Philip II of Spain's reinforcement of the strategic corridor from Italy north along the Rhine added to these fears, and political discontent grew. [19] Later, Louis Bourbon would become a major figure among the Huguenots of France. This group (pejoratively known as Politiques) put their hopes in the ability of a strong centralized government to maintain order and harmony. The League also had a large following among the urban middle class. On 2 April 1562, Condé and his Protestant followers seized the city of Orléans. However, the agreed upon beginning of the wars is the Massacre of Wassy in 1562, and the Edict of Nantes at least ended this series of conflicts. The war was drawn to an official close after the Edict of Nantes, with the Peace of Vervins in May 1598. [18] However, Calvinism appears to have developed with large support from the nobility. To make sure that no contender for the French throne was free to act against him, the King had the Duke's son imprisoned. It is estimated that three million people perished in this period from violence, famine, or disease in what is considered the second deadliest religious war in European history (surpassed only by the Thirty Years' War, which took eight million lives).[1]. By the end of 1594, certain League members still worked against Henry across the country, but all relied on Spain's support. [55] Much of the Huguenots' financing came from Queen Elizabeth of England, who was likely influenced in the matter by Sir Francis Walsingham. William Farel also became part of the Meaux circle. In contrast to the previous hardline policies of Henry II and his father Francis I, they began introducing gradual concessions to Huguenots. Some of the wars were important, others were not. By April, the crown was already seeking to negotiate,[66] and the escape of Alençon from court in September prompted the possibility of an overwhelming coalition of forces against the crown, as John Casimir of the Palatinate invaded Champagne. Under the 1629 Peace of La Rochelle, the brevets of the Edict (sections of the treaty that dealt with military and pastoral clauses and were renewable by letters patent) were entirely withdrawn, though Protestants retained their prewar religious freedoms. The Wars of Religion in France lasted between 1562 and 1598. Some powerful noble families, who were ambitious, wanted to take advantage of this situation to gain more power. In 1562, the Huguenots were defeated by Guise in the first battle of the war. [14] The Affair of the Placards began in 1534, and started with protesters putting up anti-Catholic posters. This, however, had been tried and had failed—witness the fact that the Huguenots were now more numerous than they had ever been before. The posters were not Lutheran but were Zwinglian or "Sacramentarian" in the extreme nature of the anti-Catholic content—specifically, the absolute rejection of the Catholic doctrine of "Real Presence. King Henry III at first tried to co-opt the head of the Catholic League and steer it towards a negotiated settlement. On his deathbed, Henry 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. As he was killed outside of direct combat, the Guise considered this an assassination on the orders of the duke's enemy, Admiral Coligny. 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. The council had been formed in 1560 during the Estates-General of Saint-Germain-en-Laye when the council of prelates accepted the crown's request to give Huguenots a hearing. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Wars-of-Religion, History Learning Site - Third French War of Religion, Gaspard II de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon, Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Monluc, Philippe de Mornay, seigneur du Plessis-Marly. [72] In keeping with Salic Law, he named Henry as his heir. Foreign allies provided financing and other assistance to both sides, with Habsburg Spain and the Duchy of Savoy supporting the Guises, and England supporting the Protestant side led by the Condés and by the Protestant Jeanne d'Albret, wife of Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, and her son, Henry of Navarre. War broke out between the Catholic League and the Huguenots in 1562 and continued until 1598. [63] Henry of Navarre and his cousin, the young Prince of Condé, managed to avoid death by agreeing to convert to Catholicism. [3] Humanist scholars, who approached theology from a new critical and comparative perspective, argued that exegesis of Scripture must be based on an accurate understanding of the language(s) and grammar(s) used in writing the Greek scriptures (New Testament) and also, later, the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), rather than relying exclusively on the Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Bible, as in the Medieval period. Historians estimate that Provençal troops killed hundreds to thousands of residents there and in the 22 to 28 nearby villages they destroyed. Francis I, however, had no quarrel with the established religious order and did not support reformation. He was formally received into the Catholic Church in 1593, and was crowned at Chartres in 1594 as League members maintained control of the Cathedral of Reims, and, sceptical of Henry's sincerity, continued to oppose him. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [74] Paris' capitulation encouraged the same of many other towns, while others returned to support the crown after Pope Clement VIII absolved Henry, revoking his excommunication in return for the publishing of the Tridentine Decrees, the restoration of Catholicism in Béarn, and appointing only Catholics to high office. John Calvin, a Frenchman, escaped from the persecution to Basle, Switzerland, where he published the Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536. French Wars of Religion – Dreux 19/12/1562 This was the first battle of the French Wars of Religion. In this situation, Catholics were supported by the House of the Guise, while the House of Bourbons sympathized with the Protestants. Catherine’s biography was born on April 13, 1519, in Florence, Italy and she died on January 5, 1589 at the Royal Château de Blois [34]), The first instances of Protestant iconoclasm, the destruction of images and statues in Catholic churches, occurred in Rouen and La Rochelle in 1560. [50] In the Battle of Dreux (December 1562), Condé was captured by the Guises, and Montmorency, the governor general, was captured by those opposing the crown. A leader of the Catholic League, he invoked 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 Penthièvre in Brittany, and organized a government at Nantes. In preparation for her son's wedding, Jeanne d'Albret had arrived in Paris, where she went on daily shopping trips. The following year, mobs carried out iconoclasm in more than 20 cities and towns; Catholic urban groups attacked Protestants in bloody reprisals in Sens, Cahors, Carcassonne, Tours and other cities. [47] Their example was soon followed by Protestant groups around France. Much as Philip II hated and feared a possible Huguenot (French Protestant) victory in France, he was content to see the civil wars continue, anxious most often to intervene on the side of the Catholics yet sometimes covertly offering help to the Huguenots. In early 1598, the king marched against Mercœur in person, and received his submission at Angers on 20 March 1598. [57] The staggering royal debt and Charles IX's desire to seek a peaceful solution[58] led to the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (8 August 1570), negotiated by Jeanne d'Albret, which once more allowed some concessions to the Huguenots. With the murder, Henry of Navarre was legally entitled to the throne, and continued to fight against the Holy League. The Huguenots gathered a formidable army under the command of Condé, aided by forces from south-east 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. The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 (New Approaches to European History, #8) by Mack P. Holt The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 : CLICK HERE Format: paperback, 260 pages Publisher: Cambridge Catherine de’ Medici has been held partly responsible for starting the French Wars of Religion. [14] Despite this, in January 1535, Catholic authorities decided that those classified as "Lutherans" were actually Zwinglians (also heretical), followers of Huldrych Zwingli. Despite the campaigns between 1590 and 1592, Henry IV was "no closer to capturing Paris". The wars ended with Henry’s embrace of Roman Catholicism and the religious toleration of the Huguenots guaranteed by the Edict of Nantes (1598). They put emphasis on the literal interpretation of Scripture and highlighted Christ. A most notable moderate, at least initially, was the queen mother, Catherine de' Medici. The Edict of Amboise was generally regarded as unsatisfactory by all concerned, and the Guise faction was particularly opposed to what they saw as dangerous concessions to heretics. [36] Inexperienced and faced with the legacy of debt from the Habsburg–Valois conflict, 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. The Edict of Beaulieu granted many concessions to the Calvinists, but these were short-lived in the face of the Catholic League â€“ which the ultra-Catholic, Henry I, Duke of Guise, had formed in opposition to it. This population, known as the Camisards, revolted against the government in 1702, leading to fighting that continued intermittently until 1715, after which the Camisards were largely left in peace. 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. Animosity between Catholics and Protestants was also on the rise. For the next five days, the city erupted as Catholics massacred Calvinist men, women, and children and looted their houses. [12], Protestant ideas were first introduced to France during the reign of Francis I of France (1515–1547) in the form of Lutheranism, the teachings of Martin Luther. The Battle of La Roche-l'Abeille was a nominal victory for the Huguenots, but they were unable to seize control of Poitiers and were soundly defeated at the Battle of Moncontour (30 October 1569). Parma was subsequently wounded in the hand during the Siege of Caudebec whilst trapped by Henry's army. Neither group sought toleration of Protestants, but wanted to reach some form of concord for the basis of a new unity. [32] The Guise brothers suspected Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, of leading the plot. 1567-68 – Second war starts when Huguenots (Huguenots is the name given to French Calvinist Protestants) sieze several fortified towns. A peace compromise in 1576 allowed the Huguenots freedom of worship. The decision of King Louis XIII to reintroduce Catholicism in a portion of southwestern France prompted a Huguenot revolt. What were the causes of the Spanish revolt that occurred when [78] While it did not prompt renewed religious warfare, many Protestants chose to leave France rather than convert, with most moving to the Kingdom of England, Brandenburg-Prussia, the Dutch Republic and Switzerland. [64], In the absence of the duke of Anjou, disputes between Charles and his youngest brother, the duke of Alençon, led to many Huguenots congregating around Alençon for patronage and support. The Meaux circle was joined by Vatable, a Hebraist,[7] and Guillaume Budé, the classicist and librarian to the king. Historians estimate that in the 1560s more than half of the nobility were Calvinist (or Huguenot), and 1,200–1,250 Calvinist churches had been established; by the outbreak of war in 1562, there