Could this be?
Probably. Simply, this is the case when history strongly intersected with literature, and specifically with "The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX" by Prosper Mérimée and, even more seriously, with "Queen Margot" by Alexandre Dumas. The talent of the two writers turned out to be stronger than historical facts. The same Dumas, for example, describes the events of St. Bartholomew's Night in such a way that readers have no doubts - Queen Mother Catherine de 'Medici and Duke De Guise conspired to completely exterminate the Huguenots. The number of Dumas' readers is measured in millions and for them this "conspiracy" is almost an axiom. But the history of literature cannot be studied.
There is still a debate among French historians about whether there was a "conspiracy" or not. Those who believe that the massacre began spontaneously have strong arguments in favor of this point of view. Here are just a few of them. First, it was difficult enough to plan the mass extermination of the Huguenots in Paris, and it would take several months. There were not too many Protestants in the capital, most of them came to the wedding of Henry of Navarre (one of the leaders of the Huguenots) with Marguerite of Valois (sister of King Charles IX). They settled in the city as they had to. Someone in the Louvre, someone at inns, someone with relatives, including relatives of another religion. It is impossible to secretly inform half of the city that at the appointed hour it must rise and kill the other half of the city. If only because if a hundred thousand people are involved in a conspiracy, then numerous leaks are inevitable.
Secondly, there were quite a few Catholics among the victims of St. Bartholomew's Night. It was not the self-defense of the Huguenots, it was just that someone was settling old scores with fellow believers. And this suggests that the massacre broke out spontaneously, and they killed everyone who ducked under the arm. Thirdly, there was no attack with the first blow of the alarm. The outbreak of violence occurred in the early hours of dawn. There is a version that a group of aggressive Catholics from the entourage of the Duke of Guise, having learned about the murder of Admiral Coligny (another Protestant leader), went to kill other Huguenots. At this moment, a monk brought the news that a hawthorn was blooming in the Parisian cemetery, which was taken as a sign from above to kill Protestants.
One way or another, many historians see the picture this way. The conspiracy of Gizov and Catherine de Medici did take place, but it concerned only the leaders of the Protestants. First of all, Henry of Navarre, Admiral Coligny and their closest entourage. And allegedly Charles IX even gave his consent to this, although his mother did not really need it. Henry of Navarre could not be killed, although he was in the Louvre. Coligny was stabbed to death at his house. When the news of the death of the admiral, whom ordinary Catholics hated fiercely, spread throughout Paris, the devout inhabitants of the city decided to kill the "heretics" for the glory of God.
This version has many weaknesses, but there are also obvious advantages. Here's another one: if there was a large-scale conspiracy, then the first thing Giza would have planned was the murder of people from the retinues of Navarre and Coligny, and not shopkeepers and poor nobles. However, many prominent Huguenots survived St. Bartholomew's Night safely. Charles IX saved the life of some, others were saved thanks to personal courage, while others (such, however, a minority) did not even know that a massacre was taking place. François de Flerand, close to Henry of Navarre, calmly greeted Bartholomew's morning and only at about noon learned that that night in Paris, his brothers in faith were killed.
The story of the Scotsman Gabriel Montgomery, the one who unwittingly killed Henry II, the father of Charles IX, in the tournament, is also indicative. He not only escaped the assassins, but also gathered a detachment of two hundred people on the outskirts of the capital, so that, if something happened, take the Louvre by storm. In a word, if there was a plan for the universal extermination of the Huguenots, it failed. And since Catherine de Medici always thought very carefully about her steps, we can say that there probably wasn’t such a plan. So to the question of whether St. Bartholomew's Night could not have happened, we can also safely answer: "Yes, it could."
Be that as it may, the events of St. Bartholomew's Night dealt a crushing blow to the Huguenot party. Admiral Coligny, a radical Protestant leader, was assassinated. Other prominent Huguenots also laid their heads. For example, the son-in-law of Admiral Charles de Teligny and François de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marsillac is the great-grandfather of the famous writer. Henry of Navarre and Prince of Condé, two other Protestant leaders, converted to Catholicism. In fact, the party was left without leadership. There was no one to defend the ideas. The Huguenots did not elect new leaders; many left France altogether. But before St. Bartholomew's night, they were a force that the crown had to reckon with. They will remind of themselves only a few years later, when Henry of Navarre escapes from Paris to Bearn, again adopts Protestantism and starts a war against his brother-in-law, Henry III, brother of Charles IX, who will succeed him on the throne in 1574. But what is important, in August 1572, the Huguenots with the Catholics were in a state very close to the conclusion of a long peace.
Heinrich de Guise. (Wikipedia.org)
By that time, France had already experienced three religious wars. The last peace was signed at Saint Germain in 1570. The king confirmed the previously promised concessions to the Huguenots in terms of religion and territories that were given under their control. All peace treaties that were signed after the French religious wars are usually very similar. Their essence boils down to the fact that the Huguenots receive possession of three or four fortresses (La Rochelle, Montaban and Cognac) and complete freedom of religion. In the rest of the French regions, strict restrictions were imposed on their cult. Around the same time, the famous Edict of Nantes was drawn up - a treaty that ended the religious wars.
