St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

A wave of killings of Huguenots in Paris and other French cities, beginning on August 24, 1572, amid the French Wars of Religion.

Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye: The 1570 treaty that ended the third French War of Religion and granted Huguenots limited protections. Its uneasy settlement preceded the attempted reconciliation surrounding the massacre.
Attempted assassination of Gaspard de Coligny: The failed 1572 attack on Huguenot leader Gaspard de Coligny in Paris. The attack triggered a royal crisis that immediately preceded the killings.
Edict of Boulogne: The 1573 agreement that ended the fourth French War of Religion and restricted Huguenot worship. It followed the renewed war that the massacre helped provoke.
Conspiracy theory: An explanation that attributes events to a secret plot by powerful actors. Claims of a fully premeditated extermination plot contrast with evidence for a rapidly escalating crisis.
Marriage of Henry of Navarre and Margaret of Valois: The 1572 marriage joining Huguenot leader Henry of Navarre and Catholic princess Margaret of Valois. The wedding brought Huguenot nobles to Paris shortly before the killings.
Charles IX of France: King of France from 1560 to 1574, whose government faced intense Catholic–Huguenot conflict. The crown's decisions after Coligny's wounding shaped the violence's initial targets.
Edict of Beaulieu: The 1576 settlement that granted French Protestants substantial religious and political concessions. Its concessions reflected the crown's difficulty containing conflict after the massacre.
Religious persecution: The systematic mistreatment or punishment of people for their religious beliefs or practices. The massacre is an extreme episode within the broader history of persecution.
Gaspard de Coligny: A Huguenot admiral and political leader who became a prominent adviser to Charles IX. An assassination attempt against Coligny helped precipitate the massacre.
Paris: The capital of France and the site of the massacre's first and deadliest wave. Crowds and armed groups carried out killings across the city from August 24.

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