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The French Wars of Religion, (1562 to 1598) were a series of conflicts in France fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. Prehistoric France is the period in the human occupation (including early hominins) of the geographical area covered by present-day France which extended through Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western For Gaul before the Roman conquest see Gaul. Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin France in the Middle Ages covers an area roughly corresponding to modern day France, from the death of Charlemagne in 814 to the middle of the 15th The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolings, or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the For a full history of the Capetian family see Capetian dynasty. See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and Early Modern France is the Early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The History of France from 1789 to 1914 ( The long 19th century) extends from the French Revolution to World War I and includes The First Republic in France, officially the French Republic (République française was proclaimed on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the Constitutional and legislative assembly The Executive Directory ( Directoire exécutif) was a body of 5 single-male Directors that held executive power in France following The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the The Empire of the French (1804-1814 also known as the Empire of France, Greater French Empire, First French Empire, French Empire, or Following the ousting of Napoleon I of France in 1814 the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution, saw the overthrow of King Charles X, the French The July Monarchy (1830-1848 was a period of liberal monarchy rule of France under Louis-Philippe The February 1848 Revolution in France ended the reign of King Louis-Philippe, and led to the creation of the French Second Republic (1848-1852 History Revolution of 1848 See also Mid-nineteenth century France The industrial population of the Faubourgs The Second French Empire or Second Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870 between the Second The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe The Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris was a Government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May The History of France from 1914 to the present includes the later years of the Third Republic (1871–1941 World War I (1914–18 Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 The Provisional Government of the French Republic ( gouvernement provisoire de la République française or GPRF was an interim government which governed The founding of the Fourth Republic (1944-47 See also Three Parties, Third Force (France European Unity The creation of the See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on The Kingdom of France was organised into Provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département This is a history of the economy of France. For more information on historical cultural demographic and sociological developments in France see the chronological As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2000 years across areas including modern France, greater France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world For practical purposes the history of French art has been divided into a series of separate articles accessible through the template to the right This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the The Culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by its geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and This is a timeline of French history. To read about the background to these events see History of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant the Calvinist Protestants of A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state This article describes three distinct but related terms military operations Operations as military events and operational level of war In addition to the religious elements, they involved a struggle for control over the ruling of the country between the powerful House of Guise (Lorraine) and the Catholic League, on the one hand, and the House of Bourbon on the other. A religious war is a War caused by religious differences It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different The House of Guise was a French Ducal family partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion. Lorraine (Lorraine Lothringen is a historical area in present-day northeast France. The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern Roman Catholics as the Holy League, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. In addition, they may also be considered a war by proxy between King Philip II of Spain and Queen Elizabeth I of England. A proxy war is the war that results when two powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 The wars concluded with the issuing of the Edict of Nantes by Henry IV of France, which granted a degree of religious toleration to Protestants. Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III

Contents

Protestants in France

Main article: Huguenot

Lutheranism was introduced in France after about 1520. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Initially, King Francis I was tolerant of religious reformers, but after the Affair of the Placards in 1534, he began to view Protestants as a threat and openly moved against them. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The Affair of the Placards (Affaire des Placards was an incident in which anti-Catholic posters appeared in public places in Paris and in four major provincial cities One French Protestant, John Calvin, found refuge in Geneva, where he came to hold great influence on the reform movement. John Calvin (or Jean Calvin) (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564 was a French Protestant theologian during the Protestant Reformation and Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking During the reign of Henry II (1547 - 1559), Calvinism gained numerous converts in France among the French nobility, the middle class, and the intelligentsia. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the The Nobility (la noblesse in France, in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period had specific legal and financial rights and For the coffee shop company often called Intelligentsia for short see Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. Although Huguenots accounted for only a small fraction of the French population, their wealth, influence and anti-Catholic proselytizing began to cause resentment.

