앙리 4세의 개종 원인에 대한 고찰

The Reasons of Conversion of Henry Ⅳ

After four years of push-pulling domestic conflicts between Royal Army made up of Royalist Catholics and Protestants and Catholic League, Offenders, eventually, Henri Ⅳ performed the ceremony of conversion on 25th of July in 1593 at the Saint Denis Cathedral. Arch bishop of Bourges, Frenaud de Beanune conducted the ceremony. His conversion didn’t settle the conflicts, but the justice in the resistance of the Catholic League lost its approval. The important effect is that his conversion made the stable status. As Saint Denis Cathedral is the historical place, it was enough to approve the special relationship between God of France and the French and King’s divine authority. It was where King Clovis received the catechism from the bishop, St. Solime. Also souls of French kings were buried there. In Saint Denis, the conversion of Henry Ⅳ which means spiritual death and rebirth played a role to show the symbolic destination of him to inherit the heavenly God’s kingdom, tying King Henry Ⅳ with the preceding French kings. The Conversion of Henry Ⅳ was concerned for various reasons. Above all, political factions made Henry Ⅳ unfaithful for his consciousness. The excommunication of the Holy See for Henry and its support for the Catholic League, the union of the Catholic League and Spain King, the call for Estates-General of the Catholic League for king selection and the formation of the tiers parti of royalists and moderate leaguers etc. make Henry Ⅳ be afraid of losing throne. Therefore in this crucial moment, Henry Ⅳ decided to abjure his religion to get the throne and defeat foreign power and revolts. But there are a lots of problem in regarding conversion of Henry Ⅳ as ambition for the throne. Because it seems that his conversion is not hypocritical without religious sincerity or patriotism. Henry Ⅳ insisted education in Catholic religion before conversion and then practiced that. This means that he intended to abjure with religious conviction. And as Henry Ⅳ explained himself about reason of conversion, he wanted to finish cⅣil war and recover national peace. This means that he give priority to nation than his conscience. The most important reason for conversion must be the attributes which French throne has had. French throne can be succeeded to only french men by the salique law. And then according to the tradition which Clovis and Pepin had made, King of France must be sanctified by catholic ceremony. Henry Ⅳ was a legitimate successor by salique law, but he could not sanctified because he was protestant. Therefore Henry Ⅳ could not help abjure to be a perfect King.