Editing Political history of France (section)

===French Wars of Religion===
The [[French Wars of Religion]] were a series of [[civil war]]s between French [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants]] (called [[Huguenots]]) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease directly caused by the conflict, and it severely damaged the power of the French monarchy.{{Sfn|Knecht|2002|p=91}} One of its most notorious episodes was the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] in 1572. The fighting ended with a compromise in 1598, when Henry of Navarre, who had converted to Catholicism in 1593, was proclaimed [[Henry IV of France|King Henry IV of France]] and issued the [[Edict of Nantes]], which granted substantial rights and freedoms to the Huguenots. However, Catholics continued to disapprove of Protestants and of Henry, and his assassination in 1610 triggered a fresh round of [[Huguenot rebellions]] in the 1620s.

Tensions between the two religions had been building since the 1530s, exacerbating existing regional divisions. The death of [[Henry II of France]] in July 1559 initiated a prolonged struggle for power between his widow [[Catherine de' Medici]] and powerful nobles. These included a fervently Catholic faction led by the [[House of Guise|Guise]] and [[House of Montmorency|Montmorency]] families, and Protestants headed by the [[House of Condé]] and [[Jeanne d'Albret]]. Both sides received assistance from external powers, with [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] and [[Duchy of Savoy|Savoy]] supporting the Catholics, and [[Kingdom of England|England]] and the [[Dutch Republic]] backing the Protestants.

Moderates, also known as [[Politiques]], hoped to maintain order by centralising power and making concessions to Huguenots, rather than the policies of repression pursued by Henry II and his father [[Francis I of France|Francis&nbsp;I]]. They were initially supported by Catherine de' Medici, whose January 1562 [[Edict of Saint-Germain]] was strongly opposed by the Guise faction and led to an outbreak of widespread fighting in March. The Edict of Amboise' also known as the Edict of Pacification, was signed at the [[Château of Amboise]] on 19 March 1563 by [[Catherine de' Medici]], acting as regent for her son [[Charles IX of France]]. The Edict ended the first stage of the [[French Wars of Religion]], inaugurating a period of official peace in [[Kingdom of France|France]] by guaranteeing the [[Huguenots]] religious privileges and freedoms. However, it was gradually undermined by continuing religious violence at a regional level and hostilities renewed in 1567. Catherine de' Medici later hardened her stance and backed the 1572 [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] in [[Paris]], which resulted in Catholic mobs killing between 5,000 and 30,000 Protestants throughout France.

The wars threatened the authority of the [[Monarchy of France|monarchy]] and the last [[House of Valois|Valois]] kings, Catherine's three sons [[Francis II of France|Francis&nbsp;II]], [[Charles IX of France|Charles&nbsp;IX]], and [[Henry III of France|Henry&nbsp;III]].

Their [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] successor [[Henry IV of France]] responded by creating a strong central state and extending toleration to Huguenots. Henry IV successfully ended the civil wars. He and his ministers appeased Catholic leaders using bribes of about 7 million écus, a sum greater than France's annual revenue. Huguenot leaders were placated by the [[Edict of Nantes]], which had four separate sections. The articles laid down the tolerance which would be accorded to the Huguenots including the exact places where worship may or may not take place, the recognition of three Protestant universities, and the allowance of Protestant synods. The king also issued two personal documents (called ''brevets'') which recognized the Protestant establishment. The Edict of Nantes signed religious tolerance into law, and the brevets were an act of benevolence that created a Protestant state within France.{{Sfn|Parker|1979|p=117}}

Despite this, it would take years to restore law and order to France. The Edict was met by opposition from the ''parlements'', which objected to the guarantees offered to Protestants. The [[Parlement de Normandie|Parlement de Rouen]] did not formally register the edict until 1609, although it begrudgingly observed its terms.{{Sfn|Briggs|1977|pp=33–34}}

The latter policy would last until 1685, when Henry's grandson [[Louis XIV]] [[Edict of Fontainebleau|revoked the Edict of Nantes]].

[[File:French Religious Wars Timeline.png|thumb|Timeline for the French religious wars]]