Charles II, Duke of Orléans

Charles II of Orléans was the third son of Francis I and Claude of France. In the autumn of 1545, Charles was on his way to Boulogne, which was under siege. On 6 September, he came across a cluster of houses that had been emptied and sealed off "from the plague", probably a form of influenza. In the belief that the sons of the King of France were immune to plagues, Charles and one of his brothers entered some of the infected houses. After supposedly lying down on one of the infected beds and rolling around on the bedding, he took ill on the evening of the same day. Charles died on 9 September. During his funeral, the future King Henry II wept for Charles even though his friend, François de Scépeaux, argued that Charles "never loved or esteemed you."