aug 24, 1572 - St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

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In order to help reconcile Catholics and Huguenots in France, the Catholic king's sister Margaret of Valois was to marry the Huguenot Henry of Navarre. However, King Charles IX ordered the killings of Protestant leaders during the event. Catholics saw the killings and decided to keep the trend going, with the killings spreading to other French provinces. Thousands of Protestants were killed. This massacre was the beginning of 15 years of civil war in France, only ending with a group of moderate politiques restoring a strong monarchy and the accession of Henry IV to the throne.

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