In 1559, delegates from 66 Calvinist congregations in France met secretly at Paris in a national synod which drew up a confession of faith and a book of discipline. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Thus was organized the first national Protestant church of France. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

The early conflicts

The accidental death of king Henry II in 1559 created a political vacuum that the faction around the powerful and ultra-catholic House of Guise was able to exploit and fill. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 The House of Guise was a French Ducal family partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion. (The niece of Francis, Duke of Guise -Mary, Queen of Scots -was queen to the new king Francis II. Francis II Prince of Joinville Duke of Guise Duke of Aumale ( February 17, 1519 &ndash February 24, 1563) called Balafré ("the Francis II (François II (19 January 1544 &ndash 5 December 1560 King-consort of Scotland (1558&ndash1560 and King of France (1559 &ndash 1560 was born [1] In March 1560, the "Amboise conspiracy", or "Tumult of Amboise", the attempt on the part of a group of disaffected nobles (led by Jean du Barry, seigneur de la Renaudie) to abduct the young king and eliminate the Guise faction, was foiled when their plans became discovered. The Amboise conspiracy, or Tumult of Amboise ( 1560) was a failed attempt by Huguenots and the House of Bourbon to wrest power over France Hundreds of plotters were executed. [2] The Guise brothers suspected Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé of leading the plot, and he was arrested but eventually freed for lack of evidence, adding to the tensions of the period. Louis of Bourbon-Condé ( Louis I Prince of Condé) ( May 7, 1530 &ndash March 13, 1569) was a prominent Huguenot (In the polemics that followed, the label "Huguenot" for France's Protestants came into widespread usage. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth [3])

The first instances of Protestant destruction of images and statues in Catholic churches occurred in Rouen and La Rochelle in 1560. Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking" is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious Icons and other symbols or monuments Rouen (ʁwɑ̃ in French) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital La Rochelle is a city in western France, and a Seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. The following year, these disturbances extended to over twenty cities and towns, and would, in turn, incite Catholic urban groups to bloody reprisals in Sens, Cahors, Carcassonne, Tours and other cities. History Caesar mentions Agedincum in the territory of the Senones several times in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, and the city retains Cahors (kaɔʁ Occitan: Caors pronounced kaˈurs ˈkɔws ˈkɔw is the principal town and commune in south west France capital of the Carcassonne (Carcassona is a fortified French town in the Aude département, of which it is the Prefecture, Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river [4]

In December 1560, Francis II died, and his mother Catherine de' Medici became regent for her second son Charles IX. Catherine de' Medici (April 13 1519 &ndash January 5 1589 was born in Florence, Italy as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Charles IX (27 June 1550 &ndash 30 May 1574 born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death Inexperienced and lacking financial support, Catherine felt that she had to steer the throne carefully between the powerful and conflicting interests that surrounded it, embodied by the powerful aristocrats who led essentially private armies. Although she was a sincere Roman Catholic, she was prepared to deal favourably with the Huguenot House of Bourbon in order to have a counterweight against the overmighty House of Guise. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. The House of Guise was a French Ducal family partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion. She nominated a moderate chancellor, Michel de l'Hôpital, who urged a number of measures providing for toleration of the Huguenots. Michel de l'Hôpital (or l'Hospital; 1507 &ndash March 13, 1573) was a French statesman

She therefore was led to support religious toleration in the shape of the Edict of Saint-Germain (January 1562), which allowed the Huguenots to worship publicly outside of towns and privately inside of them. The Edict of Saint-Germain was an Edict of toleration promulgated by the Regent Catherine de' Medici, in January 1562 On March 1, however, a faction of the Guise family's retainers attacked a Calvinist service in Wassy-sur-Blaise in Champagne and massacred the worshippers. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Wassy or Wassy-sur-Blaise is a commune of the Haute-Marne département, in France. Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name As hostilities broke out, the Edict was revoked, under pressure from the Guise faction. The Huguenot Jean de la Fontaine put it this way:

"The Protestants were engaged in prayer outside the walls, in conformity with the king's edict, when the Duke of Guise approached. Some of his suite insulted the worshippers, and from insults they proceeded to blows, and the Duke himself was accidentally wounded in the cheek. The sight of his blood enraged his followers, and a general massacre of the inhabitants of Vassy ensued. "[5]

This provoked the First War. The Bourbons, led by Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, organised a kind of protectorate over the Protestant churches and began to seize and garrison strategic towns along the Loire. Louis of Bourbon-Condé ( Louis I Prince of Condé) ( May 7, 1530 &ndash March 13, 1569) was a prominent Huguenot Loire ( Arpitan: Lêre, Occitan: Léger) is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the Here, at Battle of Dreux and at Orléans, occurred the first major engagements; at Dreux, Condé was captured by the Guises and Montmorency, the governor general, by the Bourbons. The Battle of Dreux was fought on 19 December, 1562 between Catholics and Huguenots This article is about the French city of Orléans for other meanings see Orleans (disambiguation. Anne de Montmorency duc de Montmorency, KG ( March 15, 1493 &ndash November 12, 1567) was a French soldier statesman In February 1563, at Orléans, Francis, Duke of Guise was assassinated, and Catherine's fears that the war might drag on led her to mediate a truce and the Edict of Amboise (1563). Francis II Prince of Joinville Duke of Guise Duke of Aumale ( February 17, 1519 &ndash February 24, 1563) called Balafré ("the The Edict of Amboise was signed at the Château of Amboise on March 19, 1563 by Catherine de' Medici, acting as regent for her son Charles

