Religious wars in France. Religious war in France: causes, stages, consequences How long did the religious wars last in France

The French Wars of Religion continued with short interruptions from 1562 to 1589. The main parties to the conflict were Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants). The result of numerous wars was a change in the ruling dynasty, as well as the consolidation of the right to free religion.

Prerequisites

The bloody religious war in France between Catholics and Protestants began in 1562. She had several superficial reasons and deep reasons. In the 16th century, French society split into two irreconcilable camps - Catholic and Protestant. The new teaching entered the country from Germany. Its supporters advocated the abandonment of some norms of the Catholic Church (sale of indulgences, offices, etc.).

Calvinism became the most popular Protestant movement in France. His followers were called Huguenots. The centers of this teaching were scattered throughout the country, which is why the religious war in France was on such a significant scale.

The plot was discovered on the eve of execution. Francis and his entourage fled to Amboise. Nevertheless, the conspirators did not abandon their plans and tried to capture the king by force right in this city. The plan failed. Many nobles died in battle, others were executed afterwards. Those events of March 1560 became the reason why the religious war broke out in France.

Beginning of the war

Just a couple of months after the failed plot, Francis II died due to his poor health. The throne passed to his brother Charles IX, during whose reign the religious wars in France began. The year 1562 was marked by the massacre of the Huguenots in Champagne. The Duke of Guise and his army attacked unarmed Protestants who were peacefully performing worship. This event became the signal for the outbreak of a large-scale war.

The Huguenots, like the Catholics, had their own leaders. The first of them was Prince Louis de Condé from the Bourbon family. After the incident in Champagne, he captured several cities, making Orleans a stronghold of Protestant resistance to power. The Huguenots entered into an alliance with the German principalities and England - countries where they also fought against Catholic influence. The involvement of external forces in the civil confrontation further aggravated the religious wars in France. It took years for the country to exhaust all its resources and, drained of blood, finally come to a peace agreement between the parties.

An important feature of the conflict was that there were several wars at once. The bloodshed began, then stopped, then resumed again. So, with short interruptions, the war went on from 1562 to 1598. The first stage ended in 1563, when the Huguenots and Catholics concluded the Peace of Amboise. According to this treaty, Protestants received the right to practice their religion in certain provinces of the country. The parties came to an agreement thanks to the active mediation of Catherine de Medici, the mother of three French kings (Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III). Over time, she became the main protagonist of the conflict. The Queen Mother is best known to modern people thanks to Dumas's classic historical novels.

Second and third war

The Guises were unhappy with the concessions to the Huguenots. They began to look for Catholic allies abroad. At the same time, in 1567, Protestants, as a few years before, tried to capture the king. The incident, known as the Mo Surprise, ended in nothing. The authorities summoned the leaders of the Huguenots - the Prince of Condé and Count Gaspard of Coligny - to court. They refused to come to Paris, which served as a signal for renewed bloodshed.

The reasons for the religious wars in France were that intermediate peace treaties, involving small concessions to the Protestants, did not satisfy either side. Because of this insoluble contradiction, the conflict was renewed again and again. The second war ended in November 1567 due to the death of one of the Catholic leaders, the Duke of Montmorency.

But just a few months later, in March 1568, gunfire and the death cries of soldiers again sounded on the fields of France. The third war mainly took place in the province of Languedoc. The Protestants almost took Poitiers. They managed to cross the Ron and force the authorities to make concessions again. The privileges of the Huguenots were expanded by the Treaty of Saint-Germain, signed on August 15, 1570. Freedom of religion was established throughout France except Paris.

Marriage of Henry and Margot

In 1572, the religious wars in France reached their climax. The 16th century knew many bloody and tragic events. But, perhaps, none of them could compare with St. Bartholomew's Night. This is how the massacre of Huguenots carried out by Catholics was called in historiography. The tragedy occurred on August 24, 1572, on the eve of the day of the Apostle Bartholomew. Today, scientists give different estimates of how many Protestants were killed then. Calculations give a figure of approximately 30 thousand people - a value unprecedented for its time.

The massacre was preceded by several important events. Since 1570, religious wars in France ceased for a short time. The date of the signing of the Saint-Germain Peace Treaty became a holiday for the exhausted country. But the most radical Catholics, including the powerful Giza, did not want to recognize this document. Among other things, they were against the appearance of Gaspard Coligny, one of the leaders of the Huguenots, at the royal court. The talented admiral enlisted the support of Charles IX. The monarch wanted, with the help of the commander, to annex the Netherlands to his country. Thus, political motives triumphed over religious ones.

Catherine de Medici also cooled her ardor for a while. There was little money in the treasury to wage open confrontation with the Protestants. Therefore, the Queen Mother decided to use diplomatic and dynastic methods. The Parisian court agreed on the terms of the marriage between Margaret of Valois (daughter of Catherine) and Henry of Navarre, another Huguenot leader.

St. Bartholomew's Night

The wedding was to be celebrated in Paris. Because of this, a huge number of Huguenots - supporters of Henry of Navarre - arrived in the predominantly Catholic city. The mood in the capital was most explosive. The common people hated the Protestants, blaming them for all their troubles. There was no unity at the top of the government regarding the upcoming wedding.

