Duke and Duchess of Vendôme Visit ‘Their’ Duchy

Prince Jean of France, Duke of Vendôme, and his wife Princess Philomena visited the city of Vendôme on October 28th. They were invited by the mayor of the city, Mme Catherine Lockartand by the director of the institute of National Patrimony, Mr. Roch Payet to attend a ceremony organized to inaugurate the restored bust of King Henri IV. The buste is situated in the parc of Chateau Vendôme, a castle that has been nearly demolished by Henri IV, when he laid siege to the city of Vendôme in 1589. For the occassion the Duke and Duchess also brought their little son Prince Gaston along.

Henri IV was the first Bourbon king, after the Valois dynasty went extinct. To acquire the throne he converted from Calvinism to Catholicism, with the words: ‘Paris is worth a mass’. With the Edict of Nantes in 1598 the king ended a civil war between the Hugenots (calvinists) and the Catholics, that had been going on for decades.

The king died in 1610, so it is now the 400th year after his death. That is why this year there were several events commemorating the king. The duke of Vendôme attended several of them. The event of the 28th is supposed to be the last of this year.

Filed under France
Tagged Anniversary, Henri IV of France, House of Orléans, Prince Gaston of Orléans, The Duchess of Vendôme, The Duke of Vendôme.