Aside from the French wars of religion, the assassination of King Henry IV was one of the major events which had left a significant impact onto the French. It was surprising for the mass when the king was murdered because he had already done so much for the country - not only because of his role as a king, but also for the people and the country which he was concerned. But was it really appalling? The Catholics and the Huguenots did not have a good relationship with each other (Wikipedia, French Wars of Religion, 2004). The Edict of Nantes was implemented to give religious rights to the Huguenots (Wikipedia, Edict of Nantes, 2004); what kind of effect would this place onto the Catholics? It should not be alarming that the Edict of Nantes raised the anger of the Catholics - I have made the assumption that maybe it was one of the reasons why Francois Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, killed Henry IV.
Henry IV, King of France in Armour, c. 1610 (Louvr...
Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Français : Edit_de_Nantes_Avril_1598The question here is, is it really because of the Edict of Nantes which caused Ravaillac to murder Henry IV? Or were there other unknown reasons? This essay will analyze on why Henry IV was assassinated by Ravaillac and how his death have made changes in France.
Since the sixteenth century, the French Protestants who were known as the Huguenots and the Catholics were in a religious conflict which had lead to them into a civil war (Wikipedia, French Wars of Religion, 2004). The war between these two religious groups has already begun between the royal families, the Guises and Bourbons who were struggling to obtain the power of the throne (Hooker, 1996). The on-going religious war between both groups finally marked a horrifying event known as the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572. This incident...