Henry of Navarre; Henry IV of France
New York, NY: Praeger Publishers, 1970. Presumed First American Edition, Presumed First printing. Hardcover. 206, [2] pages. DJ has some wear and small stains, DJ is price clipped. Includes Footnotes. Acknowledgments, Prologue, Epilogue, Chronology of the Life and Reign of Henry IV, Short Bibliography, and Index. Also includes 24 black and white pictures of Henry IV. Edward Frederick Langley Russell, 2nd Baron Russell of Liverpool CBE, MC (10 April 1895 – 8 April 1981), known as Langley Russell, was a British soldier, lawyer, historian and writer. He left Cambridge to join the British Army soon after the outbreak of war. He served with distinction in the First World War, winning the Military Cross three times. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1931, but never developed a substantial practice on the Oxford circuit. He developed a career in the Judge Advocate's office from the early 1930s.
He became Deputy Judge Advocate General (United Kingdom) to the British Army of the Rhine in 1945. He was one of the chief legal advisers during war-crimes proceedings, for both the Nuremberg trials and the Tokyo tribunal, held following the end of the Second World War. He was honored with the CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He resigned from his government post over the publication of his book The Scourge of the Swastika: A Short History of Nazi War Crimes. The Daily Express, under proprietor Lord Beaverbrook, published extracts under the heading "the book they tried to ban" in 1954, and the book became a bestseller. Russell followed up this work in 1958 with The Knights of Bushido: A Short History of Japanese War Crimes. Henry IV began his reign (1589-1610) under the most inauspicious conditions. As the successful rival to the Guise claims to the throne, he was hated by the Holy League, the powerful Catholic party. If he abjured his Protestantism, he stood to alienate his lifelong allies in England, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as at home. The skill with which he resolved that dilemma and laid the foundation of France's great power under the Bourbons is the subject of the compelling story of Henry of Navarre. By the time of his assassination in 1610, at the hands of a fanatic, Henry had reorganized the finances of France, encouraged its industry, and expanded its territory. Henry IV (13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithet Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. He was assassinated in 1610 by François Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII. The son of Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and Jeanne d'Albret, the Queen of Navarre, Henry was baptised as a Catholic but raised in the Protestant faith by his mother. He inherited the throne of Navarre in 1572 on his mother's death. As a Huguenot, Henry was involved in the French Wars of Religion, barely escaping assassination in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. He later led Protestant forces against the royal army. He and his predecessor Henry III of France were direct descendants of Saint-King Louis IX. Henry III belonged to the House of Valois, descended from Philip III of France, elder son of Saint Louis; Henry IV belonged to the House of Bourbon, descended from Robert, Count of Clermont, younger son of Saint Louis. As Head of the House of Bourbon, Henry was "first prince of the blood". Upon the death of his brother-in-law and distant cousin Henry III in 1589, Henry was called to the French succession by the Salic law. He initially kept the Protestant faith (the only French king to do so) and had to fight against the Catholic League, which denied that he could wear France's crown as a Protestant. After four years of stalemate, he converted to Catholicism to obtain mastery over his kingdom (reportedly saying, "Paris is well worth a mass."). As a pragmatic politician (in the parlance of the time, a politique), he displayed an unusual religious tolerance for the era. Notably, he promulgated the Edict of Nantes (1598), which guaranteed religious liberties to Protestants, thereby effectively ending the Wars of Religion. Considered a usurper by some Catholics and a traitor by some Protestants, Henry became target of at least 12 assassination attempts. Having faced much opposition during his reign, Henry gained more status after his death. He was admired for his repeated victories over his enemies and his conversion to Catholicism. "Good King Henry" was remembered for his geniality and his great concern about the welfare of his subjects. An active ruler, he worked to regularize state finance, promote agriculture, eliminate corruption and encourage education. During his reign, the French colonization of the Americas truly began with the foundation of the colonies of Acadia and Canada at Port-Royal and Quebec, respectively. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Henry of Navarre, Bourban Kings, French Kings, Henry IV of France, Catherine de Medici, Battle of Ivry, Duc de Sully
[Book #79466]
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