Henry I, Duke of Guise

Henri de Lorraine was born 31 December 1550, eldest son of François, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este - his mother's lineage ran back through the d'Estes of Ferrara to Lucrezia Borgia and Pope Alexander VI. He inherited his father's title and his role as a leader of the Catholic cause during France's religious wars, positioning himself as a powerful opponent of the queen mother, Catherine de' Medici. The conflict escalated into the War of the Three Henrys, named for Henri de Guise, King Henry III, and Henry of Navarre. On 23 December 1588, eight days before his thirty-eighth birthday, Henry III had him assassinated by royal bodyguards - the king's answer to a rival he could no longer contain.