HUGUENOTS
392
HUGUENOTS
de Barri de la Eenaiidie, a nobleman from Perigord. The conspiracy, however, was discovered tlirough the treachery of count Louis de Sancerre, and the court was removed to Amboise. Some of the Huguenots followed it in arms, whence the whole affair became known as the conspiracy of Amboise. They were defeated, how- ever, by the forces of the Guises, and 1200 of them, taken as prisoners, were executed. The Guises now aimed at the introduction of the Inquisition in France ; but, at the instigation of the noble chancellor I'Hopital [see Hopital], the king gave to Parliament, by the edict of Eomorantm, in May, 15G0, the right of deciding in matters of faith, leaving, however, to the bishops the privilege of discovering and pointing out heretics.
During the minority of Charles IX, who ascended the throne Dec. 5, 1560, a boy only ten years old, the strife betvvoon the parties which divided the court became more violent, as the chancellor de THopital, on the as- .sembling of Parhament in Dec. 15G0, had exhorted men of all parties " to rally roimd the young king ; and, while condemning the odious punishments which had recent- ly been inflicted on persons of the Reformed faith, an- nounced the intended holding of a national council, and expressed the desire that henceforward France should recognise neither Huguenots nor papists, but only Frenchmen." Catharine de Medicis, the regent, who re- garded it to her interest to balance the power of the two parties so as to govern both more easily, seconded the views of the chancellor. The two princes of Conde, who had been prisoners at Lyons after the affair of Am- boise, were liberated. Antoine de Kavarre was made constable of France, and a new edict was published in July, 1561, which granted full forgiveness to the Hugue- nots, who, it was stated, were no longer to be designated by such nicknames. Finally, a conference was appoint- ed (Sept. 3) for both parties to meet with a view to con- ciliation. This conference is famous in history as the Conference of Poissy (q.v.). The Cardinal de Lorraine led the Roman Catholic theologians, but was signally defeated, especially by the arguments of Theodore Beza. The Huguenots, emboldened by their success, now adopted the Calvinistic Confession, -and, thus imited,Tose more strongly against Romanism, counting among their friends Catharine herself, who had been forced to their side by the machinations of the Guises. January 17, 1562, a royal edict was issued, guaranteeing to the Prot- estants liberty of worship. The Guises and their parti- sans now became exasperated. On Christmas day, 1562, about 3000 Protestants of Yassy, in Champagne, met fo;r divine worship, and to celebrate the sacrament accord- ing to the practices of their Church. Yassy was one of the possessions of the Guises, -and the bishop of Chalons complaining to Antoinette de Bourbon, an ardent Roman Catholic, slie threatened the Huguenots, if they persist- ed in their proceedings, with the vengeance of her son, the duke of Guise. Undismaj-ed by this threat, the Protestants of Yassy continued to meet publicly, and listen to their preachers, believing themselves to be un- der the protection of the law, according to tlie terms of the royal edict. On March ], 1563, while the Hugue- nots of Yassy, to the number of about 1200, Avere again assembled for divine worship in a barn — as they had shortly before been deprived of their chiu'chcs by Cath- arine, who made this concession to Antoine de Navarre, in order to secure her support, still leaving them, how- ever, free to assemble in the suburbs and in the coimtry, on the estates of noblemen — they were attacked by a band of armed men, led by the duke of Guise, and mas- sacred. For an hour they fired, hacked, and stabbed amongst them, the duke coolly watching the carnage. Sixty persons of both sexes were left dead on the spot, more than two hundred were severely wounded, and the rest contrived to escape. After the massacre the duke sent for the local judge, and severely reprimanded him for having permitted the Huguenots of Yassy to meet. The judge intrenched himself behind the edict of the king, The duke's eye flashed with rage, and, strikuig