Age of Religious Wars
And European Expansion
• 1559—Treaty of CateauCambresis ended the
Hapsburg-Valois Wars
• Spain: gained control of
Italy
• Phillip II centers political
activity on Spain
• Two catholic powers:
France and Spain shift from
fighting each other to
fighting PROTESTANTS
Wars in 1500-1600s
• Different than prior wars:
• Armies bigger (up to
50,000)
• Reorganized administration
to finance armies
• Use of gunpowder
• Guns and cannons killed
indiscriminately from a
distance
• Writers scorned gunpowder
as coward’s weapon
• Propaganda, pulpits, press
Origins of problems in France
• Francis I (1515-1547)
• Henry II (1547-1559)
• Small, efficient councils
• Great nobles governed
provinces
• Paris: magistrates exercised
fiscal/judicial responsibilities
• 1539: ordinance passed
that made all of France
responsible to royal courts:
French the language of
those courts
• Taille—supported both
monarchy and army
• Tax base too small for
French spending
• (arts and foreign policy)
–Louvre, Dreux Castle
–Tuileries
–Il Rosso—Fontainebleau
–Mona Lisa purchased
–Leonardo hired
• Habsburg-Valois Wars
expensive:
–Taxes increased
–Heavy borrowing
–Sale of public offices—
new hereditary nobility
•Nobility of the Robe
–Treaty with papacy: Concordat
of Bologna
• Pope head of council
• France could appoint all
bishops and abbots
• Monarchy had power over
Church until 1789
• Established Catholicism as
French state religion
Results
• French rulers no longer
revolted against Rome
• Disorder in French church
• Church offices used as
rewards
• Intellectual/moral standards
not elevated
• Little attention to needs of
laity
• Protestant teaching spread
• Luther’s ideas appeared in
1518
Calvin appears: 1536
• Wrote in French
• Larger audience in France
• Converts reformed-minded
clergy
• Middle class
• Artisans
• Paris, Lyons, Meaux,
Grenolle
• Many persecuted and
burned, but 1/10 of French
population became Calvinist
Religious Riots and Civil War in
France 1559-1598
• 1559: Power shift from France to
Spain:Henry II dies at marriage
tournament
• Daughter Elizabeth of Valois
married Phillip II of Spain
• Connects two Catholic powers
• Because of monarchial weakness,
2/5-1/2 French nobles become
Calvinist
• Three families dominate
Political scene:
• Bourbon--Huguenots
• Montmorency-Chatillons-Huguenots
• Guise--Catholic
French Civil War
• Two Sides:
• Guise family led Catholics in
north
• Bourbons led Huguenots in
south
• Fighting for royal inheritance
Art and architecture:
Catholic: Baroque
Protestants plain and simple
• Catholic: Baroque
• Presented life in a
grandiose three dimensional
display of raw energy
• Ornamentation, marble
sculptures, columns,
paintings
• Protestants: plain and
simple
• Keep worshippers focused
on sermon
• 1560: conspiracy of Amboise:
–Condemned by Calvin—
Tactics are a disgrace to the
reformation
–Francis II dies in 1560 dies of
ear infection
–Charles IX (under the
regency of Catherine de
Medici)
–January Edict 1562—Issued
–Granted Protestants freedom
to worship outside of towns,
privately within
• End of religious toleration in
France
• Sparks the beginning of the
French Wars of Religion
• Conde and Huguenot
armies did not support
Catherine de Medici
First War of Religion 1562-1563
• Begun by Massacre at
Vassy in 1562
• Duke of Guise stopped in
Vassy
• Servants argued with
Huguenots
• Guise factions fired on unarmed
Huguenots
–Burned the church
–Killed much of the congregation
–Series of small battles/sieges
follow
–Duke of Guise assassinated
Second War 1567-1568
• Population of Huguenots
increased in South
• Catherine began two-year tour
of the provinces w/Charles IX
• Part of an effort to establish
sense of unity w/nobility
• Rumor that Catherine was
planning w/Spain to
exterminate the Huguenots
caused them to attempt a coup
• Another series of small
battles/sieges
• Result: more debt for
crown/little changed
Third War (1568-1570)
• Cardinal of Lorraine
hatched a plot to overturn
the peace and capture
Conde and Coligny
(protestant leaders)
• Conde was killed
• Coligny assumed leadership
• Coligny met the Catholics at
Moncoutour and was defeated
• Regrouped his forces and
defeated the royal army—
deprived the crown of their
chance to break the Protestant
hold on the South
• Crown racked up debt by
keeping the army in the field
and negotiated peace
• 3rd war ended by Peace of
Saint-Germain
–Protestants could fortify cities
–Granted religious freedom
within territories
–Returned confiscated
properties
–Results of Third War
–Raised tensions between
protestants and Catholics
–Brought war, suffering to
rural areas in South of
France
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
1572
• Aug 17, 1572: Henri de
Navarre married Margot de
Valois
• Festivities last until Aug. 23
• Aug 22: Admiral de Coligny
shot by assassin
• Suffers broken arm, severely
wounded
• Suspected the Guises
• Huguenots wanted justice from
King; and they wanted Coligny
to flee
At the Louvre
• Charles IX, Catherine de
Medici, Henri d’Anjou
decide to kill Coligny and
Huguenots
• Charles IX: “Well kill them
all that no man be left to
reproach me.”
