Any civilian who is responsible for listening to a teacher in the lessons of world history should know what civil wars were in France. The experience of different countries, the stages of their development, difficult military eras - all this gives the modern reader an understanding of the world structure and the principles of the formation of powers in the form in which they are known.
What were they like?
When they talk about civil wars in France, they mean battles in the name of religion. The followers of Protestantism diligently defended their faith. Catholics, not sparing their lives, sought to prove their case. Such was the essence of religious civil wars, which stretched out over a rather long period. Battles began in 1562. Officially, the war ended only by the 98th year of the same century. Since Protestants were called Huguenots in France, an alternative name for the events came from here: Huguenot wars. In total, this stage of French history includes eight military conflicts.
What kind of participants?
To navigate the essence of the civil wars in France on the basis of faith, we should turn to terminology. For a modern person, the word “Catholic” is quite familiar, but not everyone knows who was called the Huguenots. This is how the French followers of Protestantism, who spoke out in support of Calvin's reformist doctrine, were designated. Traditionally Catholic, France first became acquainted with Protestant teachings at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
New trends came here from German lands thanks to the native of Etaplya Lefebvre. This philosopher, born in 1455 and died in 1536, was the first French translator to take on the New Testament and successfully complete this work. In 1523, the work was presented to the public. Lefebvre had a number of followers. His idea attracted Farrell, Russell, d'Aranda. By the 57th year of the sixteenth century, almost every third Frenchman chose for himself a new religious teaching in defiance of traditional Catholicism.
Why did you start to fight?
It is not a secret for modern historians why a civil war broke out in France. All the reasons that provoked the conflict, divided into several stages, are usually distinguished into blocks. The key is ideological. The followers of Catholicism and the Huguenots had a different attitude towards the Christian faith. At that moment, religion greatly influenced the daily lives of citizens, and the two camps had radically different views on which particular influence was right. Their opinions did not agree on the aspect of the place of faith in public life.
No less significant are the economic prerequisites for military conflicts. In entrepreneurship, as it was in those days, the Huguenots were more capable and promising. Calvinism obliged every person to work to the best of their abilities and capabilities, to be honest and thrifty. The doctrine demanded, within the framework of the rational, adhere to an ascetic lifestyle. Parasitism and luxury were actively condemned by the new teaching.
Nowhere without politics
Historians, analyzing why a civil war broke out in France, necessarily pay attention to the political background of those events and the interest of power structures. In the seventeenth century, French power was divided into three large blocks: the monarchs of Valois, the Bourbon nobility, de Giza. As experienced politicians of the time quickly realized, the religious squabbles of the common people are a great way to solve their own problems.
No less significant is the political background of prolonged hostilities. French neighbors actively participated in the fate of this country. The war was supported by the British, where Protestantism was strong. The Huguenots found a contributing force in the person of the German Protestant princes. But Spain, in which Catholicism was strong, provided all possible assistance to another camp of the French civil conflict.
Names and Events
In a civil war, the main importance is given to the personalities of the people who controlled what was happening. A very large role was played by Francis the First. In the history of the state, he was the first monarch to decide that Protestantism must be stopped. At first, the new doctrines did not cause him serious excitement, the ruler as if did not notice their distribution in the public. Moreover, evidence of his personal patronage to several preachers who brought a new teaching to the light has survived to our days. In 1538, he finally decided on the position and spoke out in favor of the reactionary movement. Two years later, the edict saw the light, in which the monarch ordered the extermination of heretics without mercy.
The second important person in that difficult period of French history is Henry the Second. This king replaced his father Francis. During his reign, the country experienced military conflicts with the British, Spaniards, and the Netherlands. In 1559, a peace agreement was concluded that obliged the French king to actively fight evangelical doctrines.
