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About the character of Henry I. of Guise we know the following: "Henri [= Henry I.], third Duke of Guise, born at Joinville on New Years' Eve, 1549 … was not interested in letters and, in spite of the close attention of his uncle [Cardinal Charles] and his grandmother [Antoinette de Bourbon], his knowledge of matters theological was superficial. … Like his father and grandfather, he was more interested in traditional aristocratic pursuits and his letters resound with the themes of horses, hunting, and war ... the portraits of the new duke [Heinrich oder Henri] support the contention of observers that Henri – as "beautiful as an angel", according to the Venetian ambassador – surpassed even his cousin, Maria Stuarts, in looks. He had the trademark pale visage and curly, strawberry blond hair. He was tall too and had a good physique shaped by the usual martial sports and tennis and, more unusually, swimming – he could, it was said, swim across a river in armour. He inherited both his father's charm and common touch: his immense attractiveness to women and affability with commoners would later be major political assets. If Henri had an Achilles heel it was hubris. In his father, the inbred pride of the aristocrat had been tempered by reserve and modesty, which charmed even his enemies. Henri, in contrast, inherited some of his uncle's [Cardinal Charles] arrogance." (in: Stuart Carroll: Martyrs and Murderers – The Guise Family and The Making of Europe. Oxford and New York 2009, pp. 185-186)