The wedding took place on August 18, 1572. Four days later, Admiral Coligny, who was traveling from the Louvre, was fired upon from a house belonging to the Guises. This was a planned assassination attempt. The Huguenot leader was wounded but survived. However, what happened was the last straw. Two days later, on the night of August 24, Catherine de Medici ordered the beginning of reprisals against the Huguenots who had not yet left Paris. The beginning of the religious wars in France amazed contemporaries with their cruelty. But what happened in 1572 could not be compared with the previous horrors of battles and battles.

Thousands of people died. Gaspard Coligny, who miraculously escaped death the day before, was one of the first to say goodbye to life. Henry of Navarre (the future King Henry IV) managed to survive only thanks to the intercession of his new relatives at the court. St. Bartholomew's Night was the event that turned the tide of the conflict, known in history as the religious wars in France. The date of the massacre of the Huguenots was marked by the loss of many of their leaders. After the horrors and chaos in the capital, according to various estimates, about 200 thousand Huguenots fled from the country. They moved to the German principalities, England and Poland in order to be as far as possible from the bloody Catholic power. Valois' actions were condemned by many rulers of the time, including Ivan the Terrible.

Continuation of the conflict

The painful Reformation and religious wars in France led to the fact that the country did not know peace for many years. After St. Bartholomew's Night, the point of no return was passed. The parties stopped looking for a compromise, and the state again became a victim of mutual bloodshed. The Fourth War ended in 1573, but King Charles IX died in 1574. He did not have an heir, so his younger brother Henry III, who had previously been the autocrat of Poland for a short time, came to rule in Paris.

The new monarch again brought the restless Guises closer to him. Now the religious wars in France, in short, resumed again, due to the fact that Henry did not control some regions of his country. For example, Champagne was invaded by the German Count of the Palatinate, who came to the rescue of local Protestants. At the same time, a moderate Catholic party appeared, known in historiography as the “dissatisfied”. Representatives of this movement advocated for the establishment of religious tolerance throughout the country. They were joined by numerous patriotic nobles, tired of the endless war. In the Fifth War, the "malcontents" and the Huguenots acted as a united front against the Valois. The Gizas again defeated both of them. After this, many “dissatisfied” were executed as state traitors.

Catholic League

In 1576, Henry of Guise established the Catholic League, which, in addition to France, included the Jesuits, Spain, and the goal of the union was the final defeat of the Huguenots. In addition, the aristocrats were on the side of the league, wanting to limit the power of the king. Religious wars and the absolute monarchy in France during the second half of the 16th century were the main factors influencing the course of the history of this country. Time has shown that after the victory of the Bourbons, the power of the kings only increased, despite the attempts of the nobles to limit it under the pretext of fighting the Protestants.

The Catholic League unleashed the Sixth War (1576-1577), as a result of which the rights of the Huguenots were noticeably limited. The center of their influence moved to the south. Henry of Navarre became the generally recognized leader of the Protestants, after whose wedding the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Night once took place.

The king of a small kingdom in the Pyrenees, who belonged to the Bourbon dynasty, became heir to the entire French throne due to the childlessness of Catherine de' Medici's son. Henry III really had no offspring, which put the monarch in a delicate position. According to dynastic laws, he was to be succeeded by his closest relative in the male line. Ironically, he became Henry of Navarre. Firstly, he also came from and secondly, the applicant was married to the monarch’s sister Margaret (Margot).

War of the Three Henrys

The dynastic crisis led to the War of the Three Henrys. The namesakes fought among themselves - the king of France, the king of Navarre and the Duke of Guise. This conflict, which lasted from 1584 to 1589, was the last in a series of religious wars. Henry III lost the campaign. In May 1588, the inhabitants of Paris rebelled against him, after which he had to flee to Blois. The Duke of Guise arrived in the capital of France. For several months he was actually the ruler of the country.

In order to somehow resolve the conflict, Guise and Valois agreed to hold a meeting in Blois. The Duke arrived there and fell into a trap. The king's guards killed Guise himself, his guards, and later his brother. The treacherous act of Henry III did not add to his popularity. Catholics turned away from him, and the Pope completely cursed him.

In the summer of 1589, Henry III was stabbed to death by the Dominican monk Jacques Clément. The killer was able to obtain an audience with the king using forged documents. When the guards made way for Henry, the monk suddenly thrust a stiletto into him. The killer was torn to pieces on the spot. But Henry III also died from his wound. Now nothing prevented the King of Navarre from becoming the ruler of France.

Edict of Nantes

Henry of Navarre became king of France on August 2. He was a Protestant, but in order to gain a foothold on the throne, he converted to Catholicism. This act allowed Henry IV to receive absolution from the Pope for his previous “heretical” views. The monarch spent the first years of his reign fighting his political rivals, who also lay claim to power throughout the country.

And only after his victory, Henry issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which secured free religion throughout the country. Thus ended the religious wars and the strengthening of the monarchy in France. After more than thirty years of bloodshed, long-awaited peace has arrived in the country. The Huguenots received new rights and impressive subsidies from the authorities. The results of the religious war in France were not only the end of a long conflict, but also the centralization of the state under the rule of the Bourbon dynasty.

