On this day in Tudor history, 18th August 1572, the marriage of Henry III, King of Navarre (the future Henry IV of France), the leading Huguenot, and the Catholic Margaret of Valois took place at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The aim of this marriage was to unite the Bourbon and Valois families, and also to bring peace between the Catholics and Huguenots in France. However, the awful St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of the Huguenots took place just six days after the wedding.
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On this day in Tudor history, 18th February 1563, a Huguenot assassin shot Francis, Duke of Guise, at Orléans in France. The duke died six days later.
The Catholic Guise was a prominent leader during the French Wars of Religion, and there had been attempts on his life previously. Guise was wounded by Huguenot, Jean de Poltrot de Méré, at the Siege of Orléans, and it is thought that the treatment he received from his physicians, bloodletting, contributed to his death.
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On this day in Tudor history, 15th September 1589, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a battle was fought at Arques in France.
The Battle of Arques was part of the final war of the French Wars of Religion, a series of conflicts in France from 1562-1598 between Catholics and Huguenots. It was a battle between the troops of the new French king, Henry IV, and the troops of the Catholic League led by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne.
The battle wasn’t looking good for Henry IV, but then everything changed when troops sent by Elizabeth I arrived on the scene.
Find out more about what led to this battle, what happened at the battle, and what happened next…
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On this day in Tudor history, 15th September 1589, the Battle of Arques began.
This battle was part of the final war of the French Wars of Religion, a series of conflicts in France from 1562-1598 between Catholics and Huguenots. It was fought between the new French king, Henry IV, and the Catholic League led by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, and looked bad for Henry until troops sent by Elizabeth I arrived – phew!
You can find out more about what led to this battle, what happened at the battle, and what happened next, in this talk.
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The Huguenots were French Protestants, formed as a part of the general Reformation that started in Germany because of Martin Luther and swept through the Continent. It hit France around 1517, where the movement quickly grew in popularity. The movement was particularly popular in French areas where the population was unhappy with the government or areas that were experiencing economic hardship. The name “Huguenot” is of uncertain origin; some believe the Huguenots are named after Besançon Hugues, leader of the movement in Geneva, Switzerland. Another possibility finds its roots in the German word Eidgenossen, meaning confederates bound by oath, which became aignos in France and referred to patriots living in Geneva who were against the Duke of Savoy during 1520 to 1524. In August 1523, the first martyr, Jean Vallière, was burnt at the stake.
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