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, 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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