The dukes of Guise saw the necessit}' of enlarging and consolidating the Catholic part}'. They prevailed on the aged and vainglorious constable of INIontniorency to form with them a triumvirate, which was soon also joined by the king of Navarre, who was induced by false pi-omises to abandon the cause of the Huguenots. The cardinal of Lorraine even feigned an inclination to tlie Confession of Augsburg, and, contrary to the wishes of his own party, brought about a religious con- ference with the Calvinists at Poissy (1561), at which Beza brilliantly defended the Pteformation against the whole prelatic strength of the Eoman Church. A committee, consisting of five members of each party, was appointed to conciliate the views of the two churches concerning the doctrine of the Lord's Sup- per. It succeeded in di-awing up a formula which was accepted by the Calvinists, as well as by the queen-mother and the cardinal. But the Sorlionne declared it to be heretical, and it was soon generally abandoned. The celebrated edict of Januarj', 1562, granted to the Huguenots provisionally the right to assemble for religious worship outside of the towns, until further provisions should be made by an occun.en- ical council. Beza and the Huguenots in general ac- cepted this trifiing concession with gratitude, but a number of Parliaments, especially that of Paris, raised against it the strongest remonstrances. The duke of Guise threatened to cut it with the edge of his sword, and commenced hostilities in the same year at Vassj-^, where a number of the Huguenots were massacred. A blood}' civil war ensued, in which the Huguenots suf- fered heavy losses, and which was ended by the Peace of St. Germain (1570), in wliich the government gave to the Huguenots four fortified towns as security for the future. The Huguenots conceived new hopes ; their chief defender, Henry of Navarre, was married to the king's sister ; but when all their cliief men were assembled at Paris to celebrate the nuptials, the queen- mother gave treacherously the sign for that general and bloodj' massacre known in history as the Xi';ht of St. Bartholomeiv, in which from 20,000 to 100, dOi) Pio- testants perished, and among them the great Coligny (q. v.). The Protestants again rose in despair, and re- i ceived new concessions in the Edict of Poitiers (1577), \ but the Holy League, which had l)een organized by the : duke of Guise and his brotlier, compelled the king to revoke everytliing, and to take a pledge not to rest un- til the last heretic should be extirpated from France. The assassination of the duke of Guise and his brother bj' order of the king, who wished to free himself from the influence of the League, stiried up anew the fimat- icism of the Catholic population, and led to the expul- sion, and, later, to tlie assassination of the king him- self. The legitimate heir to the throne, Henry of Navarre, had been the head of tlie Prctestants, yet, to overcome the hostilitj' of the Eoman Catholic party, he believed it necessary to join the Eouian Church (1593), He gave, however, to his former coreligionists, by the Edict of Nantes (1598), which he declared irrevocable, freedom of faith and of public worship (with 011I3' a few restrictions), their rights as citizens, and great privileges as an organized political corporation. They were declared eligible for admission into the universi- ty, and for ajipointments in the puldic service, and re- ceived an annual grant of 1000 crowns. The remon- strances of several magistrates and provinces against this decree were in vain. Thus brigiiter days seemed to approach. During the twenty-six years which in- tervened between the massacre of St. Bartholomew and the publication of the Edict of Nantes only six National Synods had been held, and the only thing tiiat had served to cheer up the drooping hearts of Protestants had been the publication of a new and im- proved edition of the Genevan version of the Bilde. After the assassination of Henry IV (1610) the Protes- tants were again forced by persecution to take up arms in defence of their rights ; but they were disarmed as
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