On March 1, 1562, in the village of Vassy (Champagne, France), the ardent Catholic Duke Francois de Guise and his retinue attacked a procession of Huguenots performing divine services. Most of the Protestants were killed, and this event itself (which went down in history as the massacre at Vassy) marked the beginning of the Wars of Religion in France, which lasted until the adoption of the Edict of Nantes in 1598.

The reason for the First French War was the Amboise Conspiracy and its brutal suppression by the Guizami. During the short reign of King Francis II, the Guise clan of zealous Catholics actually seized control of the country, which led to large-scale persecution of the Huguenots - the death penalty was introduced for their secret religious services. Discontent with the usurpers began to grow among the French aristocracy, which resulted in the Amboise Conspiracy of 1560. The conspirators, led by the leader of the Huguenots, the Prince of Condé, planned to kidnap the young King Francis and Queen Mary Stuart (who herself was from the Guise family) from Amboise Castle.

However, the conspiracy failed, the Guises brutally dealt with its participants, and Prince Condé himself was sentenced to death. From which he was saved by the sudden death of Francis II on December 5, 1560 - the young Charles IX of Valois ascended the throne, and actual power in the country passed to his mother Catherine de Medici. The Guises began to lose influence, and Louis Condé was released and brought closer to the court. Another Huguenot leader, Antoine of Navarre, was appointed lieutenant general of the French kingdom. Catherine tried to pursue a policy of religious tolerance, which resulted in the publication in January 1562 of the Edict of Saint-Germain (January), according to which Huguenots could practice their faith outside the city walls or in private city houses.

However, the Guises and their Catholic supporters, dissatisfied with the concessions to the Protestants and the growing influence of Conde, the Bourbons and Admiral Coligny, formed the so-called “triumvirate” (François de Guise - Duke of Montmorency - Marshal Saint-André). The triumvirs decided on open armed action, immediately starting negotiations with Catholic Spain about a joint fight against the Protestants.

The beginning of the First War of Religion is considered to be March 1, 1562, when the Duke of Guise, violating the Edict of January, attacked with his retinue the Huguenots who were performing divine services in the town of Vassy in Champagne. Several dozen people were killed and about 100 participants in the meeting were wounded. After this, the triumvirs captured Charles IX and the Queen Mother at Fontainebleau and forced them to revoke the Edict of January. In response, the troops of Condé and his associate François d'Andelot took Orleans, turning the city into the capital of the Huguenot resistance. The Huguenot leaders also secured foreign support by concluding an alliance with the German Protestant princes, as well as with England, where Queen Elizabeth I reigned at that time. The latter, in defiance of Spain, actively supported Protestants throughout Europe.

In 1562, the triumvirs took Rouen, preventing the unification of the English and Huguenot forces in Normandy. During these battles, Conde's army suffered losses, Antoine of Navarre died. But soon reinforcements from Calvinist Germany arrived to the Protestants, the Huguenots reached Paris, but unexpectedly returned back to Normandy. On December 19, 1562, at Dreux, Prince Conde was defeated by Catholics and captured. However, things were no better for the Catholics - the Protestants killed the enemy Marshal Saint-André and captured Constable Montmorency. Admiral Coligny, who led the Huguenots, returned to Orleans. Guise besieged the city, but unexpectedly for everyone he was killed by the Huguenot Poltro de Mere.

Weakened by the loss of their leaders, each of whom (Montmorency and Condé) was captured by the enemy, both parties began to seek peace. Queen Mother Catherine also strived for this, after the death of Francis II she entrusted the management of the state to the moderate chancellor Michel de L'Hopital. In March 1563, the leaders of the Huguenots and Catholics, through the mediation of the queen, signed the Peace of Amboise, which guaranteed Calvinists freedom of religion in a limited range of regions and possessions. Its conditions mainly confirmed the Edict of Saint-Germain.

From 1534 she switched to a policy of repression against her supporters. Nevertheless, under Henry II (1547–1559), many representatives of the nobility and urban classes of southern and southwestern France joined Calvinism. The French Calvinists, who called themselves with 1532 Huguenots (from the South of Besançon, the leader of the Genevan Calvinists, and the Western Swiss "eidgenot" - "accomplice"), were led by the princes of the blood Antoine of Navarre and Louis Condé of the House of Bourbon, a side branch of the Valois dynasty, and three brothers Coligny - Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, Francois d'Andelot and Cardinal de Chatillon.

After the death of Henry II and the accession to the throne of Francis II (1559–1560), power fell into the hands of the aristocratic Guise family - Duke François of Guise and his brother Cardinal Charles of Lorraine, who intensified the persecution of the Huguenots by introducing the death penalty for secret religious gatherings. The Calvinist adviser to the Paris Parliament, A. de Boer, was put on trial and hanged (1559). The discontent of the Huguenots was superimposed on the hostility of the highest aristocracy towards Guise - the princes of the blood (the Bourbons), the closest associates of Henry II (Constable A. de Montmorency and Marshal Saint-André) - and that part of the nobility that found itself out of work after the end of the Italian Wars in 1559. In 1560, the opposition formed a conspiracy, led by the Périgord nobleman La Renaudie; they planned to capture the king and arrest the Guises (Amboise plot). Having learned about the conspiracy, the Gizas made concessions: on March 8, 1560, they issued an edict prohibiting religious persecution. This did not satisfy the ordinary conspirators, who began to gather in the vicinity of Amboise, where the royal court was located. However, they were defeated by government troops. The Guises revoked the Edict of March and dealt harshly with the rebels. Prince Condé was arrested and sentenced to death. He was saved only by the sudden death of Francis II on December 5, 1560.

