Why did Protestantism never really catch on in France? (History gives us the answer)
Catholics are still nearly half of the population of France. Specifically, they now make up 47% of the French population, as of 2021. (see source) Another 33% of the contemporary French population identify as having “no religion.” Less than 3% of the French population is Protestant today. How did it come to be that way? Why is Protestantism such a tiny minority in France? Why did Protestantism never really catch on in France, the way that it did in nearby England and Holland? The answers seem to lie (at least partially) in the French wars of religion. These were a great victory for the Catholics. During the Renaissance, a massive civil war erupted between the French Catholics and the French Protestants. It was partly over control of the throne, because the powerful monarchies of the era had considerable influence upon the state religion. The sixteenth century was generally the era of the Protestant Reformation. In Germany, Martin Luther published his “95 Theses,” a written attack on the Catholic Church. This led to the formation of the Lutheran churches. This was also the century of King Henry the Eighth, in the nearby British Isles. In defiance of the Pope, King Henry divorced Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. He thus created the Church of England in the process. And, in France, John Calvin was still alive when the French wars of religion began. The battles over the state religions in these European countries … continue to have massive consequences to this day.
Massacre at Vassy, 1562
Background on different national forms of Calvinism, including the Huguenots in France
A closer look at John Calvin might be appropriate here, as background for this post. John Calvin was born in France in 1509. But his beliefs soon spread to many other parts of Europe. Most of the nations of Western Europe have had their own form of Calvinism, although those churches have not always held power there. In England, Calvinism was manifested in the Puritans (among others), famous for escaping England to found the American colonies. In Scotland, it was manifested in the Presbyterian Church, which is still the official religion of Scotland today. This is ironic, because Scotland is a part of Britain, where England (excluding Wales) still has the Church of England as its official religion. (But that’s a story for another post.) In Holland, Calvinism was manifested in the “Dutch Reformed Church,” which was the majority religion in the Netherlands from the sixteenth century until 1930. It was later merged into the “Protestant Church of the Netherlands” in 2004. And, in France, Calvinism was manifested in the Huguenot faith. This is the form of Protestantism that will be the most relevant for our story today.
John Calvin
Contemporary woodcut of executions following the Amboise conspiracy, 1550
How the civil war began in France, and turned into a great European proxy war
Tensions between the Huguenots and the Catholics had been building since the 1530s. In 1559, France’s King Henry the Second suddenly (and accidentally) died. As Wikipedia puts it, this “initiated a prolonged struggle for power between his widow Catherine de' Medici and powerful nobles. These included a fervently Catholic faction led by the Guise and Montmorency families, and Protestants headed by the House of Condé and the Navarrese queen, Jeanne d'Albret. Both sides received assistance from external powers, with Spain and Savoy supporting the Catholics, and England and the Dutch Republic backing the Protestants.” (see source) Other European nations had a strong stake … in who was to inherit the French throne. The Protestant countries wanted a local French ally, and the Catholics wanted France to stay friendly to Catholicism. Thus, when the war began in 1562, it quickly became a European proxy war.
Looting of the churches of Lyon by the Calvinists, 1562
Catherine de' Medici, widow of the deceased king
The French Catholic monarchy goes from compromising to massacring Protestants
John Calvin himself was alive for the first two years or so of the conflict. That is, he died of illness in 1564. This would be a symbolic moment, especially for the Huguenot side. But, militarily speaking, the most notable aspect of the conflict was its “on again, off again” nature. There is some debate among historians about exactly how many phases to include in this civil war. But most would include around eight or nine of them. The conflict must have seemed interminable. Catherine de' Medici was a staunch Catholic, and tried to keep her sons on the throne of France. Before the war, she had supported the “Politiques” faction with the Edict of Saint-Germain in January 1562. This gave many concessions to the Huguenots. But they proved a little unpopular, which is why the war broke out only three months later in April 1562. The Catholic “Guise” faction wanted a more hardline stance, which was why they tried to displace Catherine’s sons. Thus, there was a certain amount of infighting on the Catholic side. At first, Catherine de' Medici continued to compromise with the Huguenot rebels. But this soon gave way to more hardline policies. In 1572, there was the infamous “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.” It started with Catholic mobs in Paris, but soon spread to other French cities. At least 5,000 French Protestants were killed. Some would put the death toll as high as 30,000. This remains one of the most notorious parts of the war today.
The Battle of Moncontour, 1569
The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, 1572
The war ends with a compromise, but is soon followed by Huguenot rebellions and decline
In 1589, a Protestant named Henry of Navarre became King Henry the Fourth. But, in 1593, Henry of Navarre converted to Catholicism. In 1598, he authorized a compromise called the “Edict of Nantes.” This allowed many rights and freedoms to the local Huguenots, while still giving predominance to his Catholic faith. But it was still unsatisfactory to the local Catholics. Thus, a Catholic zealot assassinated Henry the Fourth in 1610. This triggered a new wave of Huguenot rebellions in the 1620s. As Wikipedia puts it, “The wars threatened the authority of the monarchy and the last Valois kings, Catherine's three sons Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Their Bourbon successor Henry IV responded by creating a strong central state and extending toleration to Huguenots; the latter policy would last until 1685, when Henry's grandson Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes.” (see source) This is why the Huguenot religion declined so much in the coming years. Again, Protestants make up less than 3% of the French population today. The persecutions of King Louis the Fourteenth also had much to do with this decline. Many French Protestants would emigrate to other countries – such as England, Holland, and Switzerland. Others would find their way to the Americas. Between two and four million people died in the French wars of religion – either from violence, famine, or disease.
Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry, 1590
Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle – Huguenot rebellions, 1620s
Conclusion: This round of the Protestant Reformation definitely goes to the Catholics
Again, Catholicism remains the most popular form of Christianity in France. But, with only 47% of the French population today, they are no longer a majority now. Those who identify as having “no religion,” again, are 33% of the contemporary French population. They are an ever-increasing portion of many contemporary nations in the Western world. Regardless, the Catholic victory in these wars has a strong legacy, for both France and its neighbors. The Catholic triumphs would be heralded by nearby Spain, and by the future nation of Italy. The Protestant defeats were mourned by nearby England and Holland, even though each of them had a very different form of Protestantism from the Huguenots. Thus, in the Protestant Reformation, this round of the religious wars went to the Catholics, who are still a slight majority of the world’s Christians today. Whichever side (if any) you may be rooting for, it is clear that the conflict had massive effects upon world history.
Footnote to this blog post:
The French novel “The Three Musketeers” is set between 1625 and 1628. Thus, it takes place during the later Huguenot rebellions of the 1620s. The novel was written by Alexandre Dumas in 1844.
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