Francis II of France - Childhood and Education (1544 - 1559)

1559)

Born 11 years after his parents' wedding, Francis was named for his grandfather, King Francis I. Francis first lived at the Saint Germain en laye castle. He was baptized on February 10, 1544, at the chapelle des Trinitaires in Fontainebleau. His godparents were Francis I, who also knighted him during the ceremony, the pope Paul III, the Republic of Venice and his great aunt Marguerite d'Angoulême. He became the governor of Languedoc in 1546, and the Dauphin in 1547, when his grandfather Francis I died.

Francis' governor was Jean d'Humières and his tutor was Pierre Danès, an hellenist originally from Naples. He learned dancing from Virgilio Bracesco and fencing from Hector de Mantoue. The Châtillon agreement signed January 27 1548, when he was 5 years old, engaged him to Mary Stuart, who was two years his senior. She was queen of Scotland and grand daughter of Claude de Lorraine, first Duke of Guise. He married her on April 24, 1558, becoming king consort of Scotland.