The minor Charles IX ascended the throne, and real power was in the hands of his mother, regent Catherine de Medici. The Guises lost their influence, Condé was released and brought closer to the court, and Antoine of Navarre was appointed lieutenant general of the French kingdom. Catherine, with the support of Chancellor M. L'Hopital, head of the party of "politicians" (advocates of religious tolerance in the name of the highest interests of the state), tried to pursue a policy of reconciliation of warring faiths (States General in Orleans 1560 and Pontoise 1561, dispute in Poissy 1561). In January The Edict of Saint-Germain (January) was issued in 1562, allowing the Huguenots to practice their faith outside the city walls or in private city houses.But the Guises and former comrades of Henry II, dissatisfied with the concessions to the Calvinists and the growing influence of the Prince of Condé, formed a “triumvirate” (F. Guise - Montmorency - Saint-André) The triumvirs entered into negotiations with Catholic Spain about a joint struggle against the Protestants and even attracted Antoine of Navarre to their side.

First War of Religion (1562–1563).

On March 1, 1562, François Guise attacked the Huguenots performing divine services in the town of Vassy (Champagne). The triumvirs captured Charles IX and Catherine de' Medici at Fontainebleau and forced them to repeal the Edict of January. In response, Conde and F. d'Andelot occupied Orleans, making it their stronghold; they entered into an alliance with the English Queen Elizabeth I and the German Protestant princes. The triumvirs took Rouen, preventing the unification of the forces of the British and Huguenots in Normandy; Antoine of Navarre died during its siege. Having received reinforcements from Germany, Conde approached Paris, but then moved to Normandy. On December 19, 1562, at Dreux, he was defeated by the troops of the triumvirs and captured; in turn, the Catholics lost Marshal Saint-André and Constable Montmorency (the first was killed, the second was captured captivity). Admiral Coligny, who led the Huguenots, took refuge in Orleans. F. Guise besieged the city, but soon died under its walls at the hands of an assassin. The death of Guise opened the way to negotiations. In March 1563, the leaders of the Huguenots and Catholics, through the mediation of Catherine de Medici, concluded the Peace of Amboise, in its main points confirming the January Edict.

Second War of Religion (1567–1568).

The aggravation of relations between the Huguenots and the royal power led to the gradual retreat of Catherine de Medici from the policy of religious tolerance. Taking advantage of the campaign of the Spanish army of the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands (1566), the regent gathered a large army under the pretext of protecting the French borders, which she suddenly moved against the Huguenots (summer 1567). Their leaders, warned of this, made an attempt to capture the king and his mother at the Burgundian castle of Monceau. They, however, managed to escape to Meaux, and then, thanks to the courage of the Swiss Guard, they broke through to Paris. Conde besieged the capital, but on November 10, 1567 he was defeated by Constable Montmorency at Saint-Denis; Montmorency himself fell on the battlefield. Pursued by Catholic troops under the command of Henry of Anjou, the king's brother, the Huguenots retreated to Lorraine, where they united with the army of German mercenaries of Count Palatine Johann Casimir. At the beginning of 1568, their combined forces pushed the Catholics back to Paris and besieged Chartres. Under these conditions, Catherine agreed to conclude peace in Longjumeau on March 10, 1568, which confirmed the provisions of the January Edict; she also provided Conde with a large loan to settle accounts with Johann Casimir.

Third War of Religion (1568–1570).

Having received a respite, Catherine de Medici began to prepare a new attack on the Huguenots. She achieved the resignation of Chancellor M. L "Hopital, and then demanded that Condé repay the debt. He refused; an order was given for the arrest of the prince and other Huguenot leaders, who, however, managed to take refuge in the port city of La Rochelle on the western coast of France, which became from that time on, their main stronghold. Charles IX annulled previous concessions to the Protestants. In January 1569, Condé, having received military assistance from the British, moved to join the German mercenary army sent to France by the Margrave of Baden and the Duke of Zweibrücken, but was overtaken by royal troops under the command of Henry Angevin and Marshal de Tavannes and defeated at Jarnac (on the Limousin border) on March 13. Condé himself died in the battle, and the Huguenots were led by Admiral Coligny and young Henry of Bourbon, son of Antoine of Navarre. In June 1569, they united with German mercenaries in Vienne and besieged Poitiers The desperate defense of the city, led by the sons of F. Guise (Henry of Guise and Charles of Mayenne), forced the Huguenots to retreat, and on October 3 they suffered a terrible defeat at Moncontour from the Duke of Anjou. However, the Catholics did not take advantage of their success: instead of pursuing the remnants of Coligny's army, they spent time besieging the heroically defended Calvinist cities. With the money of the Larochelle merchants, Coligny recruited a new army and in the spring of 1570 moved to the capital. Having defeated the royal troops in Burgundy, he descended the Loire Valley and began to threaten Orleans and Paris. The government of Charles IX had to hastily conclude the Peace of Saint-Germain with him, which granted the Huguenots freedom of religion throughout France, except Paris, and the right to hold public office; to secure the agreement, they were given four fortresses - La Rochelle, Montauban, Cognac and La Charité.

