Wars of Religion

Religion, Wars of, French civil wars (1562–98) caused partly by conflict between Roman Catholics and Protestant Huguenots, and partly by rivalry between the French kings and such great nobles as the dukes of Guise. The worst event was the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572). The Edict of Nantes (1598) established religious freedom and concluded the wars.

See also: France.