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* The Reformation • The Catholic League • As the popularity of Protestantism grew in France, many French Catholics grew impatient with the lack of action against what they considered heresy by the Protestants. • Heresy is the denial of a basic doctrine of Christianity. • Catholic leaders began to feel threatened by the movements of the Protestants. • Political-religious groups, known as leagues, organized to confront the Huguenots. • The Catholic League was a national group that intended to stamp out the spread of Protestantism in France. • The group was led by the Duke of Guise who also had intentions of taking over the French throne. • Under Guise's leadership, the League intended to replace King Henry III, the king of France, who was a Protestant. * The Reformation • Religious Wars in France • War broke out between the Catholic League and the Huguenots in 1562 and continued until 1598. • Political unrest between the Huguenots and the powerful Guise family led to the death of many Huguenots, marking the beginning of the Wars of Religion. • In 1562, the Huguenots were defeated by Guise in the first battle of the war. • Guise was killed in this battle. • A treaty was negotiated by Catherine de Medici that allowed Huguenot nobles to worship freely, but peasants could only worship in one town within each district. • During the wars, Catherine de Medici was the Queen mother and held power during the reign of her sons Francois II, Charles IX and Henry III. * The Reformation • Religious Wars in France • The Huguenots were worried Catherine was planning a campaign against them with the Spaniards and attempted to capture King Charles IX. • They failed, and though another attempt at peace was made, neither side trusted each other. • The Huguenots faced a defeat in 1569, but began to gain ground with some Protestant nobles in France. • After this massacre, an edict was issued that granted freedom of worship in France, except in Paris. • However, Catholics convinced Henry III to repeal this decision, causing another uprising with the Huguenots. • The power of the Huguenots and the Catholic League grew, leaving Henry III with less power. • After Henry III was killed, he was succeeded by Henry IV, who was a Protestant. * The Reformation • Religious Wars in France • Henry IV fought in the ongoing struggle, but he converted to Catholicism in 1593. • The Catholic league began to dissolve in 1598 when Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes. • The edict allowed Huguenots to worship publicly and within the homes of the nobility. • More specifically, the Edict was made of four basic texts, part of which was based on unsuccessful peace treaties from the wars. • It also guaranteed safety from the Inquisition for Huguenots who were travelling outside of France. • The Edict also established that Catholicism was still to be considered the national religion of France. * The Reformation • Religious Wars in France • Therefore, Protestants were still required to pay taxes and tithes to the church, and also recognize Catholic holidays. • Although the edict did not grant total religious freedom, the partial freedom gained was enough to end the wars. • Bourbon and Francois • When Charles de Bourbon was 15, he became a French duke. He became very wealthy and enjoyed spending his money. He also enjoyed serving in the French army. • When Francois I (or Francis I in English) became king in 1515, he appointed Bourbon as the Constable of France, meaning he was the general of the national army. • Francois and Bourbon wanted to expand French borders, but neither of them had enough money to fund the expeditions. * The Reformation • Bourbon and Francois • They began borrowing money, assuming they would be able to pay it back after conquering a rich Italian province called Lombardy. • The Battle Begins • Bourbon also used some of his money to hire mercenaries from Germany to fight against the Swiss mercenaries currently fighting for Lombardy. • Mercenaries are soldiers that are hired to fight rather than being part of a national defense system. • Mercenaries didn't fight for their nation of origin but instead went where the money was. • Mercenaries could fight against one country and then fight for them in the future, depending on who hired them. • The French troops, along with the German mercenaries, led a successful campaign into the Italian province. * The Reformation • The Battle Begins • When the forces returned, Bourbon asked the King for funds to pay off his debtors. • The King, however, didn't have enough money to pay off his own debts. • Bourbon waited two years and asked for money again. • Although the King was agreeable, he was in no hurry to comply with Bourbon's request. • Bourbon finally obtained financial help through his cousin, also named Charles, who was the prince of Austria. • Politics and the Holy Roman Empire • Charles