The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. They included civil infighting as well as military operations. In addition to the religious elements, they involved a struggle of influence 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 hand. Gaul For details, see the main Gaul article. ... This is a timeline of French history. ... Gallia (in English Gaul) is the Latin name for the region of western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The Franks were one of several west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire from Frisia as foederati and established a lasting realm in an area that covers most of modern-day France and the region of Franconia in Germany, forming the historic kernel of both these two modern... During the latter years of the elderly Charlemagnes rule, the Vikings made advances along the northern and western perimeters of his kingdom. ... France under the Ancien Régime, the socio-political system which persisted throughout the rule of the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, was a nation half-way between feudalism and modernity, ruled over by a powerful absolute monarchy which relied on the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings and the... The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire, the Napoleonic Empire or simply as The Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... This article covers the history of France from the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 to the begining of the Third Republic in 1871. ... The era of the Third Republic in France lasted from after the fall of the Second Empire in 1870 to the defeat to Germany in World War II in 1940. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... The France of today is a prosperous nation with its economy currently ranked 5th in the world. ... Since World War Two, France enjoyed 30 years of economical growth, called the Trente Glorieuses. ... The military history of France includes both those military actions centered on the territory encompassing modern France, and the military history of French-speaking peoples of European descent, in Europe and in its overseas possessions and territories. ... Catholic is a term generally used in relation to the members, beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant French Protestants (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in a Catholic nation. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... Capital Metz Area 23,547 km² Regional President Jean-Pierre Masseret Population  - 2005 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density 2,310,376 98/km² Arrondissements 19 Cantons 157 Communes 2,337 Départements Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Lorraine ( German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ... The Catholic League was created by Henry of Guise, in 1576 during the French Wars of Religion. ... This article or section should include material from France: Wars of Religion - Bourbon Dynasty. ...

In 1560, Catherine de Medici became regent for her young son Charles IX. Catherine felt that she had to steer the throne carefully between the powerful and conflicting interests that surrounded it. 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. She nominated a moderate chancellor, Michel de l'Hôpital, who urged a number of measures providing for toleration of the Huguenots. Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berhick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519–January 5, 1589), born in Italy as Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici, and later queen of France under the French name Catherine de M dicis, was the wife of King Henry II of France, of the Valois branch of the kings of... Charles IX ( June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) was born Charles-Maximilien, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. ... This article or section should include material from France: Wars of Religion - Bourbon Dynasty. ... The House of Guise was a French ducal family, primarily responsible for the French Wars of Religion. ... Michel lHospital Michel de lHôpital (or lHospital) (c. ...

She therefore was led to support religious toleration in the shape of the Edict of Toleration (1562), which allowed the Huguenots to worship publicly outside of towns and privately in town. On March 1, however, the Guise faction attacked a Huguenot service at Vassy and committed a general massacre. The Edict was revoked, under pressure from the Guise faction. The Edict of Toleration, better known as the Edict of Saint-Germain from the chateau where it was promulgated, was issued by Catherine de Medici in January 1562. ... Events Earliest English slave-trading expedition under John Hawkins. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... Vassy is the name of several communes in France: Vassy, in the Calvados département Vassy, in the Yonne département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

This provoked a response from the Bourbons, who, led by Condé, organised a kind of protectorate over the Protestant churches and began to garrison strategic towns along the Loire. Here, at Dreux and at Orléans, there were the first major engagements; at Dreux, Condé was captured by the Guises and Montmorency, the governent general, by the Bourbons. At Orléans, Francis, Duke of Guise was assassinated, and Catherine's fears that the war might drag on led her to negotiate a truce and the Edict of Amboise (1563). Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (May 7, 1530 – March 13, 1569) was a Huguenot leader and general. ... Loire is a département in the east-central part of France occupying the Loire Rivers upper reaches. ... Dreux is a town and commune in northwest France, in the Eure-et-Loir département. ... This article is about Orléans, France; for other meanings see Orleans (disambiguation). ... Henri I de Montmorency (1534 - 1614), Marshal of France, became duc de Montmorency on his brothers death in 1579, had been governor of Languedoc since 1563. ... Francis, 2nd Duke of Guise (February 17, 1519 - February 24, 1563) was a French soldier and politician. ... Events February 18 - The Duke of Guise is assassinated while besieging Orléans March - Peace of Amboise. ...

