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Tyler James
Dr. Watt
His 356
June 4, 2015
The Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre
When referring to religious violence in the sixteenth century and Reformation of the
European Church system, one of if not the most extreme illustrations of violence is the Saint
Bartholomews Day Massacre. Tensions between the Protestants and Catholics were at an alltime high in the sixteenth century. Huguenots, which is what the Catholics referred to the
Protestants as, were growing in popularity and support. More people throughout Germany,
France and other regions, were beginning to follow Martin Luthers teachings and the Protestant
ideals. Martin Luther began publically demeaning the Catholic Church, more specifically the
practice of indulgences. This enraged the Catholics immensely, for it was a practice that they
believed was important part of their religion and receiving salvation. Although violence was a
huge portion of the Reformation of Europe, other factors played a part as well, such as: politics
and governments, royalty, and the peoples view on Catholicism and Protestantism. Through the
primary sources found in Diefendorfs, The Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre, we are able to
acquire a better understanding of both the Catholic and Protestant reasoning behind the violence,
political attacks, and also the mitigation of violence by some during and before the massacre.
Two of the reasons why the Catholics were so infuriated with the Protestants were the
criticisms of the indulgence system and of the Papacy. One of the main disputers on these issues
was Martin Luther. He once argued, That all the indulgences people buy, all the ceremonies
they witness, all the good works they do cannot get them into heaven. People are saved by faith,

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Gods gift of grace, as revealed directly in scripture. (Diefendorf, 5) Due to Luthers beliefs and
the growing Protestant population, there was a spilt in the church and religious life in much of
Europe, but more specifically France. This spilt in the church created not only a divide in the
religious view of the people but also personal views. Tensions steadily rose throughout the
sixteenth century until they could not be subdued anymore and fighting broke out.
An excellent example of the contrasting attitudes of the Catholics and the Huguenots
leading up to the Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre, are the Saint-Medard riots. For this
particular event there are two stories. One side was written from the Catholics point of view and
the other from the Huguenots perspective. Each with their own version of the events that took
place.
Catholic interpretation of the events that took place at the Saint-Medard riots are polar
opposites from that of the Protestant perspective. A Catholic priest described the acts of the
Huguenots outside the city of Paris. He wrote that the Huguenots had taken offense to the sound
of the Catholic bells and claimed that they were interfering with Gods Word, and without any
of the Catholics provoking or disturbing the Protestants attacked the church before the service
was even over. (Diefendorf, 66) He went on to say, They broke down all the doors, entered with
swords and pistols in hand, and struck without discretion, outraging the people, who were
weaponless and had no thought of battle. (Diefendorf, 66) He continues on describing the
torture and desecration of many of the churchs buildings and artifacts. A common similarity
between Catholic works when describing the Huguenots, is that of destruction and indecency.
They often describe the Huguenots as savages and having no respect.
Protestant Views of the same skirmish vary greatly, the Protestant party was described as
peaceful and having asked politely for the ringing of the bells to stop. The Catholics were said to

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have many weapons and resources to defend themselves and the Huguenots had nothing but their
spirit, And thus it was that, armed with good hearts and ardent zeal than with (actual
weapons), they all, with singular courage, made such a great effort that they broke in the doors of
the church. (Diefendorf, 69) Many of the stories written about events such as these, where there
is a Catholic and Protestant perspective have conflicting information. Each wants to tell their
own side of the story, while making the other sound worse.
A significant event that led to the violence preceding the Massacre was the attempt to
kidnap the King of France. In 1567, at a town outside of Paris called Meaux, the King, Charles
IX, was hunting. The Huguenots saw this as the perfect time to try and talk to the King, and
persuade his views on the Protestants. It was a failure as was their first attempt to kidnap him at
Amboise. The result of the failure was due to word spreading of their plan. Although they claim
to have had no intentions of kidnapping the king, they had launched several simultaneous attacks
on towns throughout France. (Diefendorf, 15) Many Catholics saw this attempt as a way for the
Huguenots to take control of France. Whereas the Huguenots saw this as a way to remove the
radical Catholic leaders away from the King. Many Catholic Parisians learned of this event and it
fueled the fire of hatred that had already been burning for years now. Additional explanations as
to what may have pushed people towards this violence was the Cross of Gastines event. This
event took place in 1571 and tensions remained high until the Massacre a year later. This
monument was important to the Catholic people because it reminded them, of their zeal for
God, who endured the Cross for us. (Diefendorf, 80) Despite the destruction of several
Huguenots houses and shops the king still wanted the monument to be moved even after being
advised to leave it where it was. Persistent to ease the tensions of the riot, The commander of
the nights watch was sent to the king to beg him not to remove the cross, on account of the larger