• Charles’ soldiers go to
Coligny’s door; shot guard; ran
through the house; dragged
Coligny from bed—stabbed
him thru/ threw body from
window
• Duc de Guise mocked the
body/kicked in face/said it was
King’s will
• Militia/general population went
on rampage, sanctioned by
church and king:
• Wore white crosses on hats
• Butchered their neighbors
• Killing lasted 3 days
Henri de Navarre
• Slept in bridal suite in Louvre
• His entourage of 40
Huguenots killed
• Henri de Navarre/Henri de
Conde dragged before King
Charles IX and threatened
w/death unless they converted
to Catholicism
• Both converted; Navarre
became prisoner of court for 4
years
• In Provinces: massacres
lasted for months
Massacre Results
• Generation of Huguenot
leaders destroyed
• Henri de Navarre prisoner
• Conde eventually escapes to
Germany
• Andelot, Coligny’s brother,
became exile in Switzerland
• Protestant Church in France
begins its decline
• Protestants: abjured faith or
became radicals
–Profound distrust of king;
unwillingness to disarm;
upsurge in political rhetoric of
resistance
4th War (1572-1573)
• La Rochelle: de facto capital of
Protestants: refused to pay
taxes to king b/c of massacre;
refused to admit royal
governor;
• King Charles IX declared war
in November
• Army besieged La Rochelle in
February
• King’s army led by Henri
d’Anjou and Henri de Navarre
(as hostage)
• La Rochelle: port city; easily
resupplied by sea; nearly
impregnable harbor; not easily
reduced.
• Result: High casualties on
both sides
• Royal treasury strained
• Siege called off in May
• Catherine de Medici had plans
for Henry de Anjou: to ascend
Polish throne
• Treaty of La Rochelle: ends
war; not advantageous to
protestants.
5th War (1576)
• 1574--Charles IX died “sweating
blood and tormented w/guilt for
Massacre”
• Henri d’Anjou, King of Poland,
abdicates Polish throne and
returns to France to claim French
Throne as Henri III
Henri’s problems:
• Conde raised troops, money,
support from German princes
• Feb 1576: Navarre escapes
court to his own territory and
raised and army.
• Henri III’s brother, Duc d’Alencon,
began anti-royalist campaign that
portrayed himself as an alternate
king: more fair and tax-cutting
• They formed a strong alliance:
Catherine de Medici could not
counter it—20,000 troops invade
France under Jan Casimir
• Casimir’s troops met up
w/additional armies and Catherine
forced to negotiate.
• Edict of Beaulieu (Peace of
Monsieur) signed in May
–Great settlements for leaders
–Navarre made governor of
Guyenne
–Conde—governor of Picardy
–Alencon—Duc d’Anjou and
given many titles
–Jan Casimir—crown paid for his
mercenaries
–Henry III angry; Parlament of
Paris did not register the
settlement; some towns ceded
to Protestants did not let them in
6th War (1577)
• 1576: Spring convocation of
Estates General held few
Protestant delegates
• Advocated 1 religion in France
• Henri III wanted new taxes and
revenues to finance the
government
• National debt was
unbearable
• 1st Attempt at formation of a
Catholic League (to
oppose Protestants if King
would not)
• Henri III makes himself head
of the League
• Royal force formed: Protestant
towns along the Loire River
were re-taken; Protestants
remained strong in the South
• Peace of Bergerac July 1577
–More restrictive on worship,
but same as Edict of
Beaulieu
–Disallowed any leagues and
associations (fear of Catholic
Right)
7th War (1580)
• Lover’s war—very brief
• Navarre seized city of Cahors:
maneuvering between Navarre
and crown
• Queen Margot also involved
• Treaty of Nerac and Peace of
Felix signed
• Navarre consolidated his
control in the SW
• Duc d’Anjou tried to gain favor
in Netherlands; died in 1584;
• New crisis: only heir to throne:
Navarre
War of the 3 Henries (1584-1589)
• Crown was Catholic
• Role of “Most Christian
King”
• Fundamental ideals for
France
• Pope Sixtus V immediately
excommunicated Navarre and his
cousin (Henri de Conde)
• Both were heretics
• Unfit for crown
• Some Catholics resented papal
interference; others wanted to
seize crown
• Duc de Guise: found
pedigree tracing back to
Charlemagne
• In Guise tradition, named
himself defender of Catholic
Church
• Henri III begs Henri de Navarre to
convert to make the throne
legitimate
• Navarre not ready: needed
current base of support
• Duc de Guise revived Catholic
League
–To prevent a heretic from
coming to the throne
Dec 1584: Treaty of Joinville
• Signed between Guises,
Catholic League, and Philip
II of Spain
• Spain gives enormous sum
to Catholic League and
Guise pockets for 10 years.
