fjt_713246 - François, duke of Alençon then of Anjou, Brabant and Count of Flanders FRANÇOIS, DUC D'ALENÇON PUIS D'ANJOU, BRABANT ET COMTE DE FLANDRE frappé à Nuremberg 1587

François, duke of Alençon then of Anjou, Brabant and Count of Flanders

(1554-1584)

François (first named Hercule) is the fourth son of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis. Brother of Henri III, he bore the title of Duke of Alençon and became the leader of the "politicians" favorable to an alliance with the Protestants. By the "peace of Monsieur" of May 6, 1576 he received Anjou, Touraine and Berry. In 1582, his intrigues with William of Orange enabled him to be proclaimed Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders. On his death in 1584, the Duchy of Alençon was definitively united to the Crown.