This was generally regarded as unsatisfactory by all concerned, the Guise faction being particularly opposed to what they saw as dangerous concessions to heretics. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief The political temperature of the surrounding lands was rising, as unrest grew in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Huguenots became suspicious of Spanish intentions when King Philip II of Spain reinforced the strategic corridor from Italy north along the Rhine. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Protestant troops then made an unsuccessful attempt to capture and take control of King Charles IX in the Surprise of Meaux, and Catholic priests were massacred the following day in Nimes in the Michelade. The surprise of Meaux ( La surprise de Meaux) was a conspiracy organised in 1567 by Louis I de Bourbon prince de Condé to capture Charles IX Nîmes ( Provençal Occitan: Nimes in both classical and Mistralian norms is a city in southern France. The Michelade is the name given to the massacre of 24 Catholic priests and monks by Protestant rioters in Nîmes on Michaelmas ( 29 September) 1567 This provoked a further outburst of hostilities (the Second War) which ended in another unsatisfactory truce, the Peace of Longjumeau (March 1568). The Peace of Longjumeau (also known as the Treaty of Longjumeau or the Edict of Longjumeau) was signed on March 23, 1568 by King Charles

In September of that year, war again broke out (the Third War). Catherine and Charles decided this time to ally themselves with the House of Guise. Religious toleration was once more at an end, and the Huguenot army, under the command of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé and aided by forces from south-eastern France led by Paul de Mouvans and a contingent of fellow Protestant militias from Germany — including 14,000 mercenary reiters led by the Calvinist Duke of Zweibrücken. Louis of Bourbon-Condé ( Louis I Prince of Condé) ( May 7, 1530 &ndash March 13, 1569) was a prominent Huguenot Reiters ( German: Reiter, or horserider shortened from the original “Schwarze Reiter”--literally "black riders" for the colour of their armour were [6] After the Duke was killed in action, he was succeeded by the Count of Mansfeld and the Dutch William of Orange and his brothers Louis and Henry. Ernst Graf von Mansfeld (also sometimes called Ernst Graf von Mansfield, Ernst Count of Mansfeld or Peter Ernst Graf von Mansfeld) (c William I Prince of Orange ( April 24 1533 — July 10 1584) also widely known as William the Silent (Willem de Zwijger or simply [7] Much of the Huguenots' financing came from Queen Elizabeth of England, who was likely influenced in the matter by Sir Francis Walsingham. Sir Francis Walsingham (c 1532 – 6 April 1590) is usually remembered as the " Spymaster " of Queen Elizabeth I of England [8] The Catholics were commanded by the Duke d'Anjou (later King Henry III) and assisted by troops from Spain, the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Henry III of France (Henri III Henryk ( September 19 1551 – August 2, 1589) The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Granducato di Toscana Magnus Ducatus Tusciae was a state in central Italy that existed from 1569 to 1859 replacing the Duchy of Florence [9]