The monarch’s wife was Catherine de Medici. By analyzing and briefly describing the causes of the civil war, one cannot but pay attention to its actions. She gave birth to her husband three sons, who in the future took a royal place. The woman was smart and, as contemporaries testified, was distinguished by foresight. In many ways, it was her forces that determined the country's policy in internal and external affairs. For some time, she diligently reconciled representatives of conflicting religious doctrines. Catherine made efforts to strengthen the monarchy in the state. Many believe that Bartholomew’s night is practically her work.
Royal sons and their relevance to history
The first to succeed Henry was Francis the Second. Since at that moment the civil war in France had already gained momentum, he could not remain indifferent. It so happened that the ruler was almost completely under de Guise’s control. The dukes of this branch were known for their ardent Catholicism. If in 1559 an edict was issued requiring the death of every heretic in the state, then under the authority of the new monarch they decided to introduce additional measures. If a house was suspected as a meeting place for Protestants, it was destroyed. The person participating in the prohibited event was executed.
This king was replaced by Charles the Ninth. During his rule, the real control of the power was entrusted to the mother. This part of French history is the official beginning of hostilities. Under this ruler, Bartholomew’s Night, which entered all the French annals, happened.
Later, Henry the Third came to power. His reign began in 1574. At first, the new ruler wanted to achieve peace between conflicting believers, but did not achieve any particular success, moreover, events began to develop according to an even more cruel scenario.
The last period of the civil war was the time under the reign of Henry the Fourth. He married Margarita Valois, the very woman whom she would dedicate in the future to her book, Dumas. From 1572 the King of Navarre, from 1589 - French, this statesman gave rise to a new dynasty and ended civil clashes due to religious beliefs. He went down in history as a ruler, in which they signed the Nantes Edict.
Dates and Numbers
Modern historians are well aware of the periods of civil war that erupted in French lands in the sixteenth century. The official start of the conflict falls on October 13, 1547. It was on this day that the Fire Chamber was formed as a parliamentary bloc. It included two presidents, assisted by 14 advisers. The chamber was appointed responsible for the trial of heretics.
From March 12, 1559 to April 3 of the same year, the wars in Italy ended. The final moment was the signing of the Cato-Cambresian world, the parties to which were not only the French, but also the British and Spaniards. Finally, the issue of Mediterranean hegemony was resolved. Due to the new peace agreement, the French monarchs gained great opportunities for the struggle within the state. They were sent to oust the Protestants.
On the second day of the summer of 1559, the Ecuadic Edict was published. Each Protestant was threatened with a document by burning. It also stipulated who was authorized to persecute representatives of the objectionable official authorities of the religious school.
What day marked the beginning of the civil war in France?
1559-1560 years
On the last June day of 1559, the Paris tournament ended with the mortal wound of a monarch person. Henry the Second died suddenly, and his son, then a child, took power. On March 17 of the following year, a conspiracy occurred: the Protestant nobility wished to capture the young king in order to force him to proclaim the right to choose religion of his own free will. The conspiracy, however, was quickly uncovered. The supremacy over him, as shown by the investigation, belonged to the Bourbons. In August of that year, they organized an assembly of notables, the solution of which was to end the persecution of Protestantism. From that moment on, the monarchy’s power began to behave more tolerantly to representatives of different religious trends.
On the last October day, Conde was arrested. De Giza was forced to sentence him to death. The prince was accused of rebellion, a conspiracy. The execution was scheduled for December 10, when the General States opened. Five days before this event, the monarch passed away, and Charles the Ninth took his place. In fact, instead of him, the decision was made by mother - Catherine de Medici. Assuming that the increase in de Guise’s political power was not profitable for the crown, she made an agreement with the Bourbons. The execution of the prince was canceled, and his associate Antoine was given the place of general governor.
