Editing French Wars of Religion (section)

=== {{anchor|1576–1577|sixth}} Catholic League and the "sixth" war (1576–1577) ===
[[File:Procession de la Ligue 1590 Carnavalet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Armed procession of the [[Catholic League (French)|Catholic League]] in Paris in 1590, [[Musée Carnavalet]], Paris]]
The [[Edict of Beaulieu]] granted many concessions to the Calvinists, but these were short-lived in the face of the [[Catholic League (French)|Catholic League]]&nbsp;– which the ultra-Catholic, [[Henry I, Duke of Guise]], had formed in opposition to it. The [[House of Guise]] had long been identified with the defense of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and the Duke of Guise and his relations&nbsp;– the [[Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne|Duke of Mayenne]], [[Charles, Duke of Aumale|Duke of Aumale]], [[Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf|Duke of Elbeuf]], [[Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur|Duke of Mercœur]], and the [[Charles III, Duke of Lorraine|Duke of Lorraine]]&nbsp;– controlled extensive territories that were loyal to the League. The League also had a large following among the urban middle class.{{sfn|Knecht|2016|p=110}}{{sfn|Babelon|2009|p=331}}{{sfn|Salmon|1975|pp=236-237}}{{sfn|Salmon|1975|pp=247-250}}

King Henry III at first tried to co-opt the head of the Catholic League and steer it towards a negotiated settlement.<ref name="Knecht65">Knecht 1996, p.&nbsp;65.</ref> This was anathema to the Guise leaders, who wanted to bankrupt the Huguenots and divide their considerable assets with the King. A test of King Henry&nbsp;III's leadership occurred at the meeting of the [[Estates General of 1576|Estates-General at Blois in December&nbsp;1576]].<ref name="Knecht65" /> At the meeting of the Estates-General, there was only one Huguenot delegate present among all of the three estates;<ref name="Knecht65" /> the rest of the delegates were Catholics with the Catholic League heavily represented. Accordingly, the Estates-General pressured Henry&nbsp;III into conducting a war against the Huguenots. In response Henry said he would reopen hostilities with the Huguenots but wanted the Estates-General to vote him the funds to carry out the war.<ref name="Knecht65" /> Yet, the Third Estate refused to vote for the necessary taxes to fund this war.{{sfn|Sutherland|1980|p=263}}

The [[Estates General of 1576]] failed to resolve matters, and by December, the Huguenots had already taken up arms in [[Poitou]] and Guyenne. While the Guise faction had the unwavering support of the Spanish Crown, the Huguenots had the advantage of a strong power base in the southwest; they were also discreetly supported by foreign Protestant governments, but in practice, England or the [[Holy Roman Empire|German states]] could provide few troops in the ensuing conflict. After much posturing and negotiations, Henry&nbsp;III rescinded most of the concessions that had been made to the Protestants in the Edict of Beaulieu with the [[Treaty of Bergerac]] (September&nbsp;1577), confirmed in the Edict of Poitiers passed six days later.<ref>Knecht 2000, p.&nbsp;208.</ref>