The Protestant army laid siege to several cities in the Poitou and Saintonge regions (to protect La Rochelle), and then Angoulême and Cognac. Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente La Rochelle is a city in western France, and a Seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Angoulême is a commune in western France, capital of the Charente department. Cognac is a commune in the French département of Charente, of which it is a sub-prefecture. At the Battle of Jarnac (16 March 1569), the Prince de Condé was killed, forcing Admiral de Coligny to take command of the Protestant forces. The Battle of Jarnac was an encounter during the French Wars of Religion that occurred on March 13, 1569 between the Catholic forces of Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Gaspard de Coligny ( February 16, 1519 &ndash August 24, 1572) Seigneur (Lord de Châtillon held the office of The Battle of La Roche-l'Abeille was a nominal victory for the Calvinists, but they were unable to seize control of Poitiers and were soundly defeated at the Battle of Moncontour (October 30, 1569). The Battle of La Roche-l'Abeille occurred on 25 June, 1569 between the Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France commanded by the Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France. The Battle of Moncontour occurred on October 3, 1569 between the Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France and the Huguenots Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Coligny and his troops retreated to the south-west and regrouped with Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, and in spring of 1570 they pillaged Toulouse, cut a path through the south of France and went up the Rhone valley up to La Charité-sur-Loire. Gabriel Comte de Montgomery Seigneur de Lorges (c 1530 &ndash June 26 1574) was a lieutenant in King Henry II of France 's Toulouse ( pronounced in standard French, and in the local accent ( Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced) is a city in southwest The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. La Charité-sur-Loire is a town and commune of the Nièvre département, in France. [10] The staggering royal debt and Charles IX's desire to seek a peaceful solution[11] led to the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (8 August 1570), which once more allowed some concessions to the Huguenots. The Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was a treaty signed August 5, 1570 at the royal Château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, ending the third of the French Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

Main article: St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
Painting of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre by François Dubois.
Painting of the St. The St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy in French) was a wave of Roman Catholic Mob violence against the Huguenots Bartholomew's Day Massacre by François Dubois.

Despite this shaky truce, Anti-Protestant massacres of Huguenots at the hands of Catholic mobs continued, in cities such as Rouen, Orange and Paris. Anti-Protestantism is an institutional ideological or emotional Bias against Protestantism and its followers Rouen (ʁwɑ̃ in French) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital Orange ( Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm norm is a town and commune in the Matters at Court were further complicated thereafter as King Charles IX openly allied himself with the Huguenot leaders — especially Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. The title Admiral of France is one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, the naval equivalent of Marshal of France. Gaspard de Coligny ( February 16, 1519 &ndash August 24, 1572) Seigneur (Lord de Châtillon held the office of Meanwhile, the Queen Mother became increasingly fearful of the unchecked power wielded by Coligny and his supporters, especially when it became clear that Coligny was bent on forcing an alliance with England and the Dutch rebels. Queen mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed Queen consort (a Queen dowager) whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch

Coligny along with many other wealthy and powerful Calvinists arrived in Paris for the wedding of the Catholic Princess Marguerite de Valois to the Protestant Henry of Navarre on August 18. Marguerite de Valois ( May 14, 1553 &ndash May 27, 1615) " Queen Margot " ( La reine Margot) was Queen of Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. On August 22, an assassin made a failed attempt on Coligny's life, shooting him in the street from a window. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. The bullets went astray, causing merely the loss of a finger on his right hand and a broken left arm. While historians have suggested a likely identity to the assassin (Charles de Louvier, sieur de Maurevert), the source of the order to assassinate Coligny has never been determined (it is improbable that the order came from Catherine). [12] Catherine and her supporters believed the Huguenots might stage a coup, so they decided in the small royal council (in the afternoon and night of 23 August), with the approval of the King, to make a preemptive strike by assassinating a limited number of the most powerful Huguenots who might organize a counterattack. In the early morning of August 24, the Duke de Guise arrived at the lodging of Coligny, and there Coligny and several of his men were killed; Coligny's body was thrown from the window into the street, and was subsequently mutilated, castrated, dragged through the mud, thrown in the river and finally suspended on a gallows and burned by the Parisian crowd. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River [13] For the next five days, the city degenerated into anarchy, erupting into full-scale murder of Calvinist men, women and children, and the looting of their houses, a massacre that was neither approved nor predicted by the king. [14] Over the next few weeks it spread to more than a dozen cities across France. This event became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. The St Bartholomew's Day massacre ( Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy in French) was a wave of Roman Catholic Mob violence against the Huguenots Perhaps 2,000 Huguenots were slaughtered in Paris and, in the days that followed, thousands more in the provinces; in all, perhaps 10,000 people were killed. [15]

Both Philip II of Spain and Pope Gregory XIII declared themselves pleased with the outcome, which naturally provoked horror and outrage by their religious opponents throughout Europe. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Pope Gregory XIII (January 7 1502 &ndash April 10 1585 born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585 In France, it all but decapitated Huguenot opposition to the crown.