Three fortresses on the scale of France are very few. But the leaders of the Catholics - the dukes of Giza - were never ready to accept even such minor concessions. For the dukes of Lorraine - first François de Guise, nicknamed the Marked, and then his son Heinrich - positioned themselves as defenders of the faith. Their immense popularity was built around their intransigence and irreconcilability in matters of concessions to the Huguenots. Giza had a tremendous influence on the court, and therefore no peace treaty could stop a new war. So it would have been in 1572 if the St. Bartholomew's Night had not happened. Actually, the war started like that. After the massacre, the Catholics tried to take possession of La Rochelle and Montaban, but failed. However, if Coligny was alive, and his party was not bled, then the war would have gone according to a different scenario. Most likely, the Catholics would have lost it and would have been forced to make new concessions.
This is a very subtle point that must not be forgotten. Because two strong leaders are much worse than one. Coligny took over the leadership of the Huguenots after Antoine de Bourbon and Prince of Condé Sr., fathers of the young princes-cousins Heinrich of Navarre and Heinrich de Condé, were killed. The admiral commanded the Huguenot forces on behalf of these two young men. This assumed that an experienced and reputable military man was only a locum tenens. Therefore, at some point he had to give up "leadership" in favor of one of the princes. Interestingly, in favor of whom? In 1572, when Coligny died, Henry of Navarre was 18, and Condé was 19. Both, by the standards of their time, had long entered the age of majority. Moreover, both claimed leadership, but remained in the shadow of the admiral. In fact, it was such a violent regency.
Henry of Navarre. (Wikipedia.org)
Coligny's death cleared the way for Heinrichs to power. By the way, the cousins were in conflict with each other for a long time. Because Condé was a convinced Protestant and did not give up his views even under the threat of death. Heinrich of Navarre, meanwhile, was accused of absolute religious unprincipledness, because he changed his religion three times. As a result, Condé was forced to cede the palm to his cousin, but the experienced and cunning Coligny would hardly have done that. He could still formally recognize the supremacy of one of the Henrys, but he would never have transferred all powers. And this, in turn, could lead to a split in the ranks of the Huguenots. And under such circumstances, one of the "wings" often goes to an alliance with the enemy in order to destroy the opposition. Here is the alignment for you: either Henry of Navarre and his comrades accept Catholicism, forming their own, third, force; or the Catholics divide the Huguenots, and then defeat them one by one.
The least likely scenario, however, it has a right to exist. Indeed, by August 1572, Catholics and Huguenots had not fought for two years. During this time, some signs of warming have appeared. Henry of Navarre married Margaret of Valois, the sister of King Charles. This marriage was intended to confirm the union (curiously, the wedding took place on August 18, a week before the massacre). Charles and Catherine de Medici cooled somewhat towards Giza, but brought the Protestants closer to them. This, however, is understandable. The court was not interested in continuing the conflict, which was, in fact, a civil war. And then Catherine de Medici was forced to maneuver between the warring parties. It is not known exactly what forced her to abandon this plan, but it is obvious that without her support, Giza would not have started a new war. The question of whether there should be a new escalation or not was decided depending on whether they managed to convince the court or not. I must say that Heinrich Giese was less successful in this regard than his father. Another thing is that the conflict between the Huguenots and Catholics was fueled not so much by religious disagreements as by motives of personal hatred.
Assassination of the Duke of Guise. (Wikipedia.org)
Heinrich Guise considered Admiral Coligny to be his father's killer. Henry of Navarre assumed that Catherine de Medici had a hand in the untimely death of his mother, Jeanne d'Albret. Among the rank-and-file Huguenots, there were many who craved revenge. Catholics, too, had claims based on blood feud. It would have been difficult to avoid a new war in such conditions, but if the political will of the Louvre had been for that, then the new conflict could probably have been extinguished.
Who among us has not heard the phrase "St. Bartholomew's Night"? The meaning of this phraseological unit is also known to quite a few, this expression has become synonymous with senseless and merciless mass murders, and indeed senseless cruelty. But the reason why these words received such a meaning is, unfortunately, not known to everyone.
The events, which later received the name of St. Bartholomew's Night, took place in 1572, on the night of August 24. On this day, the day of St. Bartholomew is celebrated, and this tragic event was later named after him. But before describing what happened directly, it is necessary to say a few words about what caused it.
For Europe of the XVI century, the formation and spread of various religious movements based on Christianity, but rejecting the traditional Catholicism of these places, is characteristic. Indeed, there were quite a few new directions, including Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, etc. However, they differed little from each other. At the heart of all Protestant movements is the simplification of serving God: the rejection of most of the church sacraments, only baptism and communion were left, as well as the rejection of the veneration of holy relics and icons, etc. The altar and, of course, all the statues, images and icons, and indeed all the magnificent decorations in general, 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, have been 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 especially 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 in France, since it was there that the Calvinist movement was actively developing. The French jokingly called them Huguenots, and over time this nickname stuck in the ranks of the Calvinists.
