Editing Reformation (section)

===French Wars of Religion===

{{Main|French Wars of Religion}}
{{See also|Colloquy of Poissy|Succession of Henry IV of France}}

Many French Protestants did not risk to profess their faith in public. They were known as [[Nicodemite]]s after [[Nicodemus]], a [[Pharisee]] who visited Jesus in secret. Calvin condemned this practice describing those who attended the Mass as soldiers "in the army of Antichrist". Under his influence, the French Protestants started to stay away from Catholic church services. They were called [[Huguenots]] for uncertain reason.{{sfn|Eire|2022|pp=115–119}} The poet [[Clément Marot]] (d. 1544) provided them with popular stirring songs by translating forty-nine Psalms to French.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|p=268}} {{nowrap|Francis I}} promised to exterminate heresy in France in a [[Treaty of Crépy|peace treaty]] with {{nowrap|Charles V}} in 1544. Next year, Waldensians [[Mérindol massacre|were massacred]] in the [[Luberon]] region. In 1547, {{nowrap|Henry II}} established a special court for heresy cases, named {{lang|fr|[[Chambre Ardente|la chambre ardente]]}} ('the burning chamber'). The lawyer [[Jean Crespin]] (d. 1572) completed a [[martyrology|catalogue of martyrs]] to commemorate the victims of the purges, and it gained immense popularity in the Protestant communities all over Europe.{{sfn|Cameron|2012|pp=366–367}} After around 1555, prominent French aristocrats converted to Protestantism, including Marguerite of Angoulême's daughter, [[Jeanne d'Albret]], (d. 1572), Jeanne's husband [[Antoine of Navarre|Antoine de Bourbon]] (d. 1562), and [[Gaspard II de Coligny]] (d. 1572), [[admiral of France]]. Their patronage encouraged less distinguished Huguenots to express their faith in public.{{sfn|Cameron|2012|p=383}} In 1559, delegates from seventy-two congregations attended the first synod of the [[Reformed Church of France]], representing about 1.5–2 million believers. The synod adopted the ''[[Gallican Confession]]'', a confessional document drated by Calvin.{{Sfn|Lindberg|2021|pp=268–269}}{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|p=151}}

Fully preoccupied with a [[Italian War of 1551–1559|new war]] against Emperor Charles, {{nowrap|Henry II}} did not take severe measures against the Huguenot nobility.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|p=270}} After his sudden death after an accident, his eldest son [[Francis II of France|Francis II]] ({{reign|1559|1560}}) ascended the throne. His wife, Mary, Queen of Scots was the niece of [[Francis, Duke of Guise]] (d. 1563) and [[Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine]] (d. 1574), two leaders of the most resolute Catholic faction of the nobility.{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|p=153}} The queen mother [[Catherine de' Medici]] (d. 1589) distrusted them but the persecution of Huguenots intensified under their influence.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|p=270}} When Francis died by an ear infection, Calvin considered his fate as divine deliverance. Francis was succeeded by his brother [[Charles IX of France|Charles IX]] ({{reign|1560|1574}}) under Catherine's regency.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|pp=270–273}} She [[Edict of Saint-Germain|enacted]] the Huguenots' right to freely attend church services and hold public assemblies because she wanted to avoid a civil war along religious lines.{{sfn|Cameron|2012|p=384}}

[[File:Gregory XIII medal.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|alt=Two sides of a medal, one depicting a bearded man in monk's habit, the other an armed angel killing people|[[Pope Gregory XIII]]'s medal commemorating the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] in Paris with the inscription "VGONOTTORVM STRAGES 1572" ('Massacre of Huguenots, 1572')]]

Uncompromising Catholics and Huguenots considered their confrontation inevitable.{{sfn|MacCulloch|2003|p=294}} The first of the [[French Wars of Religion]]—a series of armed conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots—began after Guise's retainers [[Massacre of Vassy|massacred]] more than fifty Huguenots at [[Wassy|Vassy]] on 1 March 1562.{{sfn|Cameron|2012|p=384}}{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|p=154}} As Antoine de Bourbon had returned to Catholicism, his brother [[Louis I, Prince of Condé]] (d. 1569) assumed the leadership of a Huguenot revolt.{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|p=154}}{{sfn|Collinson|2005|p=137}} They concluded a [[Treaty of Hampton Court (1562)|treaty with]] England in September 1562.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|p=274}} To achieve a reconciliation, Catherine de'Medici married off her daughter [[Margaret of Valois]] (d. 1615) to the Protestant son of Jeanne d'Albret and Antoine de Bourbon, [[Henry IV of France|Henry de Bourbon]], King of Navarre ({{reign|1572|1610}}). Mutual mistrust between Catholics and Huguenots, and the Parisians' determination to cleanse their city of heresy led to the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] after the wedding. On 24 August 1572, a fanatic mob slaughtered 2,000–3,000 Protestants in Paris, and by early October further 6,000–7,000 Huguenots fell victim to pogroms in other cities and towns.{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|pp=158–159}} Many Huguenots returned to the Catholic Church or fled from France, and those who remained gathered in southern and southern-west France and continued the armed resistance.{{sfn|Cameron|2012|p=385}} Known as "[[Malcontents (France)|Malcontents]]", moderate Catholics concluded that only concessions to the Huguenots could restore peace.{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|p=158}}

{{nowrap|Charles IX}} died in May 1574 leaving an almost empty treasury to his brother [[Henry III of France|Henry III]] ({{reign|1574|1567}}).{{sfn|Diefendorf|2006|pp=158–159}} Henry adopted a moderate religious policy but the uncompromising Catholics established the [[Catholic League (French)|Catholic League]] in 1576. They entered into a [[Treaty of Joinville|secret alliance]] with {{nowrap|Philip II}} of Spain to prevent the spread of Protestantism. In 1589, the monk [[Jacques Clément]] mortally wounded King Henry. He named Henry de Bourbon as his heir, but the League and many cities refused to obey to a Huguenot king. {{nowrap|Henry IV}} secured the support of moderate Catholics by converting to Catholicism. He defeated his French opponents and their Spanish allies, and put an end to the civil war early in 1598. He enacted many of the demands of the Huguenots, about fifteen per cent of the population, in the [[Edict of Nantes]]. Among others, they were allowed to attend religious services in many places, and their right to hold public offices was confirmed.{{sfn|Lindberg|2021|pp=279–280}}