large/12344/historyoffrance_1807_librivox_64kb_mp3/historyoffrance_05_yonge_64kb_3
large/12344/historyoffrance_1807_librivox_64kb_mp3/historyoffrance_05_yonge_64kb
English
12344
5. The Religious War.  To trace each stage of the war would be impossible within these limits. It was a war often lulled for a short time, and often breaking out again, and in which the actors grew more and more cruel. FIVE THE RELIGIOUS WAR TO TRACE EACH STAGE OF THE WAR WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE WITHIN THESE LIMITS IT WAS A WAR OFTEN LULLED FOR A SHORT TIME AND OFTEN BREAKING OUT AGAIN AND IN WHICH THE ACTORS GREW MORE AND MORE CRUEL
egency of Catherine de' Medici.--Even then, however, Francis II. was dying, and his brother, _Charles IX._, who succeeded him in 1560, was but ten years old. The regency passed to his mother, the Florentine Catherine, a wily, cat-like woman, who had always hitherto been kept in the background, and whose chief desire was to keep things quiet by playing off one party against the other. She at once released Condé, and favoured the Bourbons and the Huguenots to keep down the Guises, even permitting conferences to see whether the French Church could be reformed so as to satisfy the Calvinists. Proposals were sent by Guise's brother, the Cardinal of Lorraine, to the council then sitting at Trent, for vernacular services, the marriage of the clergy, and other alterations which might win back the Reformers. But an attack by the followers of Guise on a meeting of Calvinists at Vassy, of whose ringing of bells his mother had complained, led to the first bloodshed and the outbreak of a civil war.  HANDS OF GEZ FOUR REGENCY OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI EVEN THEN HOWEVER FRANCIS THE SECOND WAS DYING AND HIS BROTHER CHARLES THE NINTH WHO SUCCEEDED HIM IN FIFTEEN SIXTY WAS BUT TEN YEARS OLD THE REGENCY PASSED TO HIS MOTHER THE FLORENTINE CATHERINE A WILY CAT LIKE WOMAN WHO HAD ALWAYS HITHERTO BEEN KEPT IN THE BACKGROUND AND WHOSE CHIEF DESIRE WAS TO KEEP THINGS QUIET BY PLAYING OFF ONE PARTY AGAINST THE OTHER SHE AT ONCE RELEASED CONDI AND FAVORED THE BON AND THE HUGUENOTS TO KEEP DOWN THE GISE EVEN PERMITTING CONFERENCES TO SEE WHETHER THE FRENCH CHURCH COULD BE REFORMED SO AS TO SATISFY THE CALVINISTS PROPOSALS WERE SENT BY GEZ'S BROTHER THE CARDINAL OF LORENNE TO THE COUNCIL THEN SITTING AT TRENT FOR VERNACULAR SERVICES THE MARRIAGE OF THE CLERGY AND OTHER ALTERATIONS WHICH MIGHT WIN BACK THE REFORMERS BUT AN ATTACK BY THE FOLLOWERS OF GEEZ ON A MEETING OF CALVINISTS AT VESIL OF WHOSE RINGING OF BELLS HIS MOTHER HAD COMPLAINED LED TO THE FIRST BLOODSHED AND THE OUTBREAK OF A CIVIL WAR
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