Fourth War of Religion (1572–1573).

To limit the political influence of the Guises, Charles IX began a rapprochement with the leaders of the Huguenots. Coligny, who soon gained great influence at court, proposed organizing an invasion of the Spanish Netherlands as a way of uniting the French; For the sake of reconciliation of religious parties, a project arose for the marriage of Henry of Navarre with the king’s sister Margaret. However, court circles led by Catherine de Medici, dissatisfied with the strengthening of the political positions of the Huguenots, entered into an alliance with the Guises. On August 18, 1572, the wedding of Henry and Margaret took place, but already on August 22, an attempt was made on Coligny. Under pressure from his Catholic circle, Charles IX approved the plan to massacre the Huguenots on the night of St. Bartholomew on August 24, 1572 ( cm. Bartholomew's NIGHT). As a result of the massacre in Paris and other French cities, about twenty thousand Calvinists died, among them Coligny. Their leader, Henry of Navarre, was captured in the Louvre. But the government failed to eliminate the Huguenot movement. The Huguenots desperately defended Sancerre and La Rochelle; and if Sancerre was taken, then under the walls of La Rochelle the royal army suffered a complete failure. The king was forced to conclude the Peace of La Rochelle with them, which confirmed the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain and assigned La Rochelle, Nîmes and Montauban to the Huguenots.

Fifth War of Religion (1574–1576).

Realizing the need to consolidate their forces, the Huguenots took steps to create their own political organization. As a result of the congresses in Milo in 1573 and 1574 and in Nimes in 1575, the Huguenot Confederation arose - a kind of federal republic in the south of France with its own governing bodies and army. In the face of France's political division, the new French king, Henry III (1574–1589), began another unsuccessful attempt to eradicate the "heresy". The Huguenots received large financial assistance from England and a large army from Count Palatine John Casimir; in February 1576, Henry of Navarre fled from the Louvre and led the Protestant army. The king’s younger brother and head of the party of “politicians,” Duke Francis of Alençon, entered into an alliance with him. After the Protestants captured important fortresses in Angouleme (Saint-Jean d'Angely) and in Normandy (Saint-Lo and Valogne), the king issued an edict in Beaulieu in 1576, repeating the conditions of the Peace of La Rochelle; in addition, Francis of Alençon received Anjou, Touraine and Berry, Henry of Navarre - Guienne, and Louis Conde, the son of Louis Conde, killed at Jarnac - Picardy; the Protestants were given an additional eight fortresses.

Sixth (1576–1577), seventh (1580) and eighth (1584–1598) religious wars.

The failures of royal power in the fight against the Huguenots and the emergence of a Calvinist republic in the south of the country prompted Catholics to create their own political organization. In 1576, in Peronne (Picardy), on the initiative of G. Guise, the Catholic League was formed. At the Estates General in Blois (December 1576), the Ligists openly demanded the complete extermination of the Huguenots. Fearing the popularity of G. Guise, Henry III proclaimed himself head of the League and annulled the edict at Beaulieu. A new war broke out, in which Sweden, Denmark, England and the German Protestant princes took the side of the Protestants. This war, which did not know major military clashes, but was accompanied by brutal skirmishes and robbery, ended in September 1577 with the Peace of Bergerac, secured by the edict in Poitiers: it basically repeated the conditions of the edict in Beaulieu, but also demanded the liquidation of all political organizations, both Catholics and Calvinists. After the expiration of the three-year term of this peace, a new, seventh, war broke out in 1580, as a result of which the king ceded Quercy and Agenois to Henry of Navarre (the Treaty of Flex).

The Eighth War of Religion, or the War of the Three Henrys(1584–1598 ). After the death of Francis of Alençon in 1584, the most likely heir to the French throne was the Calvinist Henry of Navarre. This provoked the restoration of the Catholic League, led by the Guise brothers (Henry of Guise, Charles of Mayenne and Cardinal Louis of Lorraine); The Ligists entered into a secret agreement with the Spanish king Philip II in December 1584 and nominated Cardinal Charles Bourbon, uncle of Henry of Navarre, as a contender for the French crown. Another leading organization of the Catholic camp was the Paris League, formed in the same year, which included representatives of the capital's bourgeoisie, artisans and the poor. Under pressure from the Ligists, Henry III issued the Edict of Nemours in July 1585, which outlawed Protestantism; however, he refused to deprive Henry of Navarre and Louis Condé of their rights to the throne. This was done in September 1585 by Pope Sixtus V. War broke out.

