The Anatomist, the Barber-Surgeon, and the King: How the Accidental Death of Henry II of France Changed the World

279 Pages·2015·8.22 MB·English

by  Seymour I. Schwartz

Published 2015 by Humanity Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books The
Anatomist, the Barber-Surgeon, and the King: How the Accidental Death of
Henry II of France Changed the World. Copyright © 2015 by Seymour I.
Schwartz. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Schwartz, Seymour I., 1928- , author.
The anatomist, the barber-surgeon, and the king : how the accidental
death of Henry II of France changed the world / by Seymour I. Schwartz.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-63388-034-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-63388-035-1
(ebook) I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Henry II, King of France, 1519-1559. 2. Vesalius, Andreas,
1514-1564. 3. Paré, Ambroise, 1510?-1590. 4. History of Medicine—
France. 5. Anatomy--history--France. 6. Famous Persons--France. 7.
General Surgery--history--France. 8. History, 16th Century--France. 9.
Politics--France. WZ 70 GF7]
R504
610.94409’031--dc23
2015000294
Printed in the United States of America
Vidi---Legi---Scripsi
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1. Background
Chapter 2. Words of Warning
Chapter 3. Setting the Stage
Chapter 4. The Fatal Joust
Chapter 5. Mortality and Medical Masters
Chapter 6. Aftermath: Course of the Consultants
Chapter 7. Aftermath: Spain and Savoy
Chapter 8. Aftermath: France
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Timelines:
Pertinent Sixteenth-Century European Events
Colonization of the Americas
Medical Masters
The Sixteenth-Century Papacy
Notes
Bibliography
Index
INTRODUCTION
The chance viewing of a picture that was printed almost four and a half
centuries ago provided the stimulus for this work. The woodcut is, of itself,
significant because it represents one of the earliest examples of printed
graphic journalism, the ancient forerunner of modern photojournalism. The
specific print, La mort du roy Henry deuxieme aux tournelles à Paris, le x.
Julliet, 1559 [The death of King Henry II at the Tournelles at Paris, July 10,
1559], chronicled a transformative event. A descriptive narrative offered a
definition of the individuals who were represented on the print, including
the two most notable contributors to the renaissance of medicine standing
side by side in consultation. Andreas Vesalius, “the father of modern
anatomy,” was within arm’s length of Ambroise Paré, “the great surgical
innovator.” The two physicians, whose contributions advanced medicine
and surgery and who had previously attended the wounded and sick soldiers
of opposing armies, were brought together to attend the dying king of
France.
The early print triggered several diverse pathways of investigation.
One path focused on the lives and contributions of the two depicted
physicians in order to determine the factors that led to their eminence and
the call for their specific consultation related to the medical management of
one of the most powerful figures among European royalty. Although there
had been a previously asserted intellectual bond between the two medical
innovators, in that Ambroise Paré had formally credited Andreas Vesalius’s
modernization of anatomy as indispensable to the former’s transformation
of surgery, the two achieved their respective reputations and renown despite
distinctly different starting points. Similarly, the paths they took to achieve
their individual recognition and those they would follow after their roles in
the care of the dying French king were decidedly different.
Another distinct pathway of inquiry, unrelated to medicine yet also
emanating from the ancient woodcut, focused on the central dying figure,
Henry II, king of France. At the time of the graphically chronicled event,
Henry II was effectively the reigning head of the House of Valois, one of
the two royal dynasties that dominated sixteenth-century Europe. The
House of Valois was opposed throughout that period by the Habsburgs, who
were led sequentially by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his son,
King Philip II of Spain.
Henry II’s deathbed scene was the consequence of an improbable
accident during a joust, a competitive demonstration that was
characteristically performed at important occasions. The devastating
accident interrupted the festivities of two related weddings, one of which
was directed at relieving the polarization between Europe’s two competing
dynasties. And to add to the improbability associated with the accident,
which resulted in the untimely demise of the French king, the death had
been predicted, with extraordinary specificity, by two of Europe’s most
notable contemporary prognosticators well in advance of its occurrence.
Also, just before the accident took place, more warnings and admonitions,
accompanied by pleas to abort the joust, went unheeded.
The death of the central royal figure in the graphic journalistic print
marked a watershed for European history in the sixteenth century. The
period before the death of Henry II was replete with shifts of political
power and dominance, wars, and changes in possession of kingdoms. That
time span also witnessed the birth and early rise of the religious movement
known as Protestantism, which transformed Europe and the world.
After the death of the king, the power of France was immediately and
persistently weakened. Henry’s three sons, who sequentially occupied the
throne, were incapable of providing the required leadership or stature. The
immediate successor, Francis II, was a sickly fifteen year old, who died
after a reign of less than fifteen months. This led to the ascension of Francis
II’s younger brother, who became Charles IX at the age of ten. He reigned,
as a youth, until he died at the age of twenty-four. This resulted in the
coronation of the third of Henry II’s sons, an effeminate twenty-two year
old, noted for his laxity and penchant for frivolity, as Henry III. He would
occupy the throne during a turbulent era until he was murdered in 1589,
bringing to an end the rule of the House of Valois.
The void left by the death of Henry II, enhanced by the weaknesses of
his successors, was filled by the expansive political presence of Henry II’s
wife, Catherine de’ Medici. During the thirty years between the death of
Henry II and the time of Catherine’s death, she loomed as the dominant
member of the French royalty, and guided the policy of the nation.
The second half of the sixteenth century in France and throughout
Europe was dominated by the spread of Protestantism and consequent
political unrest, which would impact directly on the lives of the two medical
personalities, whose presence on the ancient print stimulated my initial
inquiry.
There is also an intriguing recurrence of the number “two” throughout
this history. The two most notable medical personalities of the Renaissance
were brought together to care for Henry II, the second son of the monarch
he succeeded. The mortal blow, which Henry II sustained, occurred during
the second time that the same two opponents met during the joust. The joust
took place in celebration of two marriages, the more prestigious involving
Phillip II of Spain as the groom. It was hoped that the marriage would
reduce the tensions between the two dominant European dynasties. The
tragedy was predicted by two notable prognosticators. The death of Henry
II was a watershed that took place at a time that essentially divided the
century into two halves.
Numerology was a popular fashion of the time and its adherents
considered the number two to be the most feminine and underestimated of
all numbers. Henry II’s life from his youth until his death was significantly
impacted by two women. Diane de Poitiers, who mentored him during his
youth and became his mistress and confidant until the time of his death, was
the individual to whom he dedicated his memorable joust. Her status was
erased immediately by the mortal blow sustained by the king. The second
woman, Henry II’s wife Catherine de’ Medici, ascended in importance.
The focal point of this history, the unusual and untimely death of a
dominant leader, is considered against the background of wars for
acquisition and control, and also a time of intense religious turmoil. In a
century of change, during which the most powerful royal and military
personalities in the history of Western civilization played their roles, diverse
personalities also gained lasting recognition. Among the latter were the two
men who led the movement of change in the realm of medicine. Their paths
crossed in consultation as a king was dying from a wound inflicted during a
tournament that transformed the world.