1561 year
On May 15, Archbishop of Reims from the de Guise clan crowned Charles the Ninth. The cardinal was dissatisfied with the current situation. By this year, the civil war in France somewhat changed its face. The Protestants already had a fairly strong position, the Huguenots influenced the royal family. Before laying the crown, the archbishop spoke with instructions. He drew the attention of the heir, that a person who is ready to advise to change religious beliefs, in fact, only wants to excommunicate the monarch from power. However, this phrase perfectly described the whole principle of the power structure of the power of that period. The French king could only be a Catholic, and no other way. As all observers of the scene immediately understood, what was said was dedicated not so much to the young ruler, but to his mother, who was really responsible for the state of affairs.
On September 9 of the same year, Protestant pastors and Catholic cardinals began a thematic debate in Poissy. From the essays on civil war, it is known: the event was initiated by the king's mother. All debates took place in the presence of royalty. They lasted more than seven days, but did not give any positive result. The opposing parties only began to perceive each other even more aggressively. On the last October day of the same year, de Giza planned to abduct the royal brother, but the plan failed.
1562-1563 years
On January 17, the monarch issued a new edict, which was nicknamed Saint Germain. As you know, the main reason for the civil war in France was the influence of religious trends on human life, which means that only a more tolerant attitude towards representatives of another camp could end the conflict. The foundations of religious tolerance were laid by the new royal edict. The document established the Huguenot legal status in the state. However, against the backdrop of these events, hostilities erupted. On the first day of March, Catholic figures of the de Guise retinue attacked the Protestants in Wassi with weapons. There were about fifty victims among the Huguenots. This event is considered the starting point for the civil war.
On the second day of April, a Protestant army led by Conde marched on Orleans and occupied it. Active hostilities began. Catholics besieged Orleans, Conde entered into an agreement with the Queen of England. From this moment, the British received Le Havre, and the Huguenots - 60 thousand soldiers. It all ended on March 19, when they signed the peace at Ambroise. From that moment on, everyone in the country had the right to choose faith. Protestants were able to worship in designated places.
Second phase
Since the causes of the civil war in France were rooted in the mentality of the people of that time, the events of 1563 did not eliminate the conflict. The people were not ready for the adoption of various doctrines, the second war began. Her start was the massacre that occurred on September 30, 1567. The Huguenots in Nimes killed almost a hundred monks and priests of the opposite doctrine. Two days before this, the Protestants tried to capture the monarch, since the chief above them sought the role of general governor. At that moment, the desired position belonged to the son of the Queen Mother. At the same time, Coligny tried to convince the Medici of the need to fight with Spain in order to support the Dutch Protestants. All this led to a bloody battle on November 10, 1567. In the battle, Montmorency was wounded, which led to the imminent death of the leader. On March 28 of the following year, a peace agreement was concluded, by which the Protestants left their fortresses and certain privileges.
Third step
In the fall of 1568, the Medici prepared a document that her ruling son soon signed. According to this document, only Catholicism was recognized as a legitimate religion. The Queen Mother was provoked by such an attempt to capture her son earlier. The woman reconsidered her attitude to the Protestants and decided to fight them with all available methods. As the declaration read, the king regretted the early concessions that the world powers did not give, but were only accompanied by a deterioration in the situation due to the reformers. The government demanded that the fortress transferred to the Protestants be returned to the crown. The preachers were ordered to leave the state. In the future, only Catholic cults were permitted. If some official adhered to Protestant teachings, he lost his post. Additionally, amnesty was announced to those followers who surrendered to the authorities within a week.
From March 12 to September 24, active hostilities were fought, resulting in the death of the Huguenot leader Conde. The essence of the civil war was not only in an attempt to prove the uniqueness and correctness of only one manner of worship, but also in the desire of the warring parties to crush the power in the country. All this ended with the signing of a peace agreement in August 1570. The date was chosen on the 8th. Protestants were given the freedom to practice their faith everywhere except the French capital. They still had the opportunity to serve on government posts. The Catholics gave their opponents four fortresses.
