French wars of Religion (jun 8, 1562 – jun 8, 1598)
Description:
Calvinism (Huguenots) vs ChristiansA period of escalating violence that really kicked off after King Henry III of Navarra, a Huguenot leader, married the queen mother and became king of France. This marriage angered the Catholics to the point of slaughtering thousands of Huguenots on St. Bartholomew's Day.
Important: Huguenots made up ~7% of the general population, but 40%-50% of the nobility. So really, this was more a war of the powerful aristocrats vs the king, framed as a war against religious prosecution.
Peace only after the Edict of Nantes.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jun 8, 1562
jun 8, 1598
~ 36 years