Details:
Henry IV of France was baptized as a Catholic but raised as a Protestant by his mother[1]. As a Huguenot, he was involved in the French Wars of Religion and later led Protestant forces against the French royal army[1]. Upon becoming king of France in 1589, he initially kept the Protestant faith and had to fight against the Catholic League, which denied that he could wear France's crown as a Protestant[1]. After four years of stalemate, he converted to Catholicism in 1593 to obtain mastery over his kingdom, reportedly saying, "Paris is well worth a mass"[1][2][3]. With the encouragement of his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées, he permanently renounced Protestantism and converted to Catholicism in order to secure his hold on the French crown[1][3]. This move earned him the resentment of the Huguenots and his former ally, Queen Elizabeth I of England[1].
Nicolas Baullery was a French painter and illustrator who lived from around 1560 to 1630[4]. He came from a family of painters, and his father and nephew were also painters[4]. Baullery worked on several churches in Paris and produced engravings on the theme of Henry IV of France's entry into Paris in 1594[4]. Some of his works include the Nativité in the church at Chassey[4].
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV_of_France
[2] https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/henry-iv-renounced-protestant-faith-11630040.html
[3] https://snippetsofparis.com/henri-iv-france-navarre/
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Baullery
