Chapter 14 Wars of Religion: England, France & Spain France Society & The Economy Population of France rose rapidly between the late 15 th century and 1570 Land under cultivation increased Prices rose rapidly because of population increase Purchasing power of peasants decreased but price increases kept nobles stable The King & Taxes The king only collected loans during times of war When Francis I tried during peace, the nobles refused Instead, the monarchy increased the taxes on the peasants Taxes & tithes weighed heavily on peasants Poor wretches Arrival of the Calvinists Followers of Calvin arrived in France from nearby Geneva in the 1540s and 1550s Henry II (son of Francis I) began religious persecutions of Calvinists Many became martyrs of their cause Henry II & Philip II of Spain ended their war & viewed the spread of Calvinism in Western Europe with alarm Calvinists France remained a predominantly Catholic country with a substantial Calvinist minority Of France s 16 million population, 1.2 million were Calvinists Many nobles, tired of providing funds to the king, embraced the Reformation As many as 40% of the nobles converted 1559 Henry was killed in a freak jousting tournament & his 15 year old son, Francis II, became king Catherine de Medici served as regent for her son 1
The Accident Henry II threw a big party (tournaments in those days) to celebrate the marriage of his 14 year-old daughter to King Philip II of Spain French Wars of Religion Francis immediately faced challenges from 3 powerful noble families The Guise The Montmorency The Bourbons Francis died after only 18 months as king & his 9 year old brother, Charles IX, became king French Wars of Religion Catherine tried to broker a peace between the Protestants, Huguenots, and Catholics but it was not successful 1562 A religious war broke out when the duke of Guise ordered the execution of Huguenots worshipping on his land The war ended in 1563 when a Huguenot assassinated the duke of Guise War broke out again in 1567 and needed with yet another peace settlement that pleased neither side St. Bartholomew s Day Massacre Catherine arranged the marriage of her daughter, Margot, to Henry of Navarre, a Bourbon Protestant The Huguenots came to Paris unarmed to celebrate the marriage August 24, 1572 -Catherine gave approval to a widespread attack on the Protestants 2,000 Protestants were killed in the streets, another 10,000 died outside of Paris St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Charles IX died in 1574 and his brother, Henry III, became king He was a pious flagellant who liked dressing in women s clothing & entertaining his favorites (young men) Religious problems were compounded by economic problems Poor harvests Noble dissatisfaction with royal lifestyle of court (extremely expensive under Henry III) Catholics were not united over what to do Henry III 2
The 3 Henry s The 3 Henry s Politiques moderate Catholics who wanted to put political problems before religious problems wanted to the Huguenots & Catholics to agree to religious toleration However, the Catholic League an anti- Protestant organization was organized by Henry, duke of Guise who was subsidized by Philip II Henry III s last brother died, making Henry of Navarre (Protestant Bourbon) next in line for the throne The Catholics worst nightmare King Henry III (Catholic) Henry of Navarre (Protestant) Brother-in-law of King Henry Henry, duke of Guise (Catholic) Struggle of the 3 Henry s Henry III s bodyguards attacked the duke of Guise and other prominent members of the Catholic League The duke s assassination drove the Catholic League into open revolt against Henry III Henry III was assassinated by a crazy monk making Henry of Navarre the new king The Fighting Continues The Catholic League did not accept Henry of Navarre and proclaimed the Cardinal de Bourbon to be king 1590-98 The Spanish aided the Catholic League against Henry of Navarre 1593 Henry converted to Catholicism, proclaiming Paris is worth a mass Henry IV: Restoring Stability The French Wars of Religion created great economic damage, poor harvests & famine 1598 Edict of Nantes guaranteed the Huguenots the right to worship in selectedplaces in every district What I have done is for the sake of peace Protestant Churches in France 3
5/16/2009 King Edward VI, r. 1547-1553 England Son of Henry & his 3rd wife, Jane Seymour Became king at age of 10 English Church became more Protestant 1551-42 Articles of church doctrine which reflected Calvinist ideas English clergy now allowed to marry Church became known as the Anglican Church Queen Mary I, r. 1553-1558 Philip & Mary Elizabeth I, r. 1558-1603 Elizabeth I & Religion Catholic daughter of Henry & Catherine of Aragon (wife #1) Attempted to restore Catholicism to England 1554 Married Spain s King Philip II; angered many English Burned 300 Protestants at the stake, earning her the nickname Bloody Mary Her death ended the restoration of Catholicism Protestant daughter of Henry & Anne Boleyn (wife #2) Last of the Tudors Religious settlement that would satisfy the majority of her subjects Repealed the procatholic laws of Mary & proclaimed the crown head of the Anglican Church Church was generally Protestant, although it was governed by bishops Many ardent Protestants believed the church was not English Protestant enough Puritans (English version of Calvinists) wanted to purify the church of all remaining Catholic elements Separatists wanted to leave the Anglican Church completely (i.e., the Pilgrims) 4
