How many of us have not heard the phrase “Bartholomew’s Night”? The significance of this phraseological unit is also known to quite a lot, this expression has become synonymous with senseless and ruthless massacres, and indeed senseless cruelty. But the reason why these words got such meaning is, unfortunately, known to not everyone.
The events, later called the Bartholomew’s Night, occurred in 1572, on the night of August 24. On this day St. Bartholomew's Day is celebrated, and this tragic event was later named after him. But before describing directly what happened, it is necessary to say a few words about what served as the reason.
For the sixteenth century Europe, the formation and spread of various religious movements based on Christianity, but rejecting Catholicism, traditional for these places, is characteristic. Indeed, there were quite a few new directions, including Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, etc. However, they differed little from each other. The basis of all Protestant movements is the simplification of service to God: the rejection of most of the church sacraments, only baptism and communion were left, as well as the refusal to worship holy relics and icons, etc. The altar and, of course, all the statues, images and icons, and indeed all the magnificent decoration, were removed from the houses of worship. In addition, all sermons and hymns, as well as the Bible, which was considered the only source of teaching, are translated into the languages ​​of the flock. In addition, there was no such thing as a vow of celibacy, and any member of the community could become a priest. The latter particularly outraged the Pope and all Catholics.
In connection with the growing popularity of Protestant movements, religious wars began in Europe. Most of them took place on the territory of France, since it was there that the movement of Calvinism actively developed. The French jokingly called them Huguenots, and over time this nickname took root in the ranks of the Calvinists.
As a result of several bloody wars, the Saint-Germain peace was concluded, according to which the Huguenots received quite a few rights, including partial freedom of religion. In addition, the leader of the Calvinist movement, Admiral Coligny, was admitted to the royal council. This allowed him to soon gain a great influence on Charles IX. To further strengthen such a fragile world, it was decided to give Margarita Valois for one of the leaders of the Calvinists, Heinrich Navarre.
But the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, did not like this state of affairs. In particular, because she was afraid to lose influence on the king. And the fact that Coligny tried to convince Charles to start a war with Catholic Spain.
During the preparations for the wedding, many noble and influential Protestants arrived in Paris, which caused discontent among Paris Catholics. Priests only intensified this discontent. Including due to the spread of rumors that the Huguenots are plotting to overthrow the king.
The noisy and magnificent wedding, held on August 18, 1572, further angered the townspeople. In an atmosphere of growing discontent, events developed very rapidly. On August 22, the Duke de Guise attempted an assassination of Coligny. Accordingly, the Huguenots demanded to punish the offender. All this provoked rumors among Calvinists that a new war with the Catholics could not be avoided. Some of them hastened to leave the city.
Naturally, Catherine de Medici took advantage of the situation and convinced Carl of the need for the physical destruction of the Huguenots. Now Bartholomew’s night was inevitable.
On August 23, by order of the king, all gates at the exit of Paris were closed, and the Huguenots' houses were marked with chalk. That night, the conspirators broke into the home of the wounded admiral and killed him. Following this, the residents of the city, instigated by the clergy, began to break into the houses and kill everyone who came in their way. Those who considered such measures too cruel were strongly convinced of their necessity and even threatened with excommunication.
The same targeted massacre began in other cities in France. In total, Bartholomew’s night claimed the lives of more than 10,000 Calvinists, of whom about 3 thousand died in Paris. It is not difficult to guess that such cruelty not only did not solve the problem, but also exacerbated it. After that, the war with the Huguenots really became inevitable. And the Catholics were defeated again in this war. Charles IX was again forced to make concessions.
However, the event itself received many positive responses from Catholics around the world, including the Pope. Only after 425 years, Pope John Paul II recognized that Bartholomew’s night in France was a mistake, and sharply condemned it.
However, it is worth noting that such actions were carried out not only by Catholics. So in the city of Nimes six years before the events described, the Huguenots themselves arranged something similar. However, Bartholomew’s Night surpasses all such events in scale several times.