• Catholic League: strong
noble base, much territory
and middle class urban
following
• Henri III tries to overpower
Catholic League again:
makes himself head
Treaty of Nemours 1585
• Revoked all previous edicts
–Reformed religion banned
–No Protestants in Royal offices
–Evacuation of all garrisoned
towns
–All protestants abjure faith in 6
months or be exiled
• Catholic League (Guises) hold
N/E
• Navarre & Conde hold S/W—they
look for aid from Germans and
Queen Elizabeth I
• 1587—Jan Casimir leads German
mercenaries to France—defeated
by Guises
• Navarre defeats Henri III’s army
at Coutras
• In Paris: growing dissatisfaction
w/Henri III failure to suppress
Protestants
• 1588: Paris uprising: Barricades
in streets
• Henri III leaves Paris
Estates General 1588
• Catholic League pressed for
meeting
• Want to crown Cardinal de
Bourbon (Navarre’s uncle)—
he was old/could be Guise
puppet
• Widespread fear of Henri’s
abdication of Guise King
• Dec. 24, 1588: Guise invited to
visit Henri III in his quarters:
archers lined stairs; 40 men in
waiting room—Guise entered and
doors bolted; Guise cut to pieces;
body burnt; bones dissolved;
ashes scattered; Cardinal de
Guise suffered same fate
Result of Guise murders
• Duc de Mayenne (Guise)—
Catholic League leader
• Prints revolutionary tracts
• Sorbonne—taught it was just
and right to depose Henri III
• Encouraged private citizens to
commit regicide
• League sent army against
Henri III
• Henri III turns to Henri de
Navarre and they reclaim Paris
July 1589
• Jacques Clement, monk, begs
audience w/King Henri III
• Puts long knife into his spleen:
wound festered
• On his deathbed, he calls for
Navarre and named him as heir
Wars of the League 1589-1598
• Henri IV (Navarre) delicate
position
• Some of Henri III’s followers
support him, others do not
• Catholic League staged coups
in principle cities
• Reign of terror: political
correctness of citizens:
moderate Catholics,
Protestants, suspicious people
hung
• Duc de Mayenne: w/support of
Spanish $ took army to field
• Henri IV takes war out of south
to north (necessary to get full
support and become King of
France)
• 9/1589: Armies meet;
Mayenne defeated at Arqeues;
Throughout winter, Henri IV
takes town after town
• 3/1590 League suffered
crushing defeat at Ivry;
Cardinal de Bourbon died
• Spring/Summer 1590—Henri IV
reduces Paris to severe hunger;
Allows women and children to
leave
• Philip II of Spain alarmed
–Sent Duke of Parma to relieve
the siege of Paris
–Parma re-supplied the City
–Henri IV forced to withdraw.
1593 Estates General
• Catholic League called
meeting
• Need (Catholic) candidate for
throne of France
• Spanish proposed Infanta
(Philip II’s infant daughter by
Elizabeth de Valois, Henri III’s
• sister) She would in the future
marry a noble like the Duc de
Guise
• Departure from Salic Law
• Parliament passed decree: no
foreigners would get crown
Startling turn of Events
• Henry IV abjured his faith in
July, 1593— “Paris is worth a
mass.”
• Coronated in Chartres, not
Reims, b/c it was still in the
hands of the Catholic League
• Result:
• Blow to the League
• Many did not trust the
conversion, esp. Protestants:
hoped it was a ploy
• Some Protestants withdrew
support
Triumphal Entry of Henry IV Into Paris – Peter Paul
Reubens
• Spring, 1594: Henri IV
enters Paris: No war;
Spanish leave
• Henri IV begins program to
win people over: charm,
force, money, promises
• Spanish tried to take
territory until financial
problems & Henri’s victories
force them to sign the
Treaty of Vervins, and they
withdraw.
• 1598: Edict of Nantes:
granted Huguenots liberty of
conscience and public
worship in 150 fortified
towns; paved way for
absolutism by restoring
internal peace in France