of Austria was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. • Francois was unhappy with this decision and wanted the title for himself. * The Reformation • Politics and the Holy Roman Empire • Francois wasn't sure he could trust Bourbon's loyalty, so he asked Bourbon to marry his mother. • Bourbon refused, and Francois claimed ownership of all of Bourbon's property. • Bourbon had to go to court to fight for his estate, but meanwhile, Francois continued to petition Bourbon with marriages to women in his family. • Bourbon became irritated with Francois' behavior and fled to Spain, where his cousin, Charles V, was preparing to invade France. • Bourbon joined the fight with his German mercenaries. • Francois was captured, and Bourbon demanded Francois return his land and his money. * The Reformation • Politics and the Holy Roman Empire • Francois agreed, but when he was set free, he sold all of Bourbon's land to French aristocracy. • Bourbon had to ask his cousin for more money, but Charles V was busy with rebellions against his empire. • Bourbon Attacks Rome • Charles V made Bourbon the Duke of Milan and provided him with an army of French and German troops. • However, the mercenaries became angry when they didn't get paid for their service. • Bourbon began selling his own possessions to pay them. • He eventually allowed the troops to attack neighboring cities to loot the cities and churches to help pay their salaries. • Bourbon and his troops decided to attack the city of Rome * The Reformation • Bourbon Attacks Rome • Rome was considered sacred by Catholics. • Because of Rome's holy status, it had little in the area of defense. • The city was thought to be safe, as few would dare attack a place held in such high regard. • However, many of Bourbon's troops were Protestants and had no problem attacking the city. • Bourbon attacked in May of 1527. • During the attack, Bourbon was killed, but his troops defeated the city. • The sack lasted a little over a week, but it is thought Rome was in chaos for months. • The city was looted and many buildings and monuments destroyed. * The Reformation • Bourbon Attacks Rome • By the end of the summer, thousands of men, women, and children had either fled or were killed in the attack. • Many soldiers, both Catholic and Protestant, as well as some locals, participated in the murder and looting. • After Rome was attacked, the Pope allied with Florence, France, Milan, and Venice, forming the League of Cognac. • The League hoped to limit the power of Charles V, although it's unclear whether Charles ever actually authorized the attack on Rome. • However, the League failed to adequately protect the Pope or attack Charles V, so the Pope made peace with Charles. • The Sack of Rome also had an impact on the Renaissance culture Rome was known for at the time. * The Reformation • Bourbon Attacks Rome • After Rome was attacked, many artists and architects fled the city, hoping to find safety elsewhere. • This event is generally seen to have marked the end of the High Renaissance in Rome. • The King's Great Matter • And now, off the continent and back to England. • In the year 1525, Henry VIII, King of England, was facing a serious problem. • Despite years of marriage, Henry had been unable to produce a male heir to his throne. • His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had only managed to provide him with one surviving daughter, Mary, before she became too old to have further children. * The Reformation • The King's Great Matter • Henry's marriage to Catherine had been a matter of state, rather than a matter of the heart. • Catherine was the daughter of the King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, the royal couple who had financed Columbus' expeditions to the New World. • Their subsequent conquest of much of the Americas was making Spain incredibly rich and powerful. • Henry VII needed this royal wedding to give the Tudor line some legitimacy and to cement the bond between England and Spain. • So Henry VII had married Catherine to his eldest son, Arthur. • Unfortunately, Arthur died soon after their wedding. • Yet Catherine's royal parents made her not someone to be cast aside lightly. * The Reformation • The King's Great Matter • Still needing the alliance with Spain, Henry VII had arranged a second marriage for Catherine with his second son, Henry. • Essentially, Henry VIII had been compelled to marry the widow of his elder brother for political reasons. Such is the burden of royalty. • Now Henry chafed under this state marriage. • Henry set about looking for a new wife, even though he was already married. • He found one in the lovely Anne Boleyn, the sister of one of Catherine's ladies in waiting. • Though it is tempting to judge Henry for this behavior, it is important to remember that England had only just emerged from nearly a century of civil war.
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