This was generally regarded as unsatisfactory by all concerned, the Catholics in particular being uneasy about what they regarded as unwise concessions to the heretics. The political temperature of the surrounding lands was rising, as unrest grew in the Netherlands. The Huguenots became suspicious of Spanish intentions when the latter reinforced their strategic corridor from Italy north along the Rhine and made an unsuccessful attempt at taking control of the king. This provoked a further outburst of hostilities which ended in another unsatisfactory truce, the Peace of Longjumeau (March 1568). The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ... Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ...

In September of that year, war again broke out and Catherine and Charles decided to throw in their lot with the Guises. Religious toleration was once more at an end and the Huguenots fought the Catholics to another standstill, signalled by the Regent's Edict of St Germain (August 1570), which once more allowed some religious toleration of the Huguenots. The Treaty of Saint-Germain, was signed on 10 September 1919 by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand and by the new republic of Austria on the other. ... Events January 23 - The assassination of regent James Stewart, Earl of Moray throws Scotland into civil war February 25 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England. ...

Matters became complicated thereafter as Charles IX warmed to the Huguenot leaders, especially Gaspard de Coligny, while his mother became suspicious and eventually alarmed. When it became clear that the king was bent on a full-scale alliance with England and the Dutch rebels, Catherine plotted the assassination of Coligny. Gaspard de Coligny (February 16, 1519 - August 24, 1572), Seigneur (Lord) de Châtillon, admiral of France and Protestant leader, came of a noble family of Burgundy. ...

The attempt was made on August 22, 1572. It failed, and Charles was persuaded that the Huguenots would take revenge against the crown. In fact, many Huguenots were in Paris for the marriage of Marguerite de Valois to Henry of Navarre. Told that it was a necessary pre-emptive strike, Charles approved the massacre of the Protestants, which became known to history as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Throughout August 23 Huguenots were slaughtered in the thousands (probably around 3,000) in Paris and, in the days that followed, many more in the provinces. August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... Events January 16 - The Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. ... Marguerite de Valois (1553 - 1615), Queen Margot, Queen of France and Navarre. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV) (December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), called the Great (French: le Grand), was the first of the Bourbon kings of France, reigning from 1589 until 1610. ... St. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ...

Both Philip II of Spain and Pope Gregory XIII declared themselves well pleased with the outcome, which was naturally viewed with horror by their religious opponents throughout Europe. In France, it solidified Huguenot opposition to the crown. Philip II of Spain (1527 – September 13, 1598), King of Spain (r. ... Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585) Gregory XIII, né Ugo Buoncampagno (January 7, 1502 – April 10, 1585) was pope (1572 – 1585). ...

Charles IX died in May of 1574 and Henry III succeeded him. Henry soon found himself with the same problem of trying to maintain royal authority in the face of the competing factions. The Guises, who had formed the Catholic League, had the unwavering support of the Spanish superpower and were therefore in a very strong position throughout the 1580s. The Huguenots, however, had the advantage of a regional power base in the southwest - they were supported in principle by outside Protestant forces, but in practice the other Protestant powers, such as England or the German states, could bring no useful forces to bear. Events April 14 - Battle of Mookerheyde. ... Henry III (French: Henri III; Polish: Henryk III Walezy; September 19, 1551 – August 2, 1589) was King of Poland (1573-1574) and subsequently King of France (1574-1589). ... The Catholic League was created by Henry of Guise, in 1576 during the French Wars of Religion. ... Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century Decades: 1530s 1540s 1550s 1560s 1570s - 1580s - 1590s 1600s 1610s 1620s 1630s Years: 1580 1581 1582 1583 1584 1585 1586 1587 1588 1589 1590 Events and Trends The beginnings of the Golden Age of Literature in England Categories: 1580s ...