The main military operations began in 1587. Having received a large subsidy from Elizabeth I, Henry of Navarre hired a large army in Germany. On October 20, 1587, without waiting for her arrival, he defeated the royal troops at Kutra. However, on November 24, G. Guise, at the head of Ligist detachments, defeated the German mercenaries at Vimori. The increased authority of the Guises in the Catholic camp aroused the fears of the king, who began to lean towards an agreement with the Protestants. The conflict between Henry III and G. Guise, who openly laid claim to power and enjoyed the support of the Parisians, became extremely aggravated. On May 12, 1588, an uprising against the king broke out in Paris (Day of the Barricades); On May 13, Henry III fled to Chartres. Under pressure from Catholics, he had to accept all the demands of the Ligists: he transferred six cities to the League, approved the decisions of the Council of Trent, deprived the “heretics” Bourbons of their rights to the throne and appointed G. Guise as commander-in-chief. In October 1588, the Estates General in Blois, the majority of which were supporters of the Guises, spoke out in favor of continuing the war with the Huguenots. On December 23–24, by order of the king, G. Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine were killed, and on January 15, 1589, the Estates General was dissolved. This caused a new anti-royal uprising in Paris, which Henry III failed to suppress. He left the capital and in April 1589 concluded an agreement on joint actions with Henry of Navarre. Their combined forces laid siege to Paris. But on August 1, Henry III was killed by an agent of the League, monk J. Clément. Henry of Navarre, retreating to Normandy, proclaimed himself King Henry IV. In response, the Ligists declared Cardinal Bourbon king under the name Charles X. Henry IV was supported by England and German Protestants, Charles X by Spain.

In 1589–1590, Henry IV won two victories over the new head of the League, the Duke of Mayenne - at Arc on September 21, 1589 and at Ivry on March 14, 1590 - and besieged Paris twice. In 1590, Cardinal Bourbon died, and some of the ligists began to focus on Spain; Paris was occupied by a Spanish garrison. Within the Catholic camp, a conflict occurred between the moderates (Duke of Mayenne) and the radicals (League of Paris), which ended in the victory of the moderates (December 1591). The long, destructive civil war contributed to an increase in the number of supporters of a compromise with Henry IV among the Catholic nobility and bourgeoisie. Having accepted the Catholic faith in July 1593 (“Paris is worth a mass”), he knocked the last weapon out of the hands of his enemies. In March 1594, Paris opened its gates to him. In 1595, in alliance with the British and Dutch, Henry IV defeated the Spaniards at Fontaine-Française (Burgundy), and in 1598 he concluded the Peace of Vervins with Spain on the terms of the statu quo. By this time, all of France had already recognized his power. On April 13, 1598, he issued the Edict of Nantes, which summed up the Wars of Religion. The Huguenots received the right to hold public office, freely practice their worship everywhere except Paris, have their representatives at court and an army of twenty-five thousand people; they were given possession of two hundred cities (La Rochelle, Montpellier, Montauban, Saumur, etc.); the state pledged to allocate funds for their liturgical needs.

As a result of the Wars of Religion in France, a kind of Huguenot state within a state arose and relative religious tolerance was established. The royal power managed to survive and soon restored its previous positions. After the La Rochelle War with the Huguenots of 1627–1628, Louis XIII abolished their political independence (Edict of Grace 1629), and in 1685 Louis XIV, repealing the Edict of Nantes, destroyed their religious autonomy.

Ivan Krivushin

Almost the entire history of France in the 16th century was associated with religious wars.

The reformation that began in Germany immediately received a response in France. But here it was so far supported only in large cities by university students, artisans, and apprentices. A new stage began in the 40s of the 16th century, when the ideas of John Calvin, a French reformer who fled to Geneva, which over time became the capital of a new faith - Calvinism, began to spread in the kingdom. It united merchants and entrepreneurs, nobles and educated officials. Calvinists were intolerant of dissenters, be they Catholic papists or atheists.

In 1547 Henry II became king. He, like his predecessor, believed that those who betray the old religion would also betray the king. Under him, the Guise family, Dukes of Lorraine, enjoyed great influence. France found itself drawn into a new round of endless wars for Italian lands. The Pope was the king's ally. This largely explains the intensification of the persecution of heretics. A special “Chamber of Fire” was created under the Parisian Parliament (Supreme Court).

Nevertheless, the number of Huguenots (from German Eidgenossen - comrade, as the Swiss reformers called themselves) grew every day. Aristocrats flocked to their banners, driven away from the throne by the “rootless” Guises (the Lorraineers were not directly related to the king); lords deprived of their former feudal power by the royal administration; townspeople dissatisfied with rising taxes and the loss of former liberties.

There was not enough money for the war with Spain, and after lengthy negotiations, peace was concluded in 1559. France lost all its Italian conquests, thousands of embittered nobles returned to the country, who had received neither land nor salary and were ready to take up arms again: the opposition was gaining strength. Having ended the war, the king intended to deal with internal enemies. But the unexpected happened: during a tournament on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter to the Spanish king, Genich II was mortally wounded by a piece of a spear. His 15-year-old son Francis II came to power, married to the niece of the Guises (Mary Stuart), whose influence on the king was absolute.

