France
died May 30, 1574, Vincennes
King of France (1560–74).
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
II
Swedish Karl
born Oct. 4, 1550, Stockholm, Swed.
died Oct. 30, 1611, Nyköping
King of Sweden (1604–11).
Third son of Gustav I Vasa , he helped lead a rebellion against the rule of his half brother Erik XIV that placed his other brother on the throne as John III. After the accession (1592) of his devoutly Catholic nephew, {{link=Sigismund III Vasa">Sigismund III , Charles called the Convention of Uppsala, which demanded that Lutheranism be retained as the national religion. He opposed Sigismund in a civil war, and after the latter was deposed Charles became the virtual ruler of Sweden (1599–1604). Declared king in 1604, he pursued an aggressive foreign policy that led to war with Poland (1605) and Denmark (the Kalmar War, 1611–13).