François de Lorraine, 2nd Duc de Guise

François de Lorraine, 2nd Duc de Guise (1519-1563), French soldier and statesman, called Le Balafré (“The Scarred”) because of wounds received at the siege of Boulogne in 1545. He was the son of Claude I, born in Barcastle, Provence, on February 17, 1519. He participated in various battles of the wars of France against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, rendering outstanding service, especially at Metz in 1552. In 1557 he fought against the Spanish in Italy and the following year took Calais from the English, allies of Spain against France. François and his brother Charles gained great influence over the youthful Francis II of France and almost completely controlled the French government during his short reign. In that period the Guises directed the persecution of the Huguenots, becoming widely disliked for their violent suppression of the Huguenot conspiracy of Amboise in 1560. After the death of Francis II in 1560, Catherine de Médicis, mother and regent for the succeeding Charles IX, ousted François and his brother from their position of influence. François subsequently joined the French marshal Duke Anne de Montmorency in the leadership of the Catholic party, opposing both the Huguenots and the tolerance of the regency. The massacre of the Huguenots at Wassy by the soldiers of François in 1562 led to a civil war that year between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. On February 24 of the following year François died from a bullet wound inflicted by a Protestant, Jean de Poltrot, seigneur de Méré. Despite allegations of cruelty imputed to François, his soldiers considered him a generous man and respected him for his military skill.