As a result of several bloody wars, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was concluded, according to which the Huguenots received quite a lot of rights, including partial. 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 peace, it was decided to hand off Marguerite of Valois for one of the leaders of the Calvinists, Henry of Navarre.
But the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, did not like this state of affairs. In particular, because she was afraid of losing influence over 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 the discontent of Parisian Catholics. The priests only fueled this discontent even more. Including through the spread of rumors that the Huguenots are preparing a conspiracy to overthrow the king.
A noisy and magnificent wedding, which took place on August 18, 1572, angered the townspeople even more. In an atmosphere of growing discontent, events developed very rapidly. On August 22, he attempted to assassinate Coligny. Accordingly, the Huguenots demanded to punish the offender. All this provoked rumors among Calvinists that a new war with Catholics could not be avoided. Some of them hastened to leave the city.
Naturally, Catherine de Medici took advantage of the situation and convinced Charles of the need for the physical destruction of the Huguenots. Now St. Bartholomew's night was inevitable.
On August 23, by order of the king, all gates at the exit from Paris were closed, and the houses of the Huguenots were marked with chalk. That same night, the conspirators broke into the home of the wounded admiral and killed him. Following this, the inhabitants of the city, incited by the clergy, began to break into houses and kill everyone who came in their way. Those who considered such measures too cruel were convinced in every possible way of their necessity and even threatened
The same targeted massacre began in other cities in France. In total, St. Bartholomew's Night claimed the lives of more than 10,000 Calvinists, of whom about 3,000 died in Paris. It is not difficult to guess that such cruelty not only did not solve the problem, but also aggravated it. After that, the war with the Huguenots really became inevitable. And the Catholics again suffered defeat 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 425 years later, Pope John Paul II admitted that St. Bartholomew's Night in France was a mistake and strongly condemned it.
However, it should be noted that such actions were carried out not only by Catholics. So in the city of Nimes, six years before the events described, something similar was arranged by the Huguenots themselves. However, St. Bartholomew's Night surpasses all such events in scale several times.
Why has St. Bartholomew's Night become synonymous with mass murder? July 4th, 2013
The expression "St. Bartholomew's Night" has long been included in the languages of many peoples, meaning the cruel treacherous murder of defenseless people who are unable to resist. Its appearance was preceded by real events in France, when on the night of August 24, 1572 (the day of St. Bartholomew), the Catholics staged a cruel massacre of the Huguenots.
In the 16th century, religious wars broke out in Europe, connected with the fierce resistance of Catholicism to the departure from this religious teaching of an increasing number of people in various countries. The "reformation" movement was gaining strength, which led to the emergence of new religious teachings based on Christianity, but rejecting many of the canons of the Catholic religion. The largest Protestant movements during this period were Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism and a number of others.
Differences between Protestant movements were minor. Rejecting Catholicism, Protestants abolished many sacraments, agreeing to leave only baptism and the Eucharist (communion). They rejected the doctrine of grace, the veneration of saints, relics and images. Prayers for the dead were canceled, and houses of worship were freed from altars, images, statues, bells and magnificent decorations were deprived. Worship was simplified and boiled down to preaching, prayer, singing psalms and hymns in the native language of the flock. The Bible was proclaimed the only source of doctrine and translated into national languages. In Protestantism, there were no monks and there was no vow of celibacy. And most importantly, with which the Vatican could not agree in any way, the authority of the Pope was rejected and the principle of universal priesthood was introduced, when the duties of a priest could be performed by any member of the community.
Edouard Debat-Ponsan, "Morning at the Louvre Gate" (1880)
Naturally, the new religious movement met with fierce resistance, resulting in bloody confrontations and wars. France became the arena of fierce confrontation between Catholics and Protestants, where the new teaching spread in the form of Calvinism. French Catholics began to contemptuously call the followers of Calvin's teachings Huguenots, but this name soon took root among the Protestants themselves.
In France, religious stratification has sparked several wars. By the way, the siege of La Rochelle, in which the heroes of the novel The Three Musketeers participated, was carried out during one of the wars with the Huguenots.
In 1570, the Third Huguenot War ended with the Peace of Saint Germain, which returned many rights to the Calvinists. They received partial freedom of religion, a number of fortresses remained, and their leader, Admiral Coligny, entered the royal council. Soon Coligny won the favor of the young King Charles IX and became one of his closest advisers. To strengthen the fragile peace, they decided to marry Princess Marguerite of Valois to Henry of Navarre, one of the leaders of the Huguenots.
Coligny's fierce opponent was the mother of the king, Catherine de Medici, who was openly frightened by his great influence on the monarch and attempts to drag France into the war with Catholic Spain. The Queen Mother and her advisers were looking for any excuse to destroy the leaders of the Huguenots and return the whole country to the fold of the Catholic Church.
