France had only one truly excellent king. He was King Henry IV.
Henry IV was the first in the Bourbon Dynasty to rule France. He was never meant to be King of France; it was only through a political marriage and after the unexpected deaths of two forerunners that he came to be King. He was willing to compromise his personal beliefs for the good of his country; going so far as to convert from the Huguenot faith to Catholicism to placate the Catholic majority. He even managed to bring about an end to the bloody and brutal religious wars that plagued France. Once the Civil war was over, France was able to reach its full potential and became the strongest Empire in all of Europe. Henry IV built new roads and canals for France. He promoted the expansion of industries and improvement of agriculture. He built the French army and navy up to a force unrivaled anywhere in the western world. King Henry IV brought a fresh vitality to France. |