Charles IX

Charles IX was King of France in the 16th century.

Charles was born in 1550 to Catherine de Medici and became King at the age of ten. For much of his reign, Charles essentially his mother's puppet, but when she forced him to marry Elizabeth of Austria, the King started to pull away from her power. (PROSE: The Massacre)

Initially tolerant of the Huguenots, he was angered by the failed assassination of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. Under his mother's influence, he authorised the St Bartholomew's Day massacre on 24 August 1572. (TV: The Massacre)