In 1560, the Ambroise plot failed, but the triumphs of the Guises were short-lived - Francis II died that same year. He was succeeded by his minor brother Charles IX. Queen Mother Catherine de Medici preferred to maneuver between the powerful clans of the Guises and Bourbons. In January 1562, the Edict of Tolerance was issued. But the government could not eradicate mutual hatred: Catholics persecuted Calvinists, and the Huguenots, where they were in the majority, persecuted Catholics. Massacre of unarmed noble families in Vassi served as a signal for a long-prepared uprising - they captured Lyon, Rouen, Orleans, Bordeaux and other cities. The country was embroiled in protracted religious wars.

At the first stage (1562-1570), the British and German princes helped the Huguenots, the Pope and King Philip II of Spain helped the Catholics. The base of the Huguenots were provinces that were relatively recently annexed to France, poorer, but retaining rights and freedoms. The Calvinists never exceeded a tenth of the population, but they were distinguished by their organization and determination. They happened to suffer defeats, but quickly managed to recover - and a new army, recruited from the southern nobles, again threatened Paris.

However, the aristocrats - "political Huguenots" had different goals than the pastors - "religious Huguenots"; The nobles and townspeople suspected each other of conspiring with the Catholics, zealous Calvinists from among the artisans and merchants tried to wrest power from the city fathers, accusing them of betraying the cause of faith. There were even more contradictions in the Catholic camp - the leaders were openly at odds with each other, and the king’s main task was to nullify the results of the military victories of his rivals. The government continued to adhere to the old tactics, fearing excessive strengthening of one of the parties.

After several wars under a treaty concluded in 1570, the Huguenots, who had recently suffered a series of defeats, nevertheless strengthened their position. They were allowed to hold services on the outskirts of large cities, and their authority over several fortresses in the south and over the port of La Rochelle was recognized. The Huguenots pinned great hopes on Admiral Coligny, who was called to court. He proposed a plan to resolve the conflict - to rally the warlike nobility in the royal national army, which would move to the aid of the Netherlands, which rebelled against Philip II. Catherine de' Medici decided to strengthen the peace treaty by marrying her daughter Margaret to the Huguenot leader Henry of Bourbon, King of Navarre. The queen wanted to weaken the influence of the Guises, keep the Bourbons under control and attract the rebellious nobility to the court.

The entire flower of the Huguenot nobility came to the wedding. Having arrived in the capital as victors, they were faced with the dull hatred of the Parisians. After the wedding, an attempt was made on Admiral Coligny's life; traces pointed to the Guises' involvement in the conspiracy.

Religious wars and the strengthening of the absolute monarchy in France:

• Prepared by O.Sh. Latypova, history and social studies teacher at Federal State Educational Institution Secondary School No. 4.

• "One king, but two faiths."
• First blood
• Path of Trouble
• Bloody wedding
• Cardinal Richelieu.

• To lead students to an understanding of the causes, goals and results of the religious wars in France.

• Lesson objectives:

• prove that religious fanaticism leads to bloody civil wars, the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives

• Problem:

• Lesson plan:

• "One king, but two faiths."

• At the end of the 15th century, France, after the completion of unification, became the largest state in Europe in terms of population. At the beginning of the 15th century, Calvinism began to spread in the country. Translations of the Bible began to appear in the country, and services began to be held in the native language. French Protestants began to be called Huguenots

• France in the second half of the 15th century

• Representatives of the ancient nobility
• Part of the nobility
• Some of the townspeople, the first bourgeois entrepreneurs
• Some of the peasantry

• Discontent with the strengthening of royal power and loss of political independence
• The desire to take over the wealth of the church
• They wanted to return the ancient city liberties. Desire for cheap church and accumulation of money
• Expression of protest in a religious form against the exactions of lords and the Catholic Church

• "One king, but two faiths."

• Catholics:
• 1.North of France.
• 2.They were supported by the kings of Valois, Paris, and common people.
• 3. Leader – Heinrich Giese.

• Huguenots.
• 1.South of France
• 2. There were many nobles.
• 3. Leader - Henry of Navarre, Admiral Coligny.
• 4. They were powerless.

• "One king, but two faiths."

• Duke Francois of Guise

• Admiral Coligny

• First blood

• In March 1562, the Duke of Guise, passing through Vassy, ​​attacked the Huguenots who were performing divine services. More than 20 people were killed and about 100 wounded. The incident in Vassi became the reason for the start of religious wars, which lasted more than 30 years (1562-1598).
• In this struggle the Huguenots
• received help from
• and England
• Protestant princes
• Germany, and Catholics
• from Spain.

• Massacre in the name of faith.

• First blood

• From 1560 to 1574, France was ruled by a king from the Valois dynasty. He was not a strong ruler. In fact, all power belonged to his mother Catherine de Medici.