were perhaps two million Calvinists in France. By May 1576, the crown was forced to accept the terms of Alençon, and the Huguenots who supported him, in the Edict of Beaulieu, known as the Peace of Monsieur. This though might lead directly to civil war. Many Huguenots emigrated to Protestant countries. Three months after Henry of Anjou's coronation as King of Poland, his brother Charles IX died (May 1574) and his mother declared herself regent until his return. The crown tried to re-unite the two factions in its efforts to re-capture Le Havre, which had been occupied by the English in 1562 as part of the Treaty of Hampton Court between its Huguenot leaders and Elizabeth I of England. A test of King Henry III's leadership occurred at the meeting of the Estates-General at Blois in December 1576. Under pressure from the Guise, Henry III reluctantly issued the Treaty of Nemours (July) and an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henry of Navarre's right to the throne. [71] In July 1589, in the royal camp at Saint-Cloud, a Dominican friar named Jacques Clément gained an audience with the King and drove a long knife into his spleen. [62] Over the next few weeks, the disorder spread to more than a dozen cities across France. But the civil war was more than a religious war. For Henry and the Protestant army at least, Parma was no longer a threat. [41] Thirdly, Catherine might try to heal the religious division in the country by means of a national council or colloquy on the topic. Both repudiated their conversions after they escaped Paris. 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. Based on the terms of the treaty, all Huguenots were granted amnesty for their past actions and the freedom of belief. [35], On 5 December 1560, Francis II died, and his mother Catherine de' Medici became regent for her second son, Charles IX. 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. This changed under the reign of their Bourbon successor Henry IV. You may have heard of D-Day, the Battle of Hastings, and Waterloo, but do you know their historical significance? The damage done to the Huguenots meant a decline from 10% to 8% of the French population. Monarchy tried to intervene and reduce the tension between the warr… It focused on the biblical basis of faith as a free gift of God, salvation by faith alone, and the importance of understanding in prayer. Meanwhile, a meeting between Bèze and the Cardinal of Lorraine, of the House of Guise, seemed promising; both appeared ready to compromise on the form of worship. [28][29] Within days of the King's accession, the English ambassador reported that "the house of Guise ruleth and doth all about the French King". The revocation of the Edict had very damaging results for France. This assassination began the series of events known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Refusing to return to Paris, Henry III called for an Estates-General at Blois in September 1588. It is believed to have started with Louis Bourbon, Prince of Condé, who while returning home to France from a military campaign, passed through Geneva, Switzerland and heard a sermon by a Calvinist preacher. The conversion of the nobility constituted a substantial threat to the monarchy. First she might revert to persecution of the Huguenots. Proclaiming his son "prince and duke of Brittany", he allied with Philip II of Spain, who sought to place his own daughter, infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, on the throne of Brittany. The Huguenot Jean de la Fontaine described the events: "The Protestants were engaged in prayer outside the walls, in conformity with the king's edict, when the Duke of Guise approached. Works such as Farel's translation of the Lord's Prayer, The True and Perfect Prayer, with Lutheran ideas became popular among the masses. Others reconverted to Catholicism for survival, and the remainder concentrated in a small number of cities where they formed a majority. Back to top 9.2 [39][40], The Regent Queen-Mother Catherine de Medici had three courses of action open to her in solving the religious crisis in France. This pivotal historical event involved a complete breakdown of state control resulting in series of riots and massacres in which Catholic mobs killed between 5,000 and 30,000 Protestants over a period of weeks throughout the entire kingdom. Reports of iconoclasm in Flanders led Charles IX to lend support to the Catholics there; French Huguenots feared a Catholic re-mobilisation against them. On 23 December 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. Although the Huguenots had begun to mobilise for war before Vassy,[49] Condé used the massacre of Vassy as evidence that the July Edict of 1561 had been broken, lending further weight to his campaign. I would argue that a major cause of most (but not all) wars is religion. The Waldensians had recently affiliated with the Reformed tradition of Protestantism, participating in "dissident religious activities". Ends in March 1563 with the Treaty of Amboise. As a result, their interests clashed and conflicts began. In 1560, Jeanne d'Albret, Queen regnant of Navarre, converted to Calvinism, possibly due to the influence of Theodore de Beze. [31] He was arrested and due to be executed before being freed in the political chaos that marked the sudden death of Francis II, adding to the tensions of the period. Henry's forces then went on to besiege Paris, but after a long and desperately fought resistance by the Parisians, Henry's siege was lifted by a Spanish army under the command of the Duke of Parma. The French Wars of Religion (1562–1598) is the name of a period of civil infighting and military operations primarily between French Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). 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