Death of Francis II and Accession of Charles IX
- When
- 1560
- Where
- Orléans, Loiret; France; Basilica of St Denis
- Episodes
- 3
Francis II of France died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans from an ear infection. His ten-year-old brother Charles IX was immediately proclaimed king, and Catherine de' Medici was appointed regent with sweeping powers.
Episodes
- Death of Francis II
Francis II died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans from an ear infection.
- Accession of Charles IX
Charles IX was proclaimed king and Catherine de' Medici became regent on 5 December 1560.
- Burial of Francis II
Francis II was interred in the Basilica of St Denis on 23 December 1560.
Background and detail
Death of Francis II. Francis II's health deteriorated in November 1560. He died on 5 December 1560 in Orléans from a middle-ear infection that led to a brain abscess. He had reigned for only seventeen months. His body was interred in the Basilica of St Denis on 23 December 1560.
Accession of Charles IX. Upon Francis II's death, the ten-year-old Charles was immediately proclaimed king on 5 December 1560. The Privy Council appointed Catherine de' Medici as governor of France with sweeping powers, acting as regent for her young son.
People involved
- Francis II of France · Deceased King of France and Scotland
- Charles IX of France · Successor King of France
- Catherine de' Medici · Regent and Governor of France
- Mary, Queen of Scots · Widowed Queen Consort of France
Sources
- Francis II of France Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19
- Charles IX of France Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-30
- Catherine de' Medici Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20
- Mary, Queen of Scots Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.