The Jifth war of the Thiguenotf! began under Henry III, the former duke of Alencjon, who became king of France in 1574. In this war the Roman Catholics lost several strong towns, and were repeatedly defeated by the Huguenots. The prince of Conde returned to France with a German army under the orders of John Casimir, and in March, 1576, was joined by the duke of Alen^on, who was at enmity -with the king. In the south, Henry of Navarre Avas making rapid progress. The court be- came alarmed, and finally concluded the peace of Beau- lien, May 8, 157G, granting the Huguenots again a number of places of security, and freeing them from all restrictions in the exercLse of their religion, also the ]5romise to indemnify the German allies of the Hugue- nots for the war expenses. The Guises, thus frustrated in their political designs, instigated the inhabitants of Peronne, under the leadership of Humieres, to organize an association called the Holy League (q. v.), in 1576, for the defence of the interests of Romanism. The league ra])idly increased, was supported by the king, by Spain, and the pope, and iinaJly led to the sixth u-ar of the Huguenots. Tlic states, however, refusing to give the king monej' to carrj' it on, and the Roman Catho- lics being divided among themselves, the peace of Ber- gerac was signed in September, 1577. The conditions were the same as on the former occasions; but Catha- rine, in her anxiety to diminish the growing power of the Guises, entered into a private treaty with Henry of Navarre (at Nerac), and thus the Protestants were put in possession of a few more towns.
The seventh war of the Huguenots, called at court the Guerre des amoureux, was occasioned by the Guises, who mstigated the king to demand back the towns given to the Protestants as securities, and to violate the treaty in various ways. Conde answered by taking Latere in November, 1579, and Henry by taking Cahors in April, 1580. The duke of Anjou intending to em- ploy the royal forces in the Netherlands, and the Hugue- nots havinc; met with several disastrous encounters with
the Romanists, peace was concluded again at Flex, Sept 12, 1580, and the Huguenots were permitted to retain their strongholds six years longer. A compai-atively long interv-al of peace for France now followed.
But when the duke of Anjou (formerly of Alcn^on) died in 1584, leaving Henry of Navarre, a Protestant, heir presumptive to the throne, the "Holy League" sprang again into existence under the influence of the adherents of the Guises, the strict Roman Catholic mem- bers of the ParUament, the fanatical clerg\', and the ul- tra conservative party. The states, especially the six- teen districts of Paris (whence the association also took the name of Ligue des Seize), took an active part in it. Henry, duke of Guise, finally concluded a treaty with Spain, signed at the castle of Joinville January 3, 1585, creating a strong opposition to the succession of Henry of Navarre to the tlu-one, and aimed even against Hen- ry HI, who seemed inclined to favor his brother-in-law. At the same time the Guises sought, though not alto- gether successfully, the approbation of pope Gregory XIII to the declaration of cardinal of Bourbon as heir to the throne, under the pretense that, as a faithful Catholic, he would aid his Chiu-ch in extirjiating here- sy. The real object of the duke of Guise, however, in proposing so old an incumbent for the throne, was to ob- tain for himself the crown of France, which seemed by no means a chimerical attempt, as he had received strong assurances of support from Spain. "With the as- sistance of soldiers and funds sent him by his Spanish ally, the duke succeeded in taking several towns, not only from the Huguenots, but also from the king. Henry HI, hesitating to send an army against the duke of Guise promptly, M'as finally obliged to sign the edict of Nemours, July 7, 1585, by which aU modes of -worship except that of the Roman Catholic Chiu-ch were iorbid- den throughout France. All Huguenot ministers were given one month, and the Huguenots six months, to leave the countrj-, and all their privileges were declared forfeited. Though put luider the ban as heretics by pope Sixtus V, Henry of Navarre and the prince of Conde prepared to resist the execution of the royal edict by force of arms. "With the aid of money from England, and an army of 30,000 men sent from Germany, they took the field in 1587, and began the eighth war of the Huguenots, called also, from the names of the leaders, the war of the three Heimjs. The Huguenots gained the battle of Coutras, Oct. 8, 1 587, but were subsequent- ly defeated, and their German allies were obliged to leave the country. Tlie duke of Guise was left master of the field. He was not slow to grasp the power of the state, and obligetl the king to sign the edict of remnon of Rouen, July 19, 1588, for the forcible submission of the Huguenots, and the exclusion of Henry of Navarre from the succession to the throne. The king, to whom it now became evident that the duke of Guise's aim was to secure the throne for himself, feigned acquiescence in the demand, called a ParUament at Blois in order to gain time, and there caused both of the Gidses to be murdered (Dec. 23, 1588). Both Protestants and Ro- man Catholics were indignant at this act of treachery; the Parliament denounced the king as an assassin, and Charles of Guise, duke of Mayenne, who had escaped the massacre, made himself master of several proA'inccs, marched on Paris, and took the title of lieutenant gen- eral of the kingdom. Catharine having died in 1589, Ilenrj' III made a treaty with Henry of Navarre, but was himself assassinated in the camp of St. Cloud by the monk Jacques Clement, August 1, 1588. Henry of Navarre, a Protestant in belief, now succeeded to the throne under the title of Henry IV. His first step was to conquer for himself the possessions which had been ■\sTested from his kingdom by the league and the Span- iards. But finding that he coidd obtain seciu-ity of life and permanent possession of his dominion only by be- commg a Roman Catholic, he abjured the faith of his fathers in the church of St. Denis, July 25, 1598. The dulie of Mayemie, supported by Spain, still continued