On the eve of the wedding of Henry and Margaret, a large number of high-ranking Huguenots and a mass of nobles arrived in Paris. The population of the capital, which was dominated by Catholics, greeted the appearance of the Huguenots with extreme hostility. These attitudes towards the Huguenots were skillfully fueled by the Catholic clergy. In the capital, rumors spread about a Huguenot plot to overthrow the king and introduce a new religion.
The magnificent wedding, which took place on August 18, 1572, only increased the hostility of the townspeople to the Huguenots, whom they saw in the royal retinue. Events grew rapidly. On August 22, Admiral Coligny was assassinated by the Duke Heinrich de Guise, who was popular among Parisians as a defender of the faith. The wounded admiral was visited by the King and Catherine de Medici with condolences. But the Huguenot nobility demanded the punishment of Giza from the king. Rumors spread among the Huguenots that a new war was inevitable. Calvinists began to leave Paris.
K.F. Gong. Scene from St. Bartholomew's Night
The current situation was skillfully used by Catherine de Medici, who convinced the king of the need to physically eliminate the leaders of the Huguenots in order to prevent a new civil war. The Paris municipality on 23 August was ordered to close the gates and prepare the city's militia for action.
On the night of August 24, the conspirators, interrupting the guards, broke into Coligny and impaled him with swords. In the city churches the alarm was sounded, calling on the people to kill the Huguenots. An outright massacre began, the Huguenots were killed even in the royal palace. Only from the urban suburb of Saint-Germain-des-Prés did some of the Huguenots manage to break free and flee. The coordinated extermination of the Huguenots began in other French cities as well. In the capital, the king graciously saved the lives of Henry of Navarre and his cousin, Heinrich Conde, but demanded that they convert to Catholicism.
The massacre in Paris continued for several days. The houses of the Protestants were pre-marked with chalk. Catholics, brutalized by blood, rushed into them and killed everyone indiscriminately. Not only the French Huguenots were destroyed, but everyone who had a faith other than Catholicism was massacred. Catholic priests organized "information support" for the murders. Those who doubted the justification of such cruelty were persuaded or threatened to excommunicate from the church, right on the blood-drenched streets, the murderers were forgiven their sins, services were held in churches in gratitude for the deliverance of the city from the Huguenots.
On August 26, Charles IX officially admitted that the destruction of the Calvinists was carried out on his orders, as he sought to thwart a new Huguenot conspiracy and punish the rebels.
It is believed that from 2.5 to 3 thousand Huguenots died in Paris these days, and about 10 thousand throughout the country. Events in France were greeted with approval in the Catholic world. Pope Gregory XIII not only supported the massacre, but even to celebrate, arranged fireworks in the Vatican and ordered the production of a commemorative medal. For the sake of justice, we note that 425 years after St. Bartholomew's Night, Pope John Paul II condemned the massacre of the Huguenots.
It is worth noting that such acts were not uncommon at that cruel time. Six years before St. Bartholomew's Night, the Protestants did the same, organizing the extermination of Catholics in the city of Nimes on St. Michael's Day, but its scale was incomparable with what happened in Paris.
The link to the article this copy was made from isSt. Bartholomew's Night - the mass murder of Huguenots by Catholics in Paris and in 12 other provincial cities, which began on August 24, 1572, one of the most terrible episodes in the history of France, imprinted in the memory of not only professional historians, but also ordinary people. The picture of this event was largely created by writers, artists, directors - people of art. It is not devoid of stereotypes and myths, and often St. Bartholomew's Night seems to us too one-sided. Let's try to restore the chronology of those events and understand its causes and consequences.
Reformation and Religious Wars
St. Bartholomew's Night did not arise by itself, it is important to know the context, the logic of the events of that time in order to present it correctly. The 16th century is the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the time of church reforms, the opposition of new religions to the old, civil wars. And it is difficult at that time to find a more fierce and prolonged confrontation between the inhabitants of one country than it was in France, where the Huguenots and Catholics had their own armies and generals, their own kings and outstanding leaders. Now it is difficult for us to imagine that people could quarrel and fight because of dogmatic differences, often not even the most significant, because both of them still believed in one god. And even in the ranks of the Protestants, theological disputes and disagreements often arose, their own heretics appeared, many of whom simply used the popular protest for personal purposes, for enrichment and robbery, denying all moral norms and state laws.
K.F.Gun. Eve of St. Bartholomew's Night
The Reformation was a reaction to the arbitrariness of the Catholic authorities, the fall of morals, the interference of clergy in worldly affairs, the enrichment and intrigues of the Catholic Church, the cynical sale of indulgences and "places in paradise", the suppression of the independence of the townspeople by the aristocracy. The real content was lost behind the magnificent religious form, solemnity, luxury of Catholicism. The priests disregarded the rules of their own religion, thinking more about worldly goods, participating in palace intrigues, interfering in the affairs of princes and kings. The Pope was as much a participant in political processes and diplomatic relations as ordinary kings, he could elevate to the throne, arrange political marriages, and he could excommunicate and provoke wars and unrest. The popes have long been more concerned about their own wealth and about retaining influence and power than about the spirituality of peoples and peace between countries. That is why the impoverished and enslaved people felt the need to renew and reform religion, to get rid of the oppression of the Catholic Church, to cleanse the faith of the worldly, to care for their neighbors. The Reformation caused the awakening of national identity, contributed to social restructuring, the liberation of countries from the influence of Rome. In every country in the XIV-XVI centuries. were their own preachers and spiritual leaders. In Germany it was Martin Luther, in France - Jean Calvin, in the Czech Republic - Jan Huss, in England - John Wyclif. The Reformation contributed to the weakening of the influence of Rome and the awakening of national sentiments, the improvement of life and morals, the strengthening of the role of the bourgeoisie and the middle class. The Protestants quickly grew rich due to the fact that they abandoned expensive rituals and church luxury, preferred real deeds, professional and honest work to fasting and prayer, valued frugality and practicality. The moral part of their religion was observed more strictly than that of Catholics. But the church could not give up so easily and just let people believe what they want, religious reforms have not been without opposition and sacrifice. The church everywhere responded to the reformation with counter-reformation, a bloody struggle with heretics, the fires of the Inquisition, lawsuits, torture and the restoration of Catholicism. But for many Protestants, faith was not an empty form, many of them did not abandon it to the end and went to death for it, became martyrs. Rome was eventually forced to retreat, but this did not happen immediately. And one of the episodes of this struggle, which engulfed different states, was St. Bartholomew's Night.
Although the factual side of these events is almost completely known, there is no consensus in historiography regarding the events of August 24, 1572. Previously, the old theory prevailed, largely under the influence of Protestants. According to this version, St. Bartholomew's Night was part of the plan of King Charles IX, his mother Catherine de Medici and the Dukes de Guise, who wanted to get rid of the most influential representatives of the Huguenots at once. The consolidation of this concept in the mass consciousness was largely promoted by Alexandre Dumas with his novel "Queen Margot". However, it is difficult to call the massacre of the Protestants a planned action. Serious doubts arise that the people in this case could have acted on the orders of Catherine de Medici, who seems to many to be a real devil of hell. Let's trace the main events that preceded the tragedy in Paris.
Preceding events
The third religious war in France was one of the bloodiest and most brutal, both sides suffered huge losses. And, although the Huguenots were defeated in it on the battlefield, the war ended in 1570 with the signing of the Saint-Germain Peace Treaty, in many ways beneficial to the Protestants. The government made significant concessions and proclaimed religious tolerance, giving the Huguenots the opportunity to freely conduct their services in many cities, independently electing priests for themselves, not observing the fasts obligatory for Catholics, not celebrating their holidays. Benefits and indulgences did not apply to the entire territory of France, but it is clear that this agreement was a real attempt to calm and reconcile two warring religious factions, to unite a split society. This world was in many ways the brainchild of Catherine de Medici, who did a lot to end the war and find a compromise. It should be understood that the war was not beneficial to either side, the turmoil greatly weakened France economically, which was only gladdened by Catholic Spain, which at that time was the main defender of the old faith, a fighter against heresies and the main assistant of Rome. At first, Catherine long and stubbornly tried to get closer to powerful Spain, but Philip II really did not want to strengthen France, the turmoil in it was beneficial to him. The unfortunate Marguerite de Valois, sister of Charles IX, whose fate as a mirror reflected the whole history of religious and political confrontations, was a tool and a means in diplomatic games. For many years, she was predicted to be a bride to various princes and kings, but negotiations with Spain and Portugal were deliberately delayed, and no one gave an unequivocal answer, dissuading for various reasons. Finally realizing that the Spaniards were only playing with France and did not seriously intend to enter into a marriage alliance, Catherine decided both to avenge the insult inflicted and to use Margarita in the most profitable way that still remained. It was decided to marry her off as the Protestant prince Henry of Bourbon, the future king of Navarre. Thus, it seemed, it was possible to reconcile the two religions and parties.
The marriage was not so easy to conclude, because both in the country itself and abroad, not everyone treated him positively. The Spanish king, of course, was dissatisfied with this result, he did not want peace in France and the rapprochement of Catholics and Huguenots. On the other hand, the marriage was clearly unpleasant for Rome, and for a long time it was not possible to obtain the Pope's permission for the marriage, which Catherine so longed for. As a result, the wedding took place without the written permission of the Pope (the permission was simply forged by the Medici), which was given only later. And at the very court, and among the people, many were unhappy with this marriage. He was especially disadvantageous to the Dukes de Guisem, a very influential Catholic family that had long wanted to become related to the royal house and vehemently hated the Huguenots and especially the Bourbons themselves. Heinrich de Guise had already wooed Margaret, and the girl, it seems, was not indifferent to him herself, as some sources say, but Giza received a refusal, which could be interpreted as an insult. The influence of the Guesses on the weak-willed Charles IX was enormous; the Valois themselves hardly wanted an even greater strengthening of this powerful family. Another obstacle to marriage with Heinrich Bourbon was distrust of the Catholic court of his mother, Jeanne d'Albret, a longtime opponent of Catherine.
Bloody wedding
In any case, after a long preparation and negotiations, the wedding was organized. It took place on August 18, 1572, and the people of France had never seen anything like it before - in a special way, each in its own way, the Catholic princess Margaret and the Huguenot Henry were married. The wedding was organized very richly and solemnly, which could be perceived by the Parisians and sharply negatively - since the people themselves at that time were not in the best financial situation. In addition, the Parisians, in contrast to the less religious provincials, were very fanatical. In Paris, Catholics predominated strongly. Catholic preachers mournfully talked about the wedding, saying that it could not end with anything good and that God would certainly send bloody retribution on the heads of heretics. A large number of influential persons from both parties gathered for the celebration; never before had there been so many Protestants in Paris.
Recently, the influential Guesses at the court were somewhat displaced by the recently arrived admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a noble, strong, charming and charismatic leader of Protestants, who, according to the terms of the Saint-Germain peace, entered the royal council. Charles IX was seriously carried away by his stories of combat adventures and succumbed to his charm, spending a lot of time with him. It was believed that Coligny could well persuade Charles to help the Netherlands rebelling against Spain. They feared war with Spain, Catherine de Medici was sure that it would end in great disaster for the now weakened France. And in their best years, the French had already lost to Spain, and now they were all the more unprepared for this fight. It is not known whether this was originally conceived and who knew about the conspiracy, but on August 22 in Coligny, calmly, without suspecting anything, walking along the streets of Paris, shot from an open window. Only due to the fact that at that moment the admiral bent down to straighten his shoes, he was not killed on the spot. The shot only wounded him, and his finger was torn off on one hand. The people accompanying him immediately rushed into the house, but the shooter managed to escape, and a smoking arquebus was found at the window. Coligny was taken to his apartment and a doctor was called. Charles IX, having learned about the incident, personally visited the admiral and put additional guards from his soldiers at his door. As it turned out, the house from which the shooting was fired belonged to one of the people of the de Guise, longtime opponents of Coligny. The Guesses were at enmity with the admiral and the Huguenots, not only for political and religious reasons, they believed that François de Guise was shot in the back precisely because of Coligny, sent to them by the assassin, and vowed to take revenge on the admiral. No one had any doubts that it was they who organized the assassination attempt. Also, no one doubted that this would lead to an aggravation of relations between parties and that the Huguenots would avenge their wounded leader and demand just retribution. The king, who needed de Guise, could not oppose the dukes and punish them. The royal family was seriously worried, for the next two days something like a secret emergency meeting was held, which was attended by the king and his brother the Duke of Anjou, Catherine, Chancellor Birag and some other nobles. It is not known which of them first came up with the idea of inflicting a "preemptive strike" while the entire Huguenot nobility is in Paris. On Saturday evening, the police were ordered to firmly lock the city gates. At about two o'clock in the morning, the people of Heinrich Giese came to Coligny's residence with him at the head, who were immediately joined by the soldiers guarding the admiral. The wounded Coligny and his assistant were immediately killed, and later the Lyuli of Giza and the Duke of Anjou began to burst into the houses of the noble Huguenots. Huguenots were killed even in the Louvre itself. Henry of Navarre and the younger Prince of Condé, as well as some other noble Huguenots, were spared, but only after promising that they would soon convert to Catholicism. Historians write that Heinrich and Conde managed to survive only thanks to the intercession of Margaret, who at that moment felt like a future Protestant queen and really showed firmness and courage. But this was only the first part of the massacre of the Huguenots. A part that was definitely organized with the permission of the king himself.
Although they usually talk about the night of August 24, in fact, the worst began only in the morning. Sources indicate that the next day, the people rejoiced when they heard the news of Coligny's murder. At the same time, the Parisians learned that a dry hawthorn suddenly blossomed at the cemetery of the Innocent Killed that night, which was immediately interpreted by Catholic preachers as a sign that people had begun a godly and righteous deed. It is not known whether direct instructions came from the king or Catherine, but the people, following the soldiers, began to cut and kill the Huguenots wherever they found them. Few of them managed to survive in this meat grinder, but the Protestants living on the outskirts of Paris, hearing about what was happening, fled in time. Modern historians still doubt that Charles IX could give any instructions about the massacre, moreover, the next day he himself ordered an end to the riots. However, the order was not given very decisively, and the Catholics did not consider it necessary to listen to it, and no one showed them any serious opposition. The wave of hatred spread to other cities. In addition to Paris, murders were committed in 12 other provinces, such as Lyon, Orleans, Rouen, Meaux, Bordeaux, etc. True, there were not so many Huguenot communities there, and fewer people suffered. Curiously, the excitement was not widespread, and the number of casualties was less than one would expect. It can be assumed that the French living outside Paris were less fanatical and aggressive. In addition, some officials themselves took the Protestants under their protection, as was the case, for example, in Dijon, where the Comte de Charny, the governor of the province, slowly surrendering the Huguenots to be torn apart by the crowd, imprisoned them in a fortress and set up guards, judging that if the king was really wants their death, then there is still no need to rush, because the monarch can still change his mind.
Who was killed on St. Bartholomew's night
The massacre continued throughout for six weeks. It is difficult to name the exact number of casualties; modern historians cautiously say that there were at least five thousand victims. The killings were not solely due to religious reasons. On August 24, not only Protestants were killed, but also simply unloved neighbors, the same Catholics. Hiding behind the struggle against heretics, they dealt with those whose property they wanted to take possession of, those who owed money. People were simply settling old scores, tk. it was impossible to make out anything in these riots. Women, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly were also killed; the fierce crowd did not spare anyone.
The history of St. Bartholomew's Night contains many myths. One of them is the myth of white crosses, which were supposedly applied to houses, and of white bandages on the clothes of Catholics. In fact, this massacre could hardly have been so carefully organized and planned that someone thought about clothing and identification marks. In addition, the Parisians already had lists of all the Huguenots, since they had to be registered at the palace, there was no need to mark the houses. And the Huguenots themselves wore their traditional black clothes, they were easy to recognize. Historians suggest that the myth of the white crosses arose later in the retelling of the Huguenots, who associated these events with the biblical text and the killed babies.
Results and consequences of St. Bartholomew's night
In the days following August 24, Charles IX saw the result of what they themselves awakened and, it seems, was seriously frightened and upset. They even say that he could never forget this event and it left a mark on his already fragile health. After the unrest subsided, Catherine de 'Medici and the court rushed to take responsibility for what had happened, announcing everywhere that it was they who ordered to deal with the Huguenots, who were preparing a conspiracy against the king and insulting sacred values, religion and rituals. But the most terrible thing was not even the massacre itself, but the fact that Pope Gregory XIII, having learned about it, celebrated a mass of praise and even ordered to knock out a commemorative tablet with angels depicting this event. Many Catholics reacted favorably to the murders, the king of Spain even said that "he exalts a son who has such a mother, and a mother who has such a son." True, to some rulers, like the Queen of England or Maximilian II, the Emperor of Germany, the murders seemed inhuman and unjust. The Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible also responded to the event, who, in his letter to Maximilian II, also regretted the innocently killed babies. It is difficult to say how Catherine was initially involved in the conspiracy and what relation she had to the organization of the massacres, but she herself never regretted the victims of St. Bartholomew's Night and readily took advantage of this event for political purposes. Many believed that she had conceived all this even when she entered into a peace unprofitable for Catholics in 1570, which is very unlikely. Protestants, on the other hand, portrayed Catherine as a monster and in many ways influenced the perception of St. Bartholomew's night later. But even if Catherine was not the organizer of the massacre, she is very well characterized by one small episode. Henry Bourbon was forced to convert to Catholicism shortly after the murders. When at one ceremony he bowed before the altar like an ordinary Catholic, Catherine de Medici, seeing this, in the presence of many foreign ambassadors laughed loudly and joyfully, she was pleased to humiliate her enemy, she had no trace of sympathy for the murdered Protestants. Apparently, she was a very cold-blooded and cruel woman. So Dumas was not so wrong about her character.
Speaking about the atrocities of Catholics, it would be wrong not to mention at all what caused such hatred of the Protestants in general, otherwise it looks completely incomprehensible. The fact is that St. Bartholomew's Night, although it is absolutely unacceptable to justify any atrocities under any circumstances, was caused not simply by religious differences, dogmatic disputes. The Huguenots themselves were not as kind to Catholics as we sometimes think. In places where their faith prevailed or where there were many of them, they behaved extremely defiantly, staged pogroms, attacked Catholics, broke into Christian churches, mocked icons, openly ridiculed Christian rituals, violated the law and contributed to incitement to hatred by not fulfilling conditions of the Saint-Germain peace. Therefore, St. Bartholomew's Night was perceived as retribution for all this. Yes, and the war greatly embittered both sides, the Huguenots themselves once even tried to kidnap the king, take him and his mother prisoner, while they were resting in the province near Monceau.
Although it would seem that the ruling house benefited from the Night of St. Bartholomew, especially since after the murders many Protestants were forced to convert to Catholicism, and thousands of others fled to other countries, in fact, the massacre only caused another, new religious war in France, contributed to the continuation hostility and economic losses, and the world could not reign for a long time. As a result, the government was still forced to make concessions to the Huguenots. Many of the Catholics themselves separated into a separate party of "politicians" and began to seek peace, horrified at what had been done and not wanting a repetition of such atrocities. The Protestants believed that they saw the true face of Catholicism in St. Bartholomew's Night and used this event for their own propaganda, fought for independence within France itself.
Perception and image of St. Bartholomew's night in art
Most of us know very little about the Reformation and the Religious Wars, while St. Bartholomew's Night, although it was only a private episode, and not the only example of extreme cruelty and intolerance, was preserved in the memory of many people far from historical science. This is largely the merit of Dumas, who is known even more in Russia than in France, and other writers: Prosper Mérimée, Balzac, Heinrich Mann. They formed the image of this event in the mass consciousness. And if in particular they could be mistaken and deviate from the facts, and although not in everything their picture of what happened is reliable, but their works have great artistic power and expressiveness. In addition to literature, cinema and theater also influenced our perception; Dumas' novel was often filmed. St. Bartholomew's Night was reflected in many films, and artists have also turned to it more than once.
St. Bartholomew's Night for all of us remains a symbol of thoughtless cruelty, religious enmity, hatred of those who are somehow different from the rest. In our time, it is not superfluous to remember what a person can reach when laws cease to work, when he thinks that violence and cruelty can and must protect his faith, his ideals and values. This is a clear delusion - you cannot defend your faith by killing people.
References
1. St. Bartholomew's night, event and disputes. M., 2001. Ed. P.V. Uvarova.
2. Yeager, O. World History. Volume 3. New history.
The first minutes of August 24, 1572 in bloody letters inscribed in world history the phrase "St. Bartholomew's Night". The massacre in the French capital, according to various experts, claimed the lives of from 2 to 4 thousand Protestant Huguenots, who gathered in Paris for the wedding of Henry of Navarre Bourbon and Marguerite Valois.
What is St. Bartholomew's Night?
Mass murder, terror, civil war, religious genocide - what happened on St. Bartholomew's night is difficult to define. St. Bartholomew's Night is the destruction of political opponents by the mother of the king of France, Catherine de Medici and representatives of the de Guise family. The Queen Mother considered the enemies of the Huguenots, led by Admiral Gaspard de Coligny.
After midnight on August 24, 1574, the prearranged signal - the ringing of the bell of the Church of Saint-Germain-l "Auxerroi" - turned the Parisians-Catholics into murderers. The first blood was shed by the noblemen of the Duke of Guise and the Swiss mercenaries. They pulled de Coligny out of the house, whipped him with swords and They chopped off their head. The body was dragged across Paris and hung by the feet in the Place Montfaucon. An hour later the city resembled a massacre. Huguenots were killed in houses and on the streets. They were mocked, their remains were thrown onto the pavements and into the Seine. Few escaped: by order of the king, the city gates were closed.
Protestants Henry of Navarre Bourbon and Prince de Condé spent the night in the Louvre. The only of the high-ranking guests, pardoned by the Queen, they converted to Catholicism. To intimidate them, they were taken to the Place de Montfaucon and shown the disfigured body of the admiral. The nobles from the retinue of King Heinrich Bourbon of Navarre were stabbed to death in beds by the Swiss in the luxurious chambers of the Louvre.
The massacre did not stop in the morning. The distraught Catholics were looking for Huguenots for three days in the slums and suburbs. Then a wave of violence rushed into the provinces: from Lyon to Rouen, blood poisoned the water in rivers and lakes for a long time. Armed marauders appeared, killing and robbing wealthy neighbors. The rampant violence shocked the king. He ordered an immediate end to the riots. But the bloodshed continued for another two weeks.
What caused the events of St. Bartholomew's Night?
The extermination of the Huguenots in 1572 was the culmination of events that changed the situation in the political arena in France. Reasons for St. Bartholomew's Night:
- Peace Treaty of Germain (August 8, 1570), which the Catholics did not recognize.
- the marriage of Henry of Navarre with the sister of the King of France Margaret of Valois (18 August 1572), organized by Catherine de Medici to consolidate peace between Protestants and Catholics, which was not approved by either the Pope or the Spanish king Philip II.
- failed attempt to assassinate Admiral de Coligny (22 August 1572).
Secrets of St. Bartholomew's Night
Describing the events of St. Bartholomew's Night, the authors often "forget" that before her Catholics did not attack Protestants. Until 1572, the Huguenots more than once organized pogroms of churches, during which they killed opponents by faith, without looking either at age or gender. They broke into churches, smashed crucifixes, destroyed images of saints, and broke organs. Researchers suggest that Admiral de Coligny planned to usurp power. Using the wedding as an excuse, he summoned fellow nobles from all over France to the capital.
St. Bartholomew's night - consequences
St. Bartholomew's Night in France was the last for 30 thousand Huguenots. She did not bring victory to the ruling court, but unleashed a new, expensive and cruel religious war. 200 thousand Protestants fled to England, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. Hardworking people, they were welcomed everywhere. The Huguenot Wars in France continued until 1593.
St. Bartholomew's night - interesting facts
- On the night of St. Bartholomew, Catholics were also killed - an uncontrolled massacre helped some Parisians to deal with creditors, wealthy neighbors or annoying wives.
- Famous people, including the composer Claude Cumidel, the philosopher Pierre de la Ramet, François La Rochefoucauld (the writer's great-grandfather), became victims of St. Bartholomew's Night.
- The apostle Saint Bartholomew himself died a terrible death at the beginning of the 1st century. Crucified upside down, he continued to preach. Then the executioners took him down from the cross, tore off his skin and beheaded.
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