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Home / People / Francis, Duke of Guise

Historical person

Francis, Duke of Guise

1519–1563

Francis, Duke of Guise, was one of the leading French soldiers and Catholic nobles of the mid-sixteenth century. He defended Metz against Charles V, captured Calais from the English in 1558 and dominated the government during the reign of his nephew by marriage, Francis II.

As religious conflict intensified, Guise became a chief opponent of the Huguenots. He was assassinated during the siege of Orléans in 1563, deepening the cycle of factional revenge. Francis, Duke of Guise was born in Bar-le-Duc and died in Orléans.

Ken Follett’s A Column of Fire uses Francis, Duke of Guise as one of the powerful Catholic magnates shaping the French Wars of Religion, whose family influence over Mary, Queen of Scots and Francis II links French factional conflict to English and Scottish politics. Dorothy Dunnett’s Checkmate shows Guise in his military element during the closing Italian Wars, when the recovery of Calais and the fortunes of Henry II’s armies make him one of the most formidable commanders at the French court.

Periods

Periods linked to Francis, Duke of Guise

French Wars of Religion1562–1598 CE

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Francis, Duke of Guise (2 series)

The Lymond Chronicles in Order

by Dorothy Dunnett 6 books 4.6(5,091)

The Lymond Chronicles follow Francis Crawford of Lymond through Scotland, France, Malta, the Ottoman world, Russia and the wars of mid-sixteenth-century Europe. The six novels combine espionage, court intrigue, military command and a long investigation into Lymond’s family history, loyalties and identity.

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The Kingsbridge Novels in Order

by Ken Follett 5 books 4.4(1,703,013)

The Kingsbridge novels trace the development of a fictional English community across nearly nine centuries. Builders, merchants, clergy, landowners, labourers and reformers repeatedly contest who controls work, worship, law and education, while the town changes from an impoverished Anglo-Saxon settlement into a cathedral city and industrial centre. Chronologically,…

All books in this series