The king of France, Henry IV, slaying the hydra

Henry IV, roi de France

The importance of Greek tradition and culture can also be seen in the monarchy's use of ancient symbols. At a time of religious conflicts, kings and queens often represented themselves in the form of ancient heroes or divinities. The monarchy sought to create a discourse and an imaginary world in which its representatives were seen as divinities capable of dealing with the troubles affecting the kingdom. Here we see the king Henri IV, who signed the Edict of Nantes that put and end to the religious conflicts, represented as the hero Heracles slaying the Hydra, that represents the chaos os religious wars.