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riot that it might provoke. Still, the King wanted to appease to the needs of the Huguenots so
that another war would not break out, so he stated, that if he did not obey these orders, he would
show him who was king. (Diefendorf, 81) However, to his surprise, he ended up making the
situation worse for both parties. The Catholics yearned for revenge and found the inspiration they
needed through events such as these.
August 24, 1572, a day normally reserved for religious affairs, turned into one of the
most violent actions of the sixteenth century. Many Protestants had gathered in Paris for the
wedding of King Charles IXs sister Marguerite of Valois. She was to marry the Protestant prince
Henry of Bourbon, who was the King of Navarre. Even though the Catholics were angry at this,
it was customary tradition to marry together with other European Monarchs for alliances. With
the wedding taking place on August 18, 1572, it brought in large numbers of Protestants to Paris,
which Set the stage for their subsequent massacre. (Diefendorf, 19) Many Catholics saw the
large number of Protestants coming into the city as a treat, and even believed it might have been
a coup to try and take over the city. This helped pushed the idea of the Massacre, killing the
enemy before they have a chance to kill you.
Possibly the single most substantial cause of the Massacre was the assassination of
Admiral Coligny. The Admiral had become quite close to King Charles IX, and was lobbying for
support against a war with Spain. Catherine de Medici the Kings mother did not like the
Admiral or the thought of a costly war with Spain. Catherine is considered to be behind the
assassination, and subsequently the most likely person responsible for the entire Massacre. A
Venetian ambassador said this regarding the Queens involvement, The whole thing was the
work of the queen. (Diefendorf, 20) The killing of the Admiral created a wave of attacks on all
of the Huguenot leadership and commoners alike. Just as in almost every other instance,

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Catholics tried to downplay the violence, or put off the blame on the Huguenots, whereas the
Protestants viewed it as a massacre and made sure Europe knew of the horrible acts that were
committed.
Despite all of the violent acts committed from both the Catholic and Protestant
perspectives, there were several attempts to ease tensions between the two parties. Surprisingly,
many attempts came from the people who were accused of starting the massacres, like King
Charles IX and his mother Catherine. Through treaties and compromises such as the Peace of
Amboise, Catherine was able to bring peace for at least a short period of time. Problems soon
arouse with the compromise on both sides. Both sides were unhappy with the settlement and
demonstrated this by their reluctance to comply with the edicts terms. (Diefendorf, 15)
Catholics were upset because this edict allowed for the cohabitation of two separate religions in
the country. Protestants were upset because they did not want to restore mass in the cities they
had conquered, and they had lost some worship privileges they secured from an earlier
compromise. Just as many other treaties and compromises fell through, so did the Peace of
Amboise, for only four years later war broke out again. (Diefendorf, 15) Catherine tried to
alleviate tensions on several occasions only to make situations worse, which in return widened
the gap between the two religions. As previously mentioned, the Cross of Gastines riots, were a
way in which the King tried to mitigate situations between the Catholics and Protestants. In spite
of his stance and the outcome, King Charles IX did put effort into easing tensions. In regards to
the Peace of Saint-Germain edict he established in 1970, he was compromising with the
Protestants and forced the cross to be removed. (Diefendorf, 18) While that may not have been
the greatest attempt at moderating the violence, it did show that King Charles IX was willing to
make some sacrifices for the better good.

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There is no denying that the sixteenth century was a violent and dark time. Catholics and
Protestants of France were in a civil war that came at a great cost to both parties. With each
passing year the Protestants grew in popularity and strength. Catholics resented what the
Protestants stood for and many would have rather fight than to compromise and have a two
religion country. With each compromise made it slowly pushed towards more violence, with
neither religion being fully satisfied. Catholics hated each new freedom or privilege the
Huguenots received, and the Protestants were never content with their end of the bargain. While
it is a fact that the Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre is one of the most violent deeds
committed during the Reformation of Europe, it is important to note that not all agreed with the
killings. The fact is that the Catholics are just as angry as the Huguenots, not so much about the
fact of the massacre, they say, as about the way it was done. (Diefendorf, 96) Through all of the
compromises, violence, hardships, and massacres, the Protestant religion remained strong in its
faith despite the massive loss of life. Many did have to move out of France until the chaos died
down. Catholics, conversely, saw the massacre as a celebration of death to the heretics. Many
rejoiced at the deaths, while others saw the event as shameful. The Saint Bartholomews Day
Massacre helped shape the Protestant religion and the Reformation of the Church in not just
France, but also most of Europe.

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Works Cited
Diefendorf, Barbara B. The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre: A Brief History with
Documents. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print.

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