a French aristocratic family, a collateral branch of the ducal house of Lorraine. During the religious wars of the 16th century, they were leaders of the Catholics.
The founder of the house of Guise was Claude (1496-1550), the third son of René II, duke of Lorraine. In 1506 he was naturalized in France, and he became the duke of Guise in 1528. François (1519-63), the son of Claude, distinguished himself in the defense of Metz against the troops of Emperor Charles V (1552) and in the taking of Calais from the English (1558). Together with his brother Charles (1525-74), cardinal of Lorraine, he was the power behind the throne of Francis II, who was married to Guise’s niece, Mary Stuart. Francois settled a score with the Huguenots who participated in the Amboise conspiracy (1560), directed against the Guises: in March 1562 he conducted a slaughter of Huguenots in Vassy. Henri de Guise (1550-88), the son of François, was one of the organizers of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) and was the head of the Catholic League (1576). He was a pretender to the French throne. He was killed on order of Henry III. With the end of the religious wars, the power and influence of the house of Guise declined.
A. A. LOZINSKII