The Wars of Religion of the 16th Century

The Wars of Religion took place in France by a group of people who were seeking reform through the means of a religious reform. These wars were mainly between professional, middle class, and lower nobility of the Catholic Church and the protestant church of the Calvinists or Huguenots.  Faith is an essential element to the human person and his history.  It is a universal factor that has affected human choices historical situations. The Wars of Religion are an example of the chaos that lack of toleration can cause “in the name of God” when true religion is to be a means to peace.

In the 16th century, religious differences were what defined the opposition to the ruling dynasty. France had been under rulers benefited from the patronage of the Catholic Church: King Francis I, Henry II, Catherine de Medicis, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The Guise family led the Catholic side and the Protestant side was led by the Bourbons. The war began by the slaughtering of 70 Protestants who were worshiping by the duke of Guise. In an attempt for reconciliation, Catherine married her daughter to a protestant in 1572. However, at the reception after the wedding, there was an assassination attempt towards one of the Protestants.  In August 24, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre further deepened the wounds between Catholics and Protestants with the massacre of 70,000 Protestants by the King’s army. The war in France was incited further by support from Spain and England until the assassination of Henry III. King Henry IV, a Protestant, rose to the throne. However, he ended up converting and his protestant background gave him credibility with both Catholics and Protestants which allowed the Edict of Nantes  in 1598 to finally instill peace, proclaiming France a Catholic Country tolerant of Huguenots’ worship and settlements.

The French Wars on Religion between the Catholics and the Protestant Huguenots influenced not only France but the rest of Europe. At this moment, in Germany there was a schism between Catholics and Lutherans. The Calvinists were rivals of the Lutherans. Bavaria, Spain and Austria supported the Catholics while France, England, Holland and Germany supported the Calvinists. This led to the Thirty Years War that concluded with the Peace of Westphalia. Also in England, there was a civil war due to Puritans and Anglicans’ conflicts with each other. It was not until April of 1660 that Charles II restored the Anglican Church in England. These religious wars showed how faithful the peoples were to what they sincerely embraced as the One Truth. These wars were linked with politics, which influenced greatly the development of the nations. Western Civilization was transformed by these circumstances that were presented in the struggle for a unified faith. Not only was Europe affected by the conflicts and struggles of peoples of different faiths, but in the future also the Americas would be affected. For example in the 13 colonies, religion became a decisive element for division among the settlements and the states. The states would have to learn to live together in harmony and toleration in order to instill peace.