The Crackdown

1
The Crackdown!

• By Travis Dale Chugg

2
Catherine de Medici

• Queen of France.
• She and her husband detested protestants, but
  their focus was on the Habsburg-Valois wars.
• After death of Henry II, and her son, Francis II,
  she created a policy of moderation towards the
  protestants, suspending persecution, and
  releasing many Huguenot captives.
• This policy was created as a counterweight to the
  guise faction.
• She called for a public Protestant-Catholic
  debate called the Colloquy of Poissy in 1561.
  (Lindberg, 284-286)

3
Michel de LHopital

• He was Catherines Chancellor and helped in the
  creation of a policy of toleration towards
  protestants.
• Gave the opening speech to kick off the Colloquy
  of Poissy. (Lindberg, 287)

4
Theodore Beza, 1519-1605

• Close friend to John Calvin.
• Spoke on behalf of the Huguenots at the Colloquy
  of Poissy.
• Heir to the throne of Calvin. (Lindberg,
  288-289)

5
The Colloquy of Poissy,1561
6
The Colloquy of Poissy, 1561

• The Colloquy was a significant royal recognition
  of the reality and growth of Protestantism.
• Opening speech was given by, Chancellor de
  LHopital, explaining how the Colloquy was
  intended by the king to resolve the religious
  crisis by summoning this national council.
• He went on to state how the Colloquy was to be a
  place of dialogue, not judgment.
• The archbishop of Lyons and primate of France,
  Cardinal Tournon, leaped to his feet, protesting
  the very nature of the assembly, saying that
  heretics were to be judged, not debated!
• The queen mother, would hear none of this though,
  and the signal was given to send in the Huguenot
  delegation. (11 ministers in black robes and 20
  lay reps from various Calvinist congregations in
  France)
• The first man to speak on behalf of the
  Calvinists was Theodore Beza.

7
The Colloquy continued

• He began by impressing the entire assembly by
  explaining his background of family, wealth and
  position, similar to that of his audience, and
  his years of theological reflection and writings.
  
• He opened his remarks with a prayer at which his
  entire delegation dropped to their knees.
• He spent the next hour elegantly presenting the
  Calvinist position, he pledged himself to concord
  and surveyed doctrinal agreements, with
  incredible reasonableness. Everyone present were
  moved by his speech, until he made his fateful
  slip.
• He stated that in the Eucharist Christs body is
  as far removed from the bread and wine as is
  heaven is from earth.
• This was crushing to the Calvinists in France,
  but paved the way for the first edict of
  toleration towards the Huguenots. (Lindberg,
  287-289)

8
The Wars of Religion, 1562-1598
9
The Wars of Religion, 1562-1598

• Within a month of the edict of toleration, the
  situation for the Calvinists was radically
  altered.
• Catherine became cognizant of the wrath of the
  Guise family and the Spanish. She began believing
  that the unity of the nation and the royal future
  of her sons was more threatened by the Spanish
  then the Huguenots.
• This was the first indication of the crackdown
  that would follow over the next 36 years.
• The Huguenot political and military resources
  were not sufficient to bring France into
  Protestantism, but they were strong enough to
  ensure their existence as a rebellious minority.
  
• This fact made civil war inevitable. (Lindberg,
  289-290)

10
The Vassy Massacre, 1562

• On March 1st, 1562 The Duke of Guise took 200
  armed men on a hunting trip.
• They came across a congregation of Huguenots
  gathered for worship in a barn at Vassy in
  Champagne.
• 70 Huguenots were slaughtered and many more were
  wounded.
• This incident sparked more massacres and began
  the religious wars.
• Calvin wrote to Anthony of Bourbon (King of
  Navarre).
• It is truth for Gods church, in whose name I
  speak, to endure blows and not to strike them.
  Remember, though, that this is an anvil which has
  broken many a hammer before now. (Lindberg, 290)

11
The wars on Religion continued

• As soon as the Huguenots took up arms, they lost
  the image of a persecuted church.
• They looked for help from the English Protestants
  (under the Hampton Court Treaty), losing their
  patriotic credibility.
• They were attacked during sermons as heretics and
  traitors.
• Catholics were worked up into a frenzy of fear
  and hatred, by their preachers, promoting the
  slaughter of all Huguenots, contrary to royal
  edicts.
• For over 30 years Catholics and Protestants
  murdered and assassinated each other.
• In areas, the wars were endemic while in other
  areas it was sporadic or even non-existent,
  because of truces.
• The most infamous event was the St Bartholomews
  Day massacre.
• (Lindberg, 289-290)

12
Questions for discussion!

• Looking at todays world and all the conflict of
  religion in the middle east, an it be compared to
  the struggle between the Catholics and
  Protestants back in the 16th Century?
• Do you think that events would have turned out
  differently if Beza hadnt slipped up during his
  speech at the Colloquy of Poissy?

13
References

• Lindberg, Carter. The European reformations.
  Blackwell publishing, 1996.
• Google images.