The massacres set off the Fourth War, which included Catholic sieges of the cities of Sommières (by troops led by Henri I de Montmorency), Sancerre and the La Rochelle (by troops led by the Duke d'Anjou). Sommières is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Henri I de Montmorency-Damville ( June 15 1534 - April 2 1614) Marshal of France, and Constable of France, seigneur of The Siege of Sancerre ( 1572 - 1573) was a Siege of the fortified hilltop city of Sancerre in central France during the Wars of The end of hostilities was brought on by the election (11 - 15 May 1573) of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of Poland and by the Edict of Boulogne (signed in July 1573) which severely curtailed many of the rights previously granted to French Protestants. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Edict of Boulogne, also called the Edict of Pacification of Boulogne, was signed in July 1573 by King Charles IX of France in the Château de Madrid Based on the terms of the treaty, all Huguenots were granted amnesty for their past actions and the freedom of belief. However, they were permitted the freedom to worship only within the three towns of La Rochelle, Montauban, and Nimes, and even then only within their own residences; Protestant aristocrats with the right of high-justice were permitted to celebrate marriages and baptisms, but only before an assembly limited to ten persons outside of their family. La Rochelle is a city in western France, and a Seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Montauban ( Montalban in Occitan) is a town and commune of southwestern France, Préfecture (capital of the Tarn-et-Garonne Nîmes ( Provençal Occitan: Nimes in both classical and Mistralian norms is a city in southern France. [16]

Henry III

Three months after Henry of Anjou's coronation as King of Poland, his brother Charles IX died (May 1574). Henri secretly left Poland and returned via Venice to France, where he was crowned King Henry III in 1575, at Rheims, but hostilities – the Fifth War – had already flared up again. Henry III of France (Henri III Henryk ( September 19 1551 – August 2, 1589) Reims (alternative English spelling Rheims; riːmz in English and /ʁɛ̃s/ in French) is a city of the Champagne-Ardenne région of northern

Henry soon found himself in the difficult position of trying to maintain royal authority in the face of feuding warlords who refused to compromise. In 1576, the King signed the Edict of Beaulieu, granting many concessions to the Calvinists, but his action resulted in the ultra-Catholic, Henry I, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League. The Edict of Beaulieu (also known at the time as the Peace of Monsieur) was promulgated from Beaulieu-lès-Loches on May 6, 1576 by Henry Henry I Prince of Joinville Duke of Guise Count of Eu ( January 31, 1550 – December 23, 1588, Château de Blois) sometimes The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern Roman Catholics as the Holy League, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in The Guise faction had the unwavering support of the Spanish Crown and were therefore in a very powerful position throughout the 1580s. The Huguenots, however, had the advantage of a strong power base in the southwest; they were also discreetly supported by outside Protestant governments, but in practice, England or the German states could provide few troops. At the end of the Sixth War (1576-1577), after much posturing and negotiations, Henry III was forced to rescind most of the concessions that had been made to the Protestants in the Edict of Beaulieu with the Treaty of Bergerac (also known as the "Edict of Poitiers"). The Treaty of Bergerac (also known as the Edict of Poitiers) was signed on September 17, 1577 between Henry III of France and Huguenot Two years later, further hostilities — the Seventh War (1579-1580) — ended in the stalemate of the Treaty of Fleix. The Treaty of Fleix (also known as the Edict of Fleix and the Peace of Fleix) was signed on November 26, 1580 by Henry III of France

The fragile compromise came to an end in 1584, when the King's youngest brother and heir presumptive, François, Duke of Anjou, died. Hercule François Duke of Anjou and Alençon, often simply referred to as "the Duke of Alençon" ( March 18, 1555 &ndash June 19 As Henry III had no son, under Salic Law, the next heir to the throne was the Calvinist Prince Henri of Navarre, a descendant of Louis IX whom Pope Sixtus V had excommunicated along with his cousin, Henri Prince de Condé. Salic law ( Lat Lex Salica) was an important body of traditional Law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the Early Middle Ages Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III Pope Sixtus V ( December 13, 1521 &ndash August 27, 1590) born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590 Henri I de Bourbon prince de Condé ( December 29 1552 – March 5 1588) was like his father Louis I de Bourbon prince de Under pressure from the Duke of Guise, Henri III reluctantly issued an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henri of Navarre's right to the throne.