Fourth step
The next start of the civil war in France was on August 22, 1572. On this day, Margarita Valois and Henry, the ruler of Navarre, were married. Two days later, Bartholomew’s night happened. Then Coligny died. From February 11 of the following year, followers of Catholicism besieged La Rochelle. The siege lasted until July 6, but brought no result. Henry converted to Catholicism, and the third son of Catherine ascended the throne of Poland. June 11, 1573 signed the Boulogne Edict, restricting the rights of the Huguenots, defined in 1570. From that moment, freedom of conscience remained, but religious cults could be practiced only in La Rochelle and several other settlements. The nobility could choose a religious direction, given a number of conditions. On June 20, they signed a peace agreement confirming this edict. This year, a "party of the dissatisfied" appeared, hoping for peace between the warring parties. The new movement was led by the Duke of Alanson.
Fifth stage
For this stage of the civil war, the reason was the change of monarchy in power. Charles the Ninth passed away; Henry the Third, who had previously ruled in Poland, took his place. In early November of that year, Montmorency, who ruled the Languedoc and had an independent position, demanded the ruler restore the Protestant rights. However, the new monarch did not give consent, so the aggressor began the war. The following year, a confederation appeared in Nimes, uniting noble people and settlements. To some extent, it has become a country within a power. The confederation had its own army, its own taxation. The General States were elected as the main governing body. In the autumn of the same year, the French were attacked by the Huguenots under the control of de Bourbon and de Conde. The Pfalz-Zimmernsky joined the dissatisfied. The battle of Dorman took place on October 10, the Catholics defeated the aggressor. 1576- – .
The Huguenots demanded the position of governor in Picardy, Damville claimed the Languedoc. They expressed many other requirements, positions, lands and privileges. By this time, the Protestants had about 30 thousand soldiers threatening the French capital. The royal power did not have sufficient resources for defense, so it was forced to start negotiations. Responsibility for their implementation was assumed by the mother of the monarch. On May 6, they signed a new edict, which the people called the "world of the royal brother." The Huguenots were given eight fortresses, their representatives in local parliaments, the opportunity to conduct ceremonies around the country, excluding the capital and the Paris suburbs. Damville remained governor, received new powers, due to which he actually became vice-king. Johann Casimir received compensation in the amount of 300,000 ecu.
Sixth stage
At this step, one of the main events of the civil war was the formation of the Catholic League in May 1576. On December 6th, the General States began to work, which did not recognize the earlier agreement in Beaulieu. A new war mainly took place in the Languedoc, Sentong. September 17 concluded the royal peace. Its results coincided with those signed earlier, but additionally gave the Protestants the right to conduct religious rites. Victims in Bartholomew’s night received rehabilitation. The League was dissolved, as was the Confederation of the Huguenots, and the king received all his subjects back, thereby restoring his status as the supreme ruler of the people.
In February 1579, they held a peace conference. According to the account, after the start of the first hostilities, she was already the thirtieth. The event was dedicated only to political issues, without affecting religious ones. At first, the Huguenots expressed unrealistic wishes, but under the influence of the royal army agreed to a reasonable counter-proposal from the side of the monarch's mother. An oath was made to fulfill the promise in the six months.
Seventh stage
The date of the civil war in France (between Catholics and the Huguenots) is 1562-1598. What happened in the period from 1578 to 1580?
The reason for the hostilities was court rumors about his wife's infidelity to Henry of Navarre. To restore his rights, the insulted Henry declared war on brother-in-law. However, this is only one of the versions of the causes of the event. In fact, the Protestants were forced to return the fortresses that had previously given them for temporary use the agreement signed in Nerak. The fighting began under the influence of Conde, unable to exercise his power in Picardy due to the strength of local Catholicism. In late November, he took control of La Fer. Henry of Navarre also took part in the events, began to besiege Kaoru. However, on the entire front, the monarchy dominated the power, so the troops loyal to the king gradually gained the upper hand. La Fer was soon conquered, Conde retired to German lands, and Henry of Navarre took up defensive positions. November 26 concluded a peace agreement in Fle. It gave Henry six years to use the fortresses previously transferred to Nerak for six months.