The leader of the House of Bourbon, Henry of Navarre, was the next in line. This article or section should include material from France: Wars of Religion - Bourbon Dynasty. ...

Things came to a head again in 1584, with the death of Henry's younger brother, François, duke of Anjou and Alençon, who was the heir to the throne, as Henry III had no children. Disastrously, from the Catholic perspective, that left Henry of Navarre as heir. As the head of the Guise family was also a Henry, the ensuing period of the wars, 1585 — 1589, is called the "War of the Three Henries". The king at first tried to put himself at the head of the Catholic League, while remaining in favour of a moderated settlement. This was anathema to the Catholic extremists, who wanted the Huguenots completely suppressed. In May 1588, Paris rose against the king and in favour of the Guises; the king left the city. The Guises then proposed a settlement with a cipher as heir and demanded a meeting of the States General, which took place at Blois in December of that year. Events June 1 - With the death of the Duc dAnjou, the Huguenot Henry of Navarre becomes heir-presumptive to the throne of France. ... François, Duke of Anjou François Hercule, Duke of Anjou and Alençon, ( March 18, 1555 - June 19, 1584) was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici. ... Events May 12 - Day of the Barricades in Paris. ... In France under the ancien gime, the States-General or Estates-General (in French: tats-G raux), was an assembly of the different classes of French citizenry. ... Blois is a city in France, the préfecture (capital) city of the Loir_et_Cher département, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours. ...

At Blois, Henry of Guise was lured into a trap and assassinated, on the orders of the King. The Catholic League went into a frenzy and the Sorbonne declared it a pious act to assassinate the king, a declaration reminiscent of the Papal bull Regnans in Excelsis against Elizabeth I. In July 1589, Henry was assassinated by a fanatic monk, but lived long enough to name Henry of Navarre as heir to the throne. Henry, 3rd Duke of Guise (January 31, 1550 - December 23, 1588) was the son of Francis, Duke of Guise. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The Sorbonne today, from the same point of view The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... A Papal bull is a written communication from the Vatican Chancery, bearing a formal papal seal. ... Regnans in Excelsis was a Papal bull issued on February 25, 1570 by Pope Pius V declaring Elizabeth I to be a heretic and releasing all her subjects from any allegiance. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ... Events Rebellion of the Catholic League against King Henry III of France, in revenge for his murder of Duke Henry of Guise. ...

The situation on the ground in 1590 was that King Henry IV of France, as Navarre had become, held the south and west, and the Catholic League the north and east. The new king knew that he had to take Paris if he stood any chance of reuniting the kingdom. Paris was besieged, but the siege was lifted with Spanish support. Realising that there was no prospect of a Protestant king succeeding in fanatically Catholic Paris, Henry, with the famous phrase Paris vaut bien une messe (Paris is worth a mass), announced his conversion to the old faith and was crowned at Chartres in 1594. Events March 14 - Battle of Ivry - Henry IV of France again defeats the forces of the Catholic League under the Duc de Mayenne. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV) (December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), called the Great (French: le Grand), was the first of the Bourbon kings of France, reigning from 1589 until 1610. ... Chartres is a city and commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Eure-et-Loir département. ... Events February 27 - France at Rheims. ...

The League fought on, but enough moderate Catholics were won over by the conversion to make their party ultimately one of extremists only. The Spanish withdrew from France under the terms of the Peace of Vervins. Henry was faced with the task of 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 kind of genuine toleration, was in fact a kind of permanent truce between the religions, with guarantees for both sides. The Edict can be said to mark the end of these civil wars. The Peace of Vervins was signed between Henry IV of France and Philip II of Spain in 1598. ... The Edict of Nantes was issued on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV of France to grant French Protestants (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in a Catholic nation. ...

External links

• The Wars of Religion, Part I (http://www.lepg.org/wars.htm)
• The Wars of Religion, Part II (http://www.lepg.org/wars2.htm)

References

• The French Wars of Religion 1559-1598 (Seminar Studies in History) by R.J. Knecht ISBN 058228533X