St. Bartholomew's Massacre: Thousands of Huguenots Die
King Charles IX of France ordered the assassination of Huguenot (Protestant) leaders gathered in Paris for a royal wedding on August 24, 1572, the feast of Saint Bartholomew. What began as a targeted political killing quickly spiraled into a citywide massacre as Catholic mobs rampaged through Huguenot neighborhoods. Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the most prominent Huguenot leader, was murdered in his bed. Violence spread to the provinces over the following weeks, killing an estimated 5,000 to 30,000 Protestants across France. Pope Gregory XIII struck a commemorative medal. The massacre destroyed any possibility of religious coexistence in France for a generation and reignited the Wars of Religion that would devastate the country until the Edict of Nantes in 1598.
August 24, 1572
454 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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