The final stage
The course of the civil war was, it would seem, such that it was already possible to end hostilities, but in 1584 they broke out with renewed vigor. This period lasted until the 1589th. It began with the death of Francois of Alencon. The next who had the right to ascend the throne after the death of the current monarch was Henry of Navarre. Formed the Paris League. On the last December day of 1584, the Spanish ambassador and de Guise concluded an agreement on the formation of the League, whose actions were aimed at preserving Catholicism. In the French capital appeared "Great fear."
Rumors circulated about the great financial support of the Huguenots - with this money you could equip a strong army that could oppose the adherents of Catholicism. They started talking about a new Bartholomew’s night, in which Catholics will become victims. Most metropolitan residents rated Catholicism as their greatest value in life. The people who organized the Paris League, had a good reputation, belonged to the bourgeois class, gained fame for their seriousness and virtue.
The next event of the civil war was the military operations of de Guise. Concluded early peace treaties were completely canceled, heresy became contrary to law. The new document obliged the Huguenots either to change their beliefs, or to leave French territory. By the ninth of August of that year, Heinrich of Navarre organized the Counter League, and asked for help from England, the German rulers.
Development of events
As is known from historical documents telling about the civil war, in October the monarch signed an edict giving the Huguenots two weeks to change faith or leave the country. In December, a truce was concluded in order to begin negotiations. Two years later, in October 1587, German Protestants entered French territories, and the locals supported the attackers. In March of the following year, Conde died, and in May the Catholics of Paris rebelled against royal politics. From this moment, the city is ruled by de Guise.
A temporary result of the civil war was the edict of unity, signed by the king under de Guise pressure. In October, a meeting of the General Staffs began, from which the confrontation between de Guise and the monarch's person began. The king ordered de Guise to be killed, which happened on December 23 of that year. The ruler himself became a victim of the killers on August 1 of next year. Having received a mortal wound, the monarch ordered his followers to accept the power of Heinrich of Navarre.
How it all ended
July 4, 1591 saw the light of an edict restoring the agreement of 1577. In July 1593, the king abandoned Protestantism. In February of the following year he was crowned. In April 1598, an edict was issued that officially ended civil religious conflicts. From that moment on, any mention of what had happened was under the order. In addition, they noted that officials are obliged to smooth the historical past. Everyone and everyone had to pretend that there were no wars at all.
About the results
It is difficult to overestimate the role of the civil war between Catholics and Huguenots in the formation of French society. The result of hostilities was the strengthening of the position of the state as a whole. Feudal riots against the centralized power of the monarch ceased. The country has become the strongest in Europe, fully centralized. The aftermath of the civil war was religious tolerance.
And yet, in the autumn of 1685, royal authority ordered the abolition of the Nantes Edict. Huguenot educational institutions, temples ordered to destroy. Although this did not provoke a new full-scale military conflict in the state, the results of the actions negatively affected the state. Gradually, the trade situation of France began to deteriorate. It is no secret that the Huguenots were the most entrepreneurial layer of the population. Mostly they were educated people who were ready to work tirelessly, since only such a way of life was approved by their faith.
At that time, hundreds of thousands of the best representatives of the Protestants decided to seek help abroad. Emigrants sent their feet to England and Sweden. Many moved to Prussian, Canadian lands; others chose Dutch and Danish territories for themselves. Many educated and promising people left for permanent residence in Switzerland.
New Times - New Events
Another interesting period in French history is the Great French Revolution. This difficult stage for the country's population began in 1789, lasted until 1815. Radical revolutionary changes of that period were accompanied by a change in the traditional system, the rejection of monarchical power. One of the outcomes was the democratic system. The revolution is judged to be bourgeois, since it saved society from royal power and the feudal system. The official years of the civil war, which led to a change in the political system: 1789-1794.