In December 1584, the Duke of Guise signed the Treaty of Joinville on behalf of the League with Philip II of Spain, who supplied a considerable annual grant to the League over the following decade to maintain the civil war in France, with the hope of destroying the French Calvinists. The Treaty of Joinville was signed in secret in December 1584 by the French Catholic League, led by France's first family of Catholic nobles the Guises Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 The House of Guise had long been identified with the defense of the Roman Catholic Church and the Duke of Guise and his relations — the Duke of Mayenne, Duke of Aumale, Duke of Elboeuf, Duke of Mercoeur and the Duke of Lorraine — controlled extensive territories that were loyal to the League. The House of Guise was a French Ducal family partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion. For information on the regent of the Netherlands see Charles of Lorraine. Charles of Guise Duc d'Aumale ( January 25, 1555 &ndash 1631 Brussels) was the son of Claude Duke of Aumale and Louise de Brézé The Seigneurie of Elbeuf, later a marquisate and duchy was based on the territory of Elbeuf in the Vexin, ruled first by the Counts of Valois and then Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine-Mercoeur Duke of Mercoeur ( September 9, 1558, Nancy &ndash February 19, 1602, Charles III ( February 18 1543 – May 14 1608) known as the Great, was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death The League also had a large following among the urban middle class.

The King at first tried to co-opt the head of the Catholic League and steer it towards a negotiated settlement. This was anathema to the Guise leaders, who wanted to bankrupt the Huguenots and divide their considerable assets with the King. The situation degenerated into the Eighth War (1585-1598), in which the initial phase (as the head of the Guise family was also a Henry) is sometimes called the "War of the Three Henrys".

Henry of Navarre again sought foreign aid from the German princes and Elizabeth I of England. Meanwhile, the solidly Catholic people of Paris, under the influence of the Committee of Sixteen were becoming dissatisfied with Henry III and his failure to defeat the Calvinists. On 12 May 1588, a popular uprising raised barricades on the streets of Paris, and Henry III fled the city. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. The Committee of Sixteen took complete control of the government and welcomed the Duke of Guise to Paris. The Guises then proposed a settlement with a cipher as heir and demanded a meeting of the Estates-General, which was to be held in Blois. In France under the Ancien Regime, the States-General or Estates-General (French états généraux) was a Legislative assembly Blois is a city and commune in France, the Préfecture (capital of the Loir-et-Cher département, situated

Viewing the House of Guise as a dangerous threat to the power of the Crown, King Henri decided to strike first. On December 23, 1588, at the Château de Blois, Henry of Guise and his brother, the Cardinal de Guise, were lured into a trap by the King's guards. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France. Louis II Cardinal of Guise ( July 6, 1555, Dampierre &ndash December 24, 1588, Château de Blois) was the third son of The Duke arrived in the council chamber where his brother the Cardinal waited. The Duke was told that the King wished to see him in the private room adjoining the royal chambers. There guardsmen seized the duke and stabbed him in the heart, while others arrested the Cardinal who later died on the pikes of his escort. To make sure that no contender for the French throne was free to act against him, the King had the Duke's son imprisoned. The Duke of Guise had been highly popular in France, and the league declared open war against King Henry. The Parlement of Paris instituted criminal charges against the King, who now joined forces with his cousin, the Huguenot, Henry of Navarre, to war against the League. This article is for the Ancien Régime institution For the post-Revolutionary and present-day institution see French Parliament.

It thus fell upon the younger brother of the Guise, the Duke of Mayenne, to become the leader of the Catholic League. For information on the regent of the Netherlands see Charles of Lorraine. The League presses began printing anti-royalist tracts under a variety of pseudonyms, while the Sorbonne proclaimed that it was just and necessary to depose Henri III, and that any private citizen was morally free to commit regicide, a declaration reminiscent of the Papal bull Regnans in Excelsis against Elizabeth I. This article is about the Collège de Sorbonne. For other uses of the name see Sorbonne. The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it A Papal bull is a particular type of Letters patent or charter issued by a Pope. Regnans in Excelsis was a Papal bull issued on February 25, 1570 by Pope Pius V declaring " Elizabeth, the pretended In July 1589, in the royal camp at Saint-Cloud, a Dominican monk named Jacques Clément gained an audience with the King and drove a long knife into his spleen. Saint-Cloud is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. Jacques Clément ( 1567 - August 1, 1589) was the Assassin of the French king Henry III. Clément was killed on the spot, taking with him the information of who, if anyone, had hired him. On his deathbed, Henri III called for Henry of Navarre, and begged him, in the name of Statecraft, to become a Catholic, citing the brutal warfare that would ensue if he refused. Public administration can be broadly described as the development implementation and study of branches of government Policy. In keeping with Salic Law, he named Henri as his heir. Salic law ( Lat Lex Salica) was an important body of traditional Law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the Early Middle Ages

