Editing Henry III of France (section)

==Death==
[[File:Jacques Clément.jpg|thumb|Jacques Clément assassinating Henry III|left]]
On 1 August 1589, Henry III lodged with his army at [[Saint-Cloud]], and was preparing to attack Paris, when a young fanatical [[Dominican friar]], [[Jacques Clément]], carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to the king. The friar gave the king a bundle of papers and stated that he had a secret message to deliver. The king signaled for his attendants to step back for privacy, and Clément whispered in his ear while plunging a knife into his abdomen. Clément was then killed on the spot by the guards.

At first, the king's wound did not appear fatal, but he enjoined all the officers around him, in case he did not survive, to be loyal to Henry of Navarre as their new king. The following morning, on the day that he was to have launched his assault to retake Paris, Henry III died.

Chaos swept the attacking army, most of it quickly melting away; the proposed attack on Paris was postponed. Inside the city, joy at the news of Henry III's death was near delirium; some hailed the assassination as an [[act of God]].{{Sfn|Knecht|2016|p=306-307}}

===Burial===
Henry III was interred at the [[Saint Denis Basilica]]. Childless, he was the longest-living of Henry II's sons to have become king and also the last of the Valois kings. Henry III of Navarre succeeded him as [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]], the first of the kings of the [[House of Bourbon]].