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WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF FRENCH HISTORY... |
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The Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre of 24th August 1572, intensified the religious division of France. The 1576 the Edict of Beaulieu, signed by Henry lll allowed the Huguenot’s the right of public worship and aimed to bring order again to the country, but the majority of Catholics were frightened by these concessions. Duke Henri de Guise, lead the "League" in 1576 and with the support of the Pope and the King of Spain, the religious wars started again. Henry III had to admit defeat to the Catholics and revoked the Edict of Beaulieu. Interrupted by broken peace agreements and truces, some lasting longer than others, the war continued until the problem of succession arose in 1584 due to the sudden death of the king’s brother. Henry III had no children, and the only legitimate successor was a "Huguenot" (Protestant): King Henry of Navarra. This provoked one of the most violent phases of the religious wars, during which the King lost his sovereignty in the eyes of the people, in favour of the Duke of Guise, the leader of the Catholic League. As a result, Henry III ordered the murder of the Duke of Guise on 23rd December 1588. This caused an uprising until he too was murdered by the fanatic, Jacques Clément on 1st August 1589. Before he died, he named the King of Navarra as his legitimate successor. But
Henry IV was a Huguenot and was not acknowledged by the Catholics. After
numerous arguments he finally decided to convert to Catholicism on 25th July
1593. And later, although the Huguenots felt betrayed, the Edict of Nantes in
1598 allowed the Protestants sustainable concessions and put an end to the forty
years of religious wars. |