The peasants, the bourgeoisie and the working class also participated in the revolution. The uprising was led by bourgeois leaders. However, far from always they paid sufficient attention to those who supported them. In the late 1780s, a crisis situation ripened in the country, and the agrarian question was most acute.
Speaking about the causes of events, the first mention of the crisis of trade and industry. No less important was the bankruptcy of the crown and the lack of the state’s budget. A few years before this was a bad harvest, so the peasants rebelled. The monarchy was clearly in crisis. The courtiers tried to find a way out, but their approaches did not correspond to the spirit of the times. The king decided to convene notables, the General Staff. The nobles who supported him, the priests did not approve the initiative and did not agree to pay taxes in favor of the crown. Society began to prepare for an uprising.
Time to protest!
In mid-July (13-14) of 1789, dissatisfied representatives of the third class took to the streets of Paris. Thus began a revolution that changed the future of the state. At the first stage, the rebels captured the Bastille. The authorities changed, a guard appeared under the control of the bourgeois class. In the fall, they adopted the Declaration on Civil Rights, as well as decrees in favor of the rebels.
The second stage was the Varenna crisis in the summer of 1791. The monarch tried to leave the country, protesters were shot on the Field of Mars, and the poorest went out against the bourgeoisie, which supported the nobility. The Jacobins separated from the feliano, all the political forces of that time were actively fighting. France was attacked by many neighbors. Generals fled beyond the borders of the state. Volunteer groups were formed in the capital, which were supposed to protect against attackers.
On August 10, the monarchy was completely overthrown in the country. The Jacobins and Girondins are increasingly opposing each other. The Paris Commune fought with the Legislative Assembly, by virtue of which it was decided to create a Convention. Anyone supported by the population was elected to it. There were only two conditions: gender (male), age (over 21 years). On September 21, 1792, the country officially became a republic. The last royal person was executed on January 21 of the following year. The peasants, tired of poverty, continued to rebel, the poor seized the land, the townspeople appealed to managers, demanding solid food prices. In late spring, the Girondins were driven out of the Convention. The Jacobins took power into their own hands.
Final step
The third stage of the revolution is the dictatorship of the Jacobins. Robespierre came to power. The country still suffered from internal problems, the armies of neighboring powers approached the borders of the state. France participated in the Vendee military conflict, and politicians tried to deal with agricultural problems. The pleasures of the nobles who fled from the country were given to ordinary people. New decrees allowed to form a new layer of the population - the owners. Then they adopted the Constitution, however, ultimately, politicians settled on a revolutionary-democratic dictatorship.
At the end of the summer of 1793, they decided to mobilize the population to fight external aggressors. Opponents of the Jacobins launched terrorist resistance, which led to the death of Marat. In late July, the invading forces were defeated at Fleurus. However, recent events have turned the peasantry against the current government, which led to a conspiracy and coup. A Directory appeared, organized censored suffrage, called everyone equal. From that moment, only those over 25 years old were elected and entitled to express their will in the elections. The Council of Elders, the Council 500, appeared. The directory left power in the fall of 1799, pushed aside by Bonaparte, who led the coup.
Bonaparte’s reign is one of the most important in French history, according to many. The leader was loved by the military, he enjoyed the support of the population. Napoleon soon captured the capital. The result of the coup was the exclusion of the old social system, the development of capitalism, the formation of the republican system, and government bodies elected by the people. Then the first constitutions appeared, which provided equal rights to citizens. Napoleon dealt with agricultural problems, finally liquidated the monarchy and adopted a declaration establishing civil rights.
Good or bad?
Analyzing the events of that period, historians demand to relate to what happened objectively. The power of Napoleon, although it had a number of advantages, cost the country dearly. A property qualification appeared, a complicated division of the state, which made it impossible to form an effective management system. In addition, the authorities practically did not pay attention to the opinion of the population, therefore, they could not completely solve the problem of unrest for many years.