Editing Pope Clement VIII (section)

===Relations with France and Spain===
[[File:Portrait of Pope Clement VIII Aldobrandini (by Jacopo Ligozzi) - The J. Paul Getty Museum.jpg|thumb|Portrait mosaic by [[Jacopo Ligozzi]]<br /><small>({{circa|1601}}, [[J. Paul Getty Museum]])</small>]]
The most remarkable event of Clement VIII's reign was the reconciliation to the Church of [[Henry IV of France]] (1589–1610), after long negotiations, carried on with great dexterity through Cardinal [[Arnaud d'Ossat]], that resolved the complicated situation in [[Kingdom of France|France]]. Henry embraced Catholicism on 25 July 1593. After a pause to assess Henry IV's sincerity, Clement VIII braved [[Habsburg Spain|Spanish]] displeasure, and in the autumn of 1595 he solemnly absolved Henry IV, thus putting an end to the thirty years' [[French Wars of Religion|religious war]] in France.<ref name=Loughlin/>

Henry IV's friendship was of essential importance to the papacy two years later, when [[Alfonso II d'Este]], [[Duchy of Ferrara|Duke of Ferrara]], died childless (27 October 1597), and the pope resolved to attach the stronghold of the [[House of Este|Este]] family to the states of the Church. Though Spain and the Emperor [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolf II]] encouraged Alfonso II's illegitimate cousin, [[Cesare d'Este]], to withstand the pope, they were deterred from giving him any material aid by Henry IV's threats, and a Papal army entered [[Ferrara]] almost unopposed.<ref name=Loughlin/>

In 1598 Clement VIII won more credit for the papacy by bringing about a definite treaty of peace between Spain and France in the [[Peace of Vervins]],<ref name=Loughlin/> which put an end to their long contest; he negotiated peace between France and the [[Duchy of Savoy]] as well.