The Wars of Religion tore France apart for the best part of fifty years (1562-1598), most spectacularly in the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, in which thousands of Huguenots were killed. They were part of a conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism that convulsed much of Europe during the 16th century. They are a crucial dimension of European early modern history.The French Civil Wars is not just an account of battles and sieges Civil wars, like family quarrels, are bitter; their causes are usually complex and deep-rooted. R.J. Knecht shows that religion was a genuine enough issue, but demonstrates that there were other causes as well, notably an unemployment crisis among the nobility combined with a catastrophic decline in royal authority following the accidental death of Henry II.Civil wars differ from foreign wars: they resemble forest fires which break out in many places at once. In sixteenth century France their savagery was exemplified by a series of massacres and political assassinations. As the technology of war developed so did its cost.
Unable to pay for it out of its traditional sources of income, the crown was driven to make unsatisfactory peace treaties which repeatedly broke down. As artillery developed, sieges became more common than pitched battles.This is an exciting and important new account explaining both conflicts and the attempts for peace in early modern France.R.J. Knecht is Emeritus Professor of French History, University of Birmingham. Best known for his magisterial work on King Francis I of France, he is also the author of The Rise and Fall of Renaissance France (1986), Catherine de' Medici (1998) and Richelieu (1991).