King of France (1589–1610). As king of Navarre, Henry was the leader of Huguenot forces in the latter stages of the French Wars of Religion, but on succeeding the Catholic Henry III he became Catholic himself in order to guarantee peace. He founded the Bourbon dynasty, established religious freedom with the Edict of Nantes (1598), and restored order after prolonged civil war. He was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic.