6. First and Second Wars, 1562-1588

In pursuance of Catherine's policy of conciliation, the Religious Conference of Poissy (q.v.) was held in Sept., 1561, between the Roman Catholic bishops and representatives of the Evangelicals. A royal edict followed (Jan., 1562) requiring the Evangelicals to surrender all church build ings that they had appropriated, and forbidding Evangelical meetings inside of walled cities, but permitting them in private houses within the towns and anywhere outside the towns. This compromise was regarded as highly satisfactory by Calvin and by the Huguenot leaders. The peace was broken (Mar., 1562) by a bloody attack on a Hu guenot congregation at Vassy, a walled town, by order of the duke of Guise, who was passing through. This was followed by similar attacks in many places. At Toulouse 3,000 Evangelicals were treacherously slain. War was soon raging with Mon tmorencyand Guise at the head of the Catholic forces, and Coligny and Condd as leaders of the Evangelicals. Calvin tried to assuage, as he had tried to prevent, the religious war. Guise was shot by a Huguenot (Feb., 1563); Montmorency and Condd had been made prisoners; the marshal Saint-Andr6 and Antoine de Bourbon died during the war. Catherine had abandoned her policy of conciliation; yet she desired peace, and the Edict of Amboise (Mar. 18, 1563) embodied the results of negotiations to this end. To nobles and gentry was accorded the right to practise the "religion which they call reformed" in their own houses. In every bailiwick the Evangelicals could on petition secure one suburban meeting-place. In cities where Evangelical worship was already practised one or two places to be designated by the king might be retained. The Huguenots were to enjoy liberty of conscience, but were to restore Catholic property seized by them, and to dismiss all foreign troops. The nobles were to receive back all honors, offices, and dignities possessed before the war. A papal bull outlawing and turning over to the inquisition heretical prelates and nobles, including Cardinal Odet de Coligny (q.v.) and Jeanne d'Albret, called forth an earnest protest from the royal council. The close relations into which Catherine had been drawn with Philip II. of Spain (he had married her daughter in 1559) through the Duke of Alva (Conference of Bayonne, June, 1565) and the many indignities the Evangelicals were suffering led the latter to break the truce and to enter upon the second war. Coligny, Condd, and other leaders became convinced that a massacre was imminent, and decided to take the initiative. The plan, which came near succeeding, was to arrange a general uprising of Huguenots, to drive from court or capture the cardinal of Lorraine, dispel the Swiss guards, the chief instrument of royal tyranny, and take charge of the king. The Constable Montmorency was killed in the battle of St. Denis. Catherine was from the first anxious for peace, and the Huguenots were treacherously led (Condd and Coligny opposing) to agree to a cessation of hostilities (Peace of Longjumeau, 1568). The government proceeded to put large garrisons in Huguenot cities, quartering the soldiers upon families. Even if the government had bad the best intentions toward the Huguenots, it would have been impossible fully to protect them, especially when their zeal led them to acts of iconoclasm and to the use of opprobrious language.