Eighth Huguenot War

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The eighth Huguenot War (French guerre des Trois Henri ) from 1585 to 1598 was the last and longest of the Huguenot Wars between 1562 and 1598 - civil wars that weakened France for about a hundred years. After the Valois died out, Henry of Navarre prevailed as Henry IV of France , although he was originally a Huguenot .

In the Edict of Nantes of April 1598, he granted the Huguenots limited religious freedom, with which he appeased the Huguenots' fears with Huguenot security posts. From 1588 the war also became an international conflict, which interacted with the struggle for freedom in the Netherlands and the Anglo-Spanish naval war between Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of Spain, and in which France asserted itself despite the civil war against Spain.

First to seventh Huguenot War

These French civil wars took place in 1562–1563, 1567–1568, 1568–1570 and after the massacre of St. Bartholomew's Night 1572–1573, 1574–1576, 1576–1577 and 1579–1580, but were more political than during the period 1572–1573 military maneuvers, minor skirmishes, no real interference from abroad. These wars were anathema to Catherine of Medici , so she waged Charles IX for her underage or only sporadically active sons . and Heinrich III. (France) reached political compromises in tough negotiations. This failed, however, in 1572, when the Huguenot nobility in Paris was invited to the wedding of their daughter Margaret of Valois with the young Huguenot prince Heinrich of Navarre , but was then massacred on the so-called Bartholomew Night. In the fourth Huguenot War that followed, 1572–1573, the leaderless Huguenots were almost destroyed by the united Catholic and royal troops. Ultimately, the Huguenots were granted limited tolerance and a few security positions in the respective peace treaties. From 1576 Heinrich von Navarre rose to become the undisputed leader of the Huguenots. The Huguenots then made up about 10% of the French population. During the Huguenot Wars, they were largely pushed to the south of France.

Succession to the throne of Henry of Navarre

Henry of Navarre became heir to the throne in 1584, as the brother of Henry III. of France died and the king himself had no sons. Henry of Navarre was pressured to convert, but refused to do so. Duke Heinrich I von Guise then organized the so-called Catholic League in 1585 , concluded an alliance with Spain and the Pope and ousted King Heinrich III. But he was clever enough to leave this formal royal dignity.

Course of the eighth Huguenot war

This conflict is also known as "The War of the Three Heinriche" (Heinrich von Navarra, Heinrich von Guise and King Heinrich III.). The isolated Henry of Navarre continued his skilful political and military defensive struggle of 1576–1585 from 1585–1588, took part personally in all battles and gained growing prestige and popularity. When Heinrich III. Had to flee Paris in 1588, he ordered the Guise brothers (the leaders of the Catholic League), whom he accused of treason, to the royal court in Blois and had them murdered by the royal bodyguard. These murders led to the Paris uprising. The only remaining alliance for the king was Henry of Navarre . At the common siege of Paris, Henry III. murdered on August 1, 1589 by the Dominican Jacques Clément .

Henry IV became the new King of France as Henry IV , but was not recognized by most Catholics. In 1590, Spanish troops operating from the Netherlands came to the aid of the beleaguered league, but at the same time discredited the league. Henry IV, who was too weak, first had to break off the siege of Paris and then that of Rouen . In 1593, however, Henry IV faced Paris again; in this situation he converted to Catholicism , whereupon Paris passed over to him. In 1594 Henry IV was crowned. Little by little he drew all of the opposing Catholic nobles to his side, and in 1598 France and Spain concluded an exhaustion peace , the Peace of Vervins , which confirmed the earlier provisions of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis of 1559.

Edict of Nantes

The Edict of Saint Germain-en-Laye , in which Catherine de Medici granted the Huguenots freedom of religion in 1562, was confirmed in the Edict of Nantes of April 1598; the traumatized Huguenots were given around 100 additional security posts, whose crews were paid by the king. These concessions were then withdrawn by the royal successors in the course of the 17th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Barbara B. Diefendorf: Beneath the Cross. Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-507013-5 , p. 176