In 1589,Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon was proposed as an alternative king to Henri IV of France/ III of Navarre.
Charles was the maternal uncle of Henri of Navarre and the Catholic League refused to accept the Huguenot ,king of Navarre as sovereign.
The Cardinal was a close friend and cousin of
Catherine de Médicis,he was used as a mediator by the queen Regent when dealing with the House of Bourbon.
He had anointed Catherine during her 1549 Coronation.
He was however at loggerheads with his brothers strong willed widow,Jeanne d'Albret ,Queen of Navarre whom he accused of fanning the flames of Protestant fanaticism.
He was at the Chateau de Blois in December 1588 and was horrified at the double murders of the Duke and Cardinal of Guise and the death of Queen Catherine in January 1589.
Following the assassination of Henri III in 1589 the Cardinal was proclaimed King by the Catholic League and then found himself under House arrest by Henri of Navarre.
The Cardinal died in 1590 imprisoned by his nephew
A medal of Charles X which was minted by the Catholic League in 1589 as King of France.
Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon and Archbishop of Rouen