The Assassination and Its Impact

Henry IV's assassination by François Ravaillac (May 14, 1610) shocked a kingdom that had begun believing in renewed stability. The regicide's motivations—Catholic fanaticism combined with opposition to war against Spain—revealed persistent religious tensions beneath surface pacification. Yet the smooth succession of nine-year-old Louis XIII demonstrated that Henry had successfully restored hereditary monarchy's legitimacy.

The assassination's aftermath showed both achievements and limitations of Henry's restoration. Popular grief, manifested in widespread mourning and immediate mythologization of the "good king Henry," showed genuine attachment to monarchy transcending religious division. The Parlement of Paris's swift recognition of Marie de Medici's regency prevented succession crisis. Yet the former queen's weakness and great nobles' resurgent ambitions revealed that institutional reconstruction remained incomplete.

Henry IV's legacy shaped subsequent French history. His pragmatic religious settlement, though modified, established confessional coexistence principles. His economic policies created foundations for the grand siècle's prosperity. His restoration of royal authority through personal charisma and effective governance provided models for successors. Most importantly, he demonstrated that monarchy could recover from near-dissolution through adapting to new realities while maintaining essential legitimacy.