Henry II of France is a father of three sons.
Catherine de ' Medici ( Italian : Caterina de ' Medici [ kateˈriːna de ˈmɛːditʃi ] ; French : Catherine de Médicis [ katʁin də medisis ] , 13 April 1519 -- 5 January 1589 ) , daughter of Lorenzo II de ' Medici and of Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne , was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen of France from 1547 until 1559 , as the wife of King Henry II . Henry II of France . The second son of Francis I , he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder brother Francis III , Duke of Brittany , in 1536 . He was succeeded in turn by three of his sons , whose ineffective reigns helped to spark the French Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics .