King of France from 1547 until 1559, he was killed in a jousting match held to celebrate the end of the Eighth Italian War (1519-1559). LS in French, signed “Henry,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 12.5, July 16, 1553. Letter to M. le Forquevaux, his ambassador in Spain, announcing the death of King Edward VI of England. In part (translated): "The reason for this despatch by special messenger is to inform you that my good son and brother, the King of England, has passed away on the sixth of this month to the great and extreme regret and sorrow of all the states of his kingdom, as he was a young Prince of great hopes and expectations. As to myself, I must tell you that I am much pained and grieved on account of the perfect good friendship which he plainly showed me and of which I think I could have made good use in the future to the benefit and advantage of my affairs. However God has granted me that much that the Crown and Scepter of the said kingdom have fallen into such good hands that I consider to have been compensated for what I have lost by this death.
For the Duke of Suffolk’s daughter [Lady Jane Grey] who is married to the second son of the Duke of Northumberland has been declared Queen in the life-time and during the last days of the late King and since his recent death been proclaimed as such. She has already taken possession of the Great Tower of London and the other principal fortresses of the kingdom, and a law is being made to prepare and to begin the coronation ceremonies for herself and her husband. About all this the Emperor [Charles V] is desperate and in my opinion more vexed than ever because the great intrigues and secret practices which he has had transacted on behalf of his cousin Madame Mary, the oldest daughter of the late King Henry, have been quite useless as she remains deprived of the succession to the crown of England.
The Ambassadors of the said Emperor have put before the Duke of Northumberland who is the Leader of the Council of England—a proposal of a marriage between Madame Mary and the eldest son of the said Duke who would then have to give up the wife he has taken in marriage, a daughter of the late Duke of Somerset who was Protector of England. By such means they hope to break and to stop things which have long been concluded and agreed upon and consequently to mar and to destroy the good relations which exist between the principal Lords of the Council of England and myself. However their new Queen and her husband, the King, are entirely well disposed towards my devotedness, knowing full well that I shall never lack in friendship for them nor in anything which is in my power should they need it. Seeing all these troubles the said dame Mary has gone away and will pass through Flanders, if she can, to see her cousin the said Emperor.
These are all the news I have to give you just now. I am busy all these days training my army which will soon be assembled and near the enemy who has not yet brought any batteries to the castle of Hesdin but is preparing trenches. In the meantime my men from inside have already much reduced and damaged him by gun-fire and by sallies which they make. Will you communicate the contents of this letter to my cousin the Duke of Parma to whom I am only writing a word to this effect."
Below the king's signature, Duthier writes: "We have news that the enemy is bettering against the castle of Hesdin since two days and that he is about to explode some mines from which he is prevented more often than he likes by the sallies our men are making from inside and in which they are not sparing of cannon shots, for they are provided with all they need." In fine condition.
In January 1553, Edward VI showed the first signs of tuberculosis, and by May it was evident that the disease would be fatal. Working with the unscrupulous John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland who controlled the government, he determined to exclude his two half-sisters, Mary (later Mary I, or 'Bloody Mary') and Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I), from the succession and to put Northumberland’s son’s wife, Lady Jane Grey in line for the throne. A power struggle erupted when Edward’s death was made public on on July 9 and Lady Jane Grey was taken before the Council and informed that she was Edward’s successor. On that same day, Mary, whose supporters were in arms, wrote to the Council, declaring her the lawful successor. Mary deposed Lady Jane Grey after nine days of rule, after which Jane was confined to the Tower, arraigned for high treason, and beheaded. A remarkable, historically significant royal letter.
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