Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme

French duke

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June 22, 2026

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Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, was the king of Navarre and a significant figure in 16th-century France. He was the father of Henry IV, the first Bourbon king of France. Antoine was involved in the Huguenot conspiracy of Amboise but later converted to Roman Catholicism and was appointed lieutenant general of the French armies. He was mortally wounded while commanding the army that besieged Rouen. The House of Bourbon, to which Antoine belonged, became one of Europe's most important ruling families, providing kings for France and Spain, among other European states.123

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France
The Wars of Religion
…of the opposing leaders—the Protestant Anthony of Bourbon, king consort of Navarra, and the Catholic marshal Jacques d’Albon, seigneur de Saint-André—and the capture of Condé caused both sides to seek peace. After the Battle of Dreux (December 1562) the war drew to a close, despite the assassination of the duc…
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…of the opposing leaders—the Protestant Anthony of Bourbon, king consort of Navarra, and the Catholic marshal Jacques d’Albon, seigneur de Saint-André—and the capture of Condé caused both sides to seek peace. After the Battle of Dreux (December 1562) the war drew to a close, despite the assassination of the duc…
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Henry IV
Prince of Béarn.
…Bourbon-Navarre was the son of Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme, and Jeanne d’Albret, queen of Navarre from 1555. Henry, through his father, was in the sole legitimate line of descent from the Capetian kings of France. It was scarcely to be expected, however, that he would one day succeed…
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…Bourbon-Navarre was the son of Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme, and Jeanne d’Albret, queen of Navarre from 1555. Henry, through his father, was in the sole legitimate line of descent from the Capetian kings of France. It was scarcely to be expected, however, that he would one day succeed…
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house of Bourbon
Origins
Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme and head of the house of Bourbon from 1537, became titular king consort of Navarre in 1555 through his marriage in 1548 to Jeanne d’Albret. The son of that marriage, titular king of Navarre in succession to his mother…
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Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme and head of the house of Bourbon from 1537, became titular king consort of Navarre in 1555 through his marriage in 1548 to Jeanne d’Albret. The son of that marriage, titular king of Navarre in succession to his mother…
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