• King Charles lX of France

• Catherine de' Medici

• Catherine de Medici, powerful and cunning, sought to strengthen royal power and maintain the unity of the country. Both were Catholics

• Catholics:
• - created their own brotherhoods
• numerous processions were organized
• killed the Huguenots
• neither women nor children were spared

• Path of Trouble

• Huguenots:
• destroyed Catholic churches:
• -destroyed statues of saints
• and icons
• - the priests were not spared
• and monks

• Religious wars in France

• Path of Trouble

• Religious wars in France 1562-1598

• Bloody wedding

• In order to reconcile Catholics and Huguenots, Charles IX decided to marry his sister Margaret to the leader of the Protestants, Prince of Navarre, Henry of Bourbon. The wedding was scheduled for August 1572. About 20 thousand Huguenots gathered in Paris. The Catholic leaders led by Catherine de Medici decided to take advantage of this by destroying the Protestants led by Admiral Coligny.

• Wedding of Margaret of Valois and Henry of Bourbon

• Bloody wedding

• Eve of St. Bartholomew's Eve

• “It was decided to carry out the massacre on the same night - on St. Bartholomew. We immediately began to implement this plan.
• All the traps were
• arranged, rang
• the alarm bells sounded, everyone ran
• to your quarter
• in accordance with the order,
• to all Huguenots and to the admiral."

• Marguerite de Valois. From "Memoirs"

• Edouard Debat-Ponsan. Morning near the gates of the Louvre, 1880. Fragment

• Bloody wedding

• Bloody wedding

• St. Bartholomew's Night

• Bartholomew's Night - the mass extermination of Huguenots by Catholics in France during the Wars of Religion, staged on the night of August 24, 1572, on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Day. 30 thousand people killed

• After St. Bartholomew's Night, about 200 thousand Huguenots fled to neighboring states. Many countries have condemned this treatment of their people. St. Bartholomew's Night did not solve the problem, but caused the Huguenot Wars in France, during
• of which there is only one,
• then the other side
• was defeated

• Bloody wedding

• Flight of the Huguenots

• Pope Gregory 13 joyfully accepted the news of St. Bartholomew's Night. In honor of this event, he ordered the production of a medal with his image on it.

• Bloody wedding

• on one side and with the image of an angel holding a cross in his hand and slaying the Huguenots on the other side.

• Pope Gregory 13

• Henry IV - "the king who saved France."

• Paris is worth a mass

• In the course of further struggle, the French royal Valois dynasty was cut short; the closest heir was the Huguenot Henry of Navarre. He ascended the throne as Henry IV (1589–1610), and laid the foundation

• rule of the Bourbon dynasty. He changed his religious beliefs frequently, but soon became convinced that Catholicism would win him the support of the majority of the French. Deciding that “Paris is worth a mass,” he changed his faith again, and the capital took his side.

• Henry IV - "the king who saved France."

• On April 13, 1598, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, which summed up the religious wars. “...We have allowed and do allow those who profess... the reformed religion to live and dwell in all the cities and places of our kingdom... without persecution, oppression and coercion.” From the Edict of Nantes

• Huguenots received the right
• hold government positions
• positions, have your own
• representatives at court and
• army at twenty-five
• thousands of people; them
• was given possession
• two hundred cities. state
• committed to allocate
• funds for their
• liturgical needs.

• Signing of the Edict of Nantes

• Henry IV is “the king who saved France.”

• Henry IV

• Henry IV was loved by the people. He ended the war with Spain, reduced direct taxes, and contributed to the development of national industry. The result of this policy was an improvement in the financial situation of the majority of the population. However, supporters of the former Catholic League remembered his “Huguenot past.” In 1610, Henry IV was assassinated
• fanatic François Ravaillac

• Cardinal Richelieu.

• In 1624–1642 The government was headed by Cardinal Richelieu. He developed a program of action to make France a powerful nation. The rights and privileges of provinces or institutions were respected only when this did not conflict with the interests of the monarchy. The Huguenots were opponents of this policy.

• Richelieu acted decisively: they were. he conquered La Rochelle from the Huguenots and deprived them of their political rights. The cardinal issued edicts against duels and severely punished violators. He reformed finance, patronized the development of industry and trade, and encouraged the seizure of colonies. On his initiative, the first French newspaper began publishing.

• Cardinal Richelieu

• Cardinal Richelieu.

• He became the de facto ruler of the kingdom in the interests of the king and France. He waged wars of conquest, annexing Alsace and Lorraine to France. It was during the era of Richelieu
• France has become the key
• player in politics
• space Europe, the most powerful European
• power. Richelieu was
• devoted to his country, before
• in death he said:
• "I had no other
• enemies other than enemies
• states."

• The end of the Wars of Religion in France, which ended with the signing of the Edict of Nantes, was, in fact, a victory for Catholicism. France became a Catholic country with a Catholic king.

• Results of the religious wars in France

• At the same time, the edict can also be considered a kind of victory for Protestantism - after all, it guaranteed the Huguenots a strong position in the country. The country managed to emerge from the period of religious wars, having achieved the introduction of religious tolerance and the creation of an absolute monarchy.

• Jean Luyken. Proclamation of the Edict of Nantes. Engraving from the late 17th century

• The main lesson of the period of the Wars of Religion in France was the political one,
• saying that
• strong government
• was the only one
• way to terminate
• chaos of riots and uprisings.
• On this basis of the 17th century. And
• a strong one will be built
• absolute monarchy
• Louis XIV.

• Results of the religious wars in France

• "Good King"