Henry IV

The situation on the ground in 1589 was that the new Henry IV of France, as Navarre had become, held the south and west, and the Catholic League the north and east. The leadership of the Catholic League had devolved to the Duke de Mayenne, who was appointed Lieutenant-General of the kingdom. He and his troops controlled most of rural Normandy. However, in September 1589, Henry inflicted a severe defeat on the Duke at the Battle of Arques. The Battle of Arques occurred on 15-18 September, 1589 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France and troops of the Catholic League commanded Henry's army swept through Normandy, taking town after town throughout the winter.

The King knew that he had to take Paris if he stood any chance of ruling all of France. This, however, was no easy task. The Catholic League's presses and supporters continued to spread stories about atrocities committed against Catholic priests and the laity in Protestant England (see Forty Martyrs of England and Wales). The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of Christian martyrs who were canonized on 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI to represent the The city prepared to fight to the death rather than accept a Calvinist king.

The Battle of Ivry, fought on March 14, 1590, was another decisive victory for Henry against forces led by the Duke of Mayenne. The Battle of Ivry was fought on March 14, 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. For information on the regent of the Netherlands see Charles of Lorraine. Henry's forces went on to lay siege to Paris, but the siege was broken by Spanish support. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Realising that Henry III had been right and that there was no prospect of a Protestant king succeeding in resolutely Catholic Paris, Henry reputedly uttered the famous phrase Paris vaut bien une messe (Paris is well worth a mass). He was formally received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1593 and was crowned at Chartres in 1594. Chartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located 96 km southwest of Paris

War in Brittany

In 1582 Henry III, the last living male-line grandson of Claude, Duchess of Brittany, had made Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercoeur, a leader of the Catholic League, governor of Brittany. Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine-Mercoeur Duke of Mercoeur ( September 9, 1558, Nancy &ndash February 19, 1602, The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern Roman Catholics as the Holy League, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into Mercoeur put himself at the head of the Catholic League in Brittany, and had himself proclaimed protector of the Catholic Church in the province in 1588. Invoking the hereditary rights of his wife, Marie de Luxembourg, who was a descendant of the dukes of Brittany and heiress of the Blois-Brosse claim to the duchy as well as Duchess of Penthievre in Brittany, he endeavoured to make himself independent in that province, and organized a government at Nantes, proclaiming his son "prince and duke of Brittany". Marie de Luxembourg (d April 1, 1547) was a French noblewoman the elder daughter and principal heiress of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of St In the 11th and 12th centuries the countship of Penthièvre ( Breton: Penteur) in Brittany (now in the department of Côtes-d'Armor) belonged Nantes (Naoned Gallo: Naunnt) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast He allied with Philip II of Spain, who however sought to place his own daughter, infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, to the throne of Brittany. With the aid of the Spanish, Mercoeur defeated the Duke of Montpensier, whom Henry IV had sent against him, at Craon in 1592, but the royal troops, reinforced by English contingents, soon recovered the advantage. Henri de Bourbon Duke of Montpensier, ( 12 May, 1573 &ndash 27 February, 1608) was Dauphin of Auvergne, Duke of Montpensier Craon is the name of several communes in France Craon, in the Mayenne department Craon former commune of the Meurthe-et-Moselle England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The king marched against Mercoeur in person, and received his submission at Angers on March 20, 1598. Angers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in northwestern France about 300 km south-west of Paris. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Mercoeur subsequently went to exile in Hungary. Mercoeur's daughter and heiress was married to the Duke of Vendôme, an illegitimate son of Henry IV. César of Bourbon-Vendôme (César I Duke of Vendôme Beaufort and Etampes ( Château de Coucy, 3 June 1594 &ndash Paris, 22 October

Towards peace

Some members of the League fought on, but enough Catholics were won over by the King's conversion to make the diehards increasingly isolated. The Spanish withdrew from France under the terms of the Peace of Vervins. The Peace of Vervins was signed between the representatives of Henry IV of France and Philip II of Spain on 2 May 1598, at the small town of Henry was faced with the task of rebuilding a shattered and impoverished Kingdom and reuniting France under a single authority. The essential first step in this was the negotiation of the Edict of Nantes, which, rather than being a sign of genuine toleration, was in fact a kind of grudging truce between the religions, with guarantees for both sides. The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant the Calvinist Protestants of The Edict can be said to mark the end of the Wars of Religion.

