Charles IX (1550-1574) of France ruled from 1560 to 1574. The second son of Henry II and Catherine de Medicis, Charles succeeded his brother Francis II at the age of 10. Catherine officially ruled for Charles until 1563. Even after that, she dominated his government. To balance her influence, Charles sought the counsel of Gaspard de Coligny, a leading Huguenot (French Protestant). Catherine’s jealousy of Coligny and her fear that his policies would result in war with Spain helped lead in 1572 to the killing, by Roman Catholics, of Coligny and thousands of other Huguenots. This event became known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day. Charles’s entire reign was marked by fighting between Catholics and Huguenots, led by nobles who used their religious differences to disguise their struggles for wealth and power. Charles was born on June 27, 1550, at St.-Germain-en-Laye. He died on May 30, 1574.