Challengers to Elizabeth Roman Catholics also rejected her rule 1569 The Duke of Norfolk led an unsuccessful plot against her in an attempt to put Mary Queen of Scots (1542-87) on the throne Elizabeth was unmarried & Mary was next in line for the throne; she was also Catholic 200-300 people were executed for their role in the Northern Rising Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 Marriage #1 At the age of 5, Mary was sent to live with the French court because of troubles at home She was the niece of the Guise family Raised by Henri II & Catherine de Medici Married Francis II, who died after only 18 months on the throne Catherine was quick to send her home to Scotland Back in Scotland Unfortunately for Mary, by the time she returned to Scotland, the majority of people were Protestant Influenced by Presbyterian John Knox Mary was devoutly Catholic After Elizabeth, Mary was the most eligible woman in Europe Marriage #2 Henry Stuart Darnley, first cousin of Mary He, too, was Catholic & they wed in secret Unfortunately for Mary, he was a drunk with a big head and a bad temper! So, she had an affair with her Italian secretary, David Rizzio Jealousy The Murder of David Rizzio Lord Darnley was incredibly jealous of Rizzio Lord Darnley and his friends grabbed Rizzio, & stabbed him 56 times Mary s response: No more tears, I will now think of revenge. 5
A Baby Boy: James Murder of Darnley February 9, 1567 Darnley s residence, Kirk O Fields, mysteriously blew up at 2 a.m. He must have suspected the plot because his body was found in the garden trying to escape The murder was orchestrated by Lord Bothwell Marriage #3 Imprisonment The marriage appears to be coerced as he was known for his brutality towards women The nobility formed an army and rebelled against her She was forced to flee to England When she entered England, she was arrested by Elizabeth s officers While under house arrest, Mary continued to communicate with the pope, Holy Roman Emperor & Philip II of Spain The goal: Invade England Elizabeth s Challengers: The Church 1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth, the pretend Queen of England, the serpent of wickedness Encouraged a holy crusade to rise against Elizabeth & install Mary on the throne New Plot June 1571 Philip would invade England, liberate Mary & proclaim her Queen of England Mary was put on trial for high treason and found guilty 6
Mary s Execution The Final Challenge King Philip II of Spain Elizabeth s former brother-in-law continued with the plan to invade England & restore Catholicism He planned to put his infant daughter on the throne 1588 the plan called for the Spanish Armada to join forces with a Spanish army in the Netherlands and carry out an invasion of England Most of the English ships were smaller than the Spanish vessels, but they were fast, easily maneuvered, & had long-range guns Furious storm helped sink Spanish ships; the Armada was defeated; called the Protestant wind Defeat of the Spanish Armada Elizabeth s Statemaking Upon ascending to the throne, the crown s economic situation was bleak Revenues raised were insufficient to cover the war costs against Spain Through frugality and increased taxes, Elizabeth was able to replenish its coffers She established a regular army And imposed English law on Ireland & Wales Demographics & Economic Expansion The population grew rapidly: 1520 1580 1610 2.5 million 3.5 million 4.5 million The rise was the result of reduced mortality & increased fertility rates 1450-1650 the grain yield per acre increased 30% English nobility increased the size of their estates More conducive to commercialized farming This pushed up demand & prices English Society: Gentlemen Nobles (those with a hereditary title) and gentry (landowners) were socially & politically influential people The lord & his family dominated regional economic, social & political life through kinship & patronage Education at Oxford or Cambridge shaped a common culture & values amongs the nobility 7
English Society: Middling Sort Middlings were yeomen who could become nobles if they purchased land Had political rights & could vote England s commercial & manufacturing boom in the 16 th century increased the wealth & status of merchants & manufacturers Craftsmen better off than urban & rural poor English Society: The Poor The majority of society Farm hands lived on bread, cheese, lard, soup & beer Food riots spread through much of England The upper classes were obsessed with maintaining order Prosecution of serious crimes increased rapidly Offenders were publicly whipped, branded, mutilated or sent off as oarsmen on ships There were 23 different categories of theft! Elizabethan Theatre 1576 2 theaters opened in London 1580-1640 over 2,000 different productions of plays were performed The most famous playwright, William Shakespeare (1564-1616), wrote plays that reflected uncertainty, ambivalence, even disillusionment about contemporary society Spain Philip II: Anti-Protestant Crusade Son of the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Domain included Spain, the Netherlands, the Free County of Burgundy, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, & Sardinia Used Spanish power to support the Catholic cause against Protestantism & the Muslims Wars on several fronts Philip II & His Empire 8
Philip s Wars Recommended Reading Netherlands Philip confronted a serious revolt against Spanish rule Northern provinces were Calvinist Complaints of high taxation Nationalism, religion & money Execution of several thousand rebels; the revolt continued Northern provinces formed the Union of Utrecht (1579) and continued the struggle 9