Henry IV and his advisor, the duc de Sully continued the work of reconstruction and led France into a peaceful and prosperous age. Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III Maximilien de Béthune Duke of Sully ( December 13, 1560 &ndash December 22, 1641) was the doughty soldier French minister staunch Huguenot

Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

Although the Edict of Nantes brought the conflicts to a close, the political freedoms it granted to the Huguenots (seen by detractors as "a state within the state") became an increasing source of trouble during the seventeenth century. The decision of King Louis XIII to reintroduce Catholicism in a portion of southwestern France prompted a Huguenot revolt. For the cognac see Louis XIII de Rémy Martin. Louis XIII ( September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643) By the Peace of Montpellier in 1622, the fortified Protestant towns were reduced to two: La Rochelle and Montauban. La Rochelle is a city in western France, and a Seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Montauban ( Montalban in Occitan) is a town and commune of southwestern France, Préfecture (capital of the Tarn-et-Garonne Another war followed, which concluded with the Siege of La Rochelle, in which royal forces led by Cardinal Richelieu blockaded the city for fourteen months. The Siege of La Rochelle was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627-1628 This article is about a cardinal For information on the Russian also called The Red Eminence, see Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov. Under the 1629 Peace of La Rochelle, the brevets of the Edict (sections of the treaty which dealt with the military and pastoral clauses and which were renewable by letters patent) were entirely withdrawn, though Protestants retained their prewar religious freedoms. Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right

Over the remainder of Louis XIII's reign, and especially during the minority of Louis XIV, the implementation of the Edict varied year by year. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent In 1661 Louis XIV, who was particularly hostile to the Huguenots, assumed control of the French government and began to disregard some of the provisions of the Edict. In 1681 he instituted the policy of dragonnades, to intimidate Huguenot families to reconvert to Roman Catholicism or emigrate. A policy commonly called in French " dragonnades " was instituted by Louis XIV in 1681 in order to intimidate Huguenot families into either leaving France Finally, in October 1685, Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau, which formally revoked the Edict and made the practice of Protestantism illegal in France. The Edict of Fontainebleau (October 1685 was an Edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes of The revocation of the Edict had very damaging results for France. While it did not prompt renewed religious warfare, many Protestants chose to leave France rather than convert, with most moving to Great Britain, Prussia, the Dutch Republic and Switzerland. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

At the dawn of the eighteenth century, Protestants remained in significant numbers in the remote Cévennes region of the Massif Central. The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements ' of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche The Massif Central ( Occitan: Massís Central / Massís Centrau) is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of Mountains and This population, known as Camisards, revolted against the government in 1702, leading to fighting that continued intermittently until 1715, after which time the Camisards were largely left in peace. Camisards were French Protestants ( Huguenots) of the rugged and isolated Cevennes region of south-central France, who raised an insurrection against

Chronology

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Salmon, p. The Battle of Fontaine-Française occurred on 5 June, 1595 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France and troops of Spain and The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant the Calvinist Protestants of An edict of toleration is a declaration made by a government or ruler and states that members of a given Religion will not be persecuted for engaging in their religious practices The Monarchomachs (Monarchomaques were originally French Huguenots theorists who opposed Absolute monarchy at the end of the 16th century known France is a secular country where Freedom of thought and of religion are preserved in virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the 118.
  2. ^ Salmon, pp. 124-5; the cultural context is explored by N. M. Sutherland, "Calvinism and the conspiracy of Amboise", History 47 (1962:111-38).
  3. ^ Salmon, p. 125.
  4. ^ Salmon, pp. 136-7.
  5. ^ Rev. James Fontaine and Ann Maury, Memoirs of a Huguenot family (New York) 1853.
  6. ^ Jouanna, p. 181.
  7. ^ Jouanna, p. 181.
  8. ^ Jouanna, p. 181.
  9. ^ Jouanna, p. 182.
  10. ^ Jouanna, p. 184.
  11. ^ Jouanna, pp. 184-5.
  12. ^ Jouanna, 196.
  13. ^ Jouanna, 199.
  14. ^ Jouanna, 201.
  15. ^ Jouanna, 204.
  16. ^ Jouanna, p. 213.

References

Barbara B. Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross: Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris (Oxford, 1991).

External links

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