French Religious Wars of the 16th Century: 1562-1598

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French Religious Wars of the 16th Century
1562-1598

• Kagan, Chapter 12

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Europe after the Reformation

• N. Europe mainly Protestant
• (Scandinavia / England / N. Germany / parts of
  France / Switzerland / Scotland)
• Unity of Western Christianity shattered
• Religious wars 100 years!!!
• Protestant Individualism
• encourages independence, science, capitalism,
  nationalism U2.5 13 Protestant Resistance
  Theory, pp.356

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The 16th and 17th Centuries

• Different type of warfare
• Larger (often State financed) armies
• Gunpowder cannon kills at distance
  indiscriminately
• not as noble as one-on-one combat
• Expensive so kings must find ways to finance
  war increased taxation usually of the lower
  class
• Numerous problems
• Religious, Political, Social (Monarchy vs.
  Feudalism)

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Religious Wars FranceHabsburg-Valois Wars,
1521-1559

• Francis I (1515-1547), House of Valois fighting
  Charles V, House of Habsburg, King of Spain
• Concordat of Bologna (1516) nationalized French
  Church (Gallican Church) king has right to
  appoint bishops abbots
• Humanist patron of Leonardo da Vinci how the
  Mona Lisa gets to Paris!
• rebuilds the Louvre (1528) as luxury palace

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le Louvre
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Francis I (1515-1547) cont.

• Persecution of Huguenots for political reasons
  begins (threat to authority)
• See U2.5 4-5

• Battle of Pavia, 1525 French Protestants
  persecuted in the hopes the Charles V will
  release Francis I sooner
• Oct. 18, 1534 mass arrests of Protestants
• Edicts of Fontainebleau (1540) Chateaubriand
  (1551)

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Huguenots in South Carolina
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Background Check

• On your whiteboard. Indicate with a few words as
  possible and as quickly as you can what each of
  these groups in 16th century France wanted
• Henry II (vs. Philip II, Spain)
• Catherine de Medici
• Aristocratic families Guise, Montmorency, Bourbon

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Henry II Catherine de Medici

• Henry II (1547-1559) marries Catherine de
  Medici (1519-1589)
• Charles V abdicates (1556) and his kingdom
  splits Spain to Philip / HRE to Ferdinand
• Philip also has Naples, Milan, Sicily America!
  POWER
• 1559, Habsburg-Valois War end w/ Treaty of
  Cateau-Cambresis
• Henry II accepts Habsburg rule in Italy and
  Flanders
• Philip II promises to leave ruling Valois family
  in peace (Does he stick to his promise?)
• Meanwhile back in France
• Cont. persecution of Huguenots for religious
  reasons 40 of French nobles had converted to
  Calvinism
• Henry II accidentally killed in a jousting
  tournament (1559)

Focus the fight against Calvinism !
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Powerful French Noble Families

• Monarchy weak so kings try to appease by
  promoting religious freedom (U2.5 7)
• In eastern France the Catholic Guise family
  (controls Francis II) Francis, Charles and
  Louis Guise
• Who are their allies?
• In center of France - the pro-Protestant
  Montmorency-Chatillon family Gaspard de Coligny
  (advisor to Charles IX)
• From central France to south west the Huguenot
  Bourbon family - Louis I, prince of Condé

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Henry III (r. 1574-1598)
Francis II (r. 1559-1560) Mary, Queen of
Scots! (also related to Guise family)
Charles IX (r. 1560-1574)
U2.56 9
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Civil War breaks out

• 1560, at the age of ten Charles IX becomes king
  of France his mother is regent (U2.5 10)
• Tensions btw. Guise, Montmorency and Bourbon
  families rages undermining the authority of the
  king
• Guise family, devoutly Catholic, gains backing of
  Spain Jesuits
• Huguenots take advantage of political chaos
  become bolder in practicing their religion
• 1562 they seized the city of Lyon, forced
  Calvinism on the population and desecrated
  Catholic churches
• Francis, duke of Guise retaliates by executing
  Huguenots found worshipping on his land
  (Toulouse) 3000 killed in fighting (1563 duke
  of Guise assassinated by Huguenot)

U2.5 11
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Civil War Continues

• 1572 Catherine Charles lend military support to
  Dutch against Spanish in attempts to weaken their
  rival
• Guise family sees this Protestant attempt to
  control the throne
• Admiral Gaspard de Coligny (member of House of
  Montmorency who had converted to Protestantism
  is blamed for murder of duke of Guise) gains
  influence over Charles IX
• Catherines dilemma how to maintain power and
  quell Protestant/Catholic infighting
• Marries daughter Margot to Huguenot Henry
  Bourbon, King of Navarre, but peace is not
  achieved because

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St. Bartholomews Day Massacre (U2.5 12)
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St. Bartholomews Day Massacre

• Catherine with House of Guise attempts to
  assassinate Adm. Coligny -assassination fails, SO
  six days after her daughters wedding, August 24,
  1572...
• St. Bartholomews Day Massacre Catholics attack
  Protestants
• Massacre rages throughout France for 3-6 days
  3000 dead in Paris 20,000 dead outside of city
• Henry of Navarre returns to Navarre to plan new
  strategy
• Henry, Duke of Guise forms Catholic League
  swearing to drive out all heresy (and hopefully
  become king himself)

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Civil War continues

• Henry III (1574-1598) during his reign(U2.5
  14)
• Huguenots rebuild their strength consider Henry
  of Navarre the rightful heir to the throne (U2.5
  17)
• Henry, duke of Guise (w/aid of Philip II) plans
  to take the throne
• Peace of Beaulieu, May 1576 (U2.5 15 16)
• Henry Guise storms seizes Paris becoming
  Chief Minister
• 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots executed, Guise family
  outraged that King Henry III could not stay
  execution
• Day of Barricades, 1588 (U2.5 18)

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War of the Three Henrys

• Henry III has Henry Guise assassinated(1588)
  joins with Henry of Navarre against the Catholic
  League to retake Paris
• 1589 Henry III assassinated for his alliance w/ a
  Protestant
• So Henry of Navarre becomes King Henry IV, the
  politique

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King Henry IV, the politique

• 1593 Paris is worth a Mass converts to gain
  the throne!!!
• 1595 declares war on Spain his popularity grows
• 1598 Spain signs Treaty of Vervins economic
  drain on both countries is too great
• EDICT OF NANTES 1598 (U2.519)
• 1610 assassinated BUT his legacy? See pg. 358