Guise, François de Lorraine, 2nd duke de

Guise, François de Lorraine, 2nd duke de

(born Feb. 24, 1519, Bar, France—died Feb. 24, 1563, Orléans) French soldier and loyal servant to the French crown, the greatest figure produced by the house of Guise. He fought in Francis I's army and was badly wounded at the siege of Boulogne (1545), earning him the nickname “the Scarred.” He led French armies in other victories against the English and the Spanish. On the accession of Francis II (1559), Guise became grand master of the royal household. The Bourbons launched a conspiracy to overthrow the Guises, who learned of the plot and ruthlessly suppressed it (1560). When Catherine de Médicis became regent (1560), she supported the Bourbons (who were leaders of the Huguenot movement) and religious toleration and was against the Guises and Catholic dominance. The first of the resultant Wars of Religion again showed Guise to be an outstanding soldier. He was assassinated by a Huguenot in 1563.