Editing French Wars of Religion (section)

=== Growth of Calvinism ===
{{Main|Huguenot}}
[[File:François Ier Louvre.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|After an initial period of tolerance, [[Francis I of France|Francis&nbsp;I]] repressed Reformist ideas]]

The Italian revival of classical learning appealed to [[Francis I of France|Francis&nbsp;I]] (1494-1547), who set up royal professorships in [[Paris]] to better understand ancient literature. However, this did not extend to religion, especially after the 1516 [[Concordat of Bologna]] when [[Pope Leo X|Pope Leo&nbsp;X]] increased royal control of the [[Catholic Church in France|Gallican church]], allowing Francis to nominate French clergy and levy taxes on church property. Unlike Germany, the French nobility also generally supported the status quo and existing policies.{{Sfn|Lindberg|1996|p=292}}

Despite his personal opposition, Francis tolerated [[Martin Luther]]'s ideas when they entered France in the late 1520s, largely because the definition of Catholic [[orthodoxy]] was unclear, making it hard to determine precisely what was or was not [[heresy]].{{Sfn|Knecht|1996| p=2}} He tried to steer a middle course in the developing religious schism,{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|p=4}} but in January&nbsp;1535, Catholic authorities made a definitive ruling by classifying "Lutherans" as heretical [[Theology of Huldrych Zwingli|Zwinglians]].{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|p=3}} Calvin, originally from [[Noyon]] in [[Picardy]],{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|p=3}} went into exile in 1535 to escape persecution and settled in [[Basel]], where he published the ''[[Institutes of the Christian Religion]]'' in 1538. This work contained the key principles of [[Calvinism]], which became immensely popular in France and other European countries.{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|p=4}}

Lutheranism was widespread within the French commercial class; it flourished in the cities but was not adopted among the peasantry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knecht |first=R.J. |title=The French Wars of Religion 1559-1598 |date=2014a |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-41830-1 |edition=3rd |location=Oxford, UK |pages=10 |language=English}}</ref> However, it cut across social class and strata and encompassed the entire country. Its rapid growth was driven by the nobility, where being a Huguenot became fashionable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knecht |first=R.J. |title=The French Wars of Religion 1559-1598 |date=2014a |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-41830-1 |edition=3rd |location=Oxford, UK |pages=13 |language=English}}</ref> It is believed to have started when [[Louis, Prince of Condé (1530–1569)|Condé]] passed through Geneva while returning home from a military campaign and heard a Calvinist sermon.{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|pp=16–17}} Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, converted to Calvinism in 1560, possibly due to the influence of [[Theodore de Beze]].{{Sfn|Knecht|1996|pp=16–17}} Along with Condé and her husband [[Antoine of Navarre]], she and their son Henry of Navarre became Huguenot leaders.{{Sfn|Bernstein|Green|1988|p=328}}