1 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:10,120 For the kingdom of France! 2 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:12,320 And for God! 3 00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:17,660 The wars of religion paved the Europe we live in today. 4 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,700 I have the heart and the stomach of a king! 5 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,540 In the 16th century, religion and power were inextricably linked. 6 00:00:31,940 --> 00:00:35,920 Majesty, the Catholics disobey you. I will never marry that heretic, do you 7 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:36,920 me? Never! 8 00:00:37,710 --> 00:00:41,210 What have you done, Henry? What have you done to this kingdom? Promise me that 9 00:00:41,210 --> 00:00:42,290 it will remain Catholic. 10 00:00:42,570 --> 00:00:46,570 At the time of the Renaissance, the rulers of Europe's most important 11 00:00:46,570 --> 00:00:48,990 fought each other violently in the name of God. 12 00:00:49,370 --> 00:00:50,370 Kill them! 13 00:00:51,770 --> 00:00:52,770 Kill them all! 14 00:00:54,470 --> 00:00:56,250 May God punish the heretics! 15 00:00:59,370 --> 00:01:00,970 There must be another solution. 16 00:01:02,070 --> 00:01:04,470 She will take the throne of England. 17 00:01:04,890 --> 00:01:06,530 Plus, your prince. 18 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:08,920 Offers the Netherlands for an army. 19 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,040 Betrayal. It can't be true. 20 00:01:11,620 --> 00:01:14,800 Jealousy and passions rock the most influential families. 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,320 We cannot allow this. I admire your audacity. 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,680 A merciless game of power and faith. 23 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:25,200 Have faith in me. 24 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,320 This is the true history of Europe. 25 00:01:41,740 --> 00:01:46,120 With the rise of Protestantism, Europe was plunged into bloody war. 26 00:01:49,620 --> 00:01:53,160 Among the Catholics, France was weakened by a regency. 27 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,040 Spain was faced with a revolt. 28 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,420 In Scotland, the Queen risked losing her throne for love. 29 00:02:03,340 --> 00:02:08,660 While Protestant England dangerously fanned the flames, Europe's monarchs had 30 00:02:08,660 --> 00:02:11,039 never had so much trouble keeping their throne. 31 00:02:47,860 --> 00:02:48,860 Majesty. 32 00:02:57,300 --> 00:03:03,020 For peace in the kingdom, I beseech you, Antoine de Bourbon, 33 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:09,380 officially renounce all thoughts of becoming regent. 34 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:17,120 In France, on the death of Francis II, His mother, Catherine de' Medici, 35 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,460 the regency of the kingdom by keeping her cousin Antoine of Navarre and the 36 00:03:21,460 --> 00:03:24,020 ultra -Catholic Guise brothers away from the throne. 37 00:03:38,380 --> 00:03:43,760 Catherine de' Medici's First Political Act was to grant the Protestants an 38 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:44,519 of tolerance. 39 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:49,140 The so -called Edict of January authorized them to freely practice their 40 00:03:49,140 --> 00:03:51,620 religion, but only outside the city. 41 00:03:56,380 --> 00:03:57,060 Despite 42 00:03:57,060 --> 00:04:04,060 this new 43 00:04:04,060 --> 00:04:07,380 tolerance, the Huguenots were being watched by spies. 44 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:31,280 The spies were in the pay of Francis, Duke of Guise, and his brother, Charles, 45 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:32,820 the Cardinal of Lorraine. 46 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:40,800 The Guise brothers were once advisors to King Henry II, but Catherine de' Medici 47 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:41,960 had sent them packing. 48 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,240 They refused to accept the freedom of worship accorded to people they 49 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:47,240 heretics. 50 00:04:50,780 --> 00:04:52,240 Tolerance towards the Huguenots. 51 00:04:54,700 --> 00:04:56,460 Only a woman would consider that. 52 00:04:59,260 --> 00:05:00,260 Damn foreigner. 53 00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:11,380 We'll need to find a way. 54 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,820 To do this, we will have to... The woman the Guise brothers called the foreigner 55 00:05:15,820 --> 00:05:20,020 was none other than Queen Catherine de' Medici, Regent of France. 56 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,080 She would rule the kingdom until her son came of age. 57 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,980 The Guise brothers harbored a grudge against Catherine for keeping them away 58 00:05:28,980 --> 00:05:29,980 from power. 59 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:35,560 Their hatred was so great, they planned to restart the war between Protestants 60 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,660 and Catholics, proving that Catherine was incapable of running the country. 61 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,260 One event gave them a golden opportunity to strike. 62 00:05:43,620 --> 00:05:44,700 It's a good idea. 63 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,580 In Champagne, the Guises stronghold. 64 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,960 Protestants met for prayers in a barn located inside the city of Bassey. 65 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,840 This was against the terms laid out in the Edict of January. 66 00:06:12,260 --> 00:06:17,660 On March 1st, 1562, the Duke of Guise surprised them in the middle of mass. 67 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:19,700 How dare you gather here? 68 00:06:20,940 --> 00:06:21,940 Hypocrites! 69 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,680 Protestants! In my own lands! 70 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:33,920 43 years old, Francis of Guise, known as Scarface, was a renowned soldier and 71 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,240 leader of the armed branch of the Catholic Church. 72 00:06:39,740 --> 00:06:43,800 As leader of the Catholic Party, he was hated by the Protestants. 73 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:49,160 Get out! 74 00:06:58,190 --> 00:07:00,990 Within minutes, the fight turned into a massacre. 75 00:07:03,650 --> 00:07:08,390 With over a hundred dead, the carnage at Vassy became the first bloody chapter 76 00:07:08,390 --> 00:07:09,630 in the wars of religion. 77 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:14,490 A war that would engulf France and shake Europe for the next 30 years. 78 00:07:21,590 --> 00:07:23,950 The day after the massacre of Vassy. 79 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,760 The reaction from the leader of the French Protestants, Louis of Bourbon, 80 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:30,120 of Condé, was swift. 81 00:07:31,620 --> 00:07:36,040 Louis was freed by Catherine de' Medici in the first days of her regency. He 82 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,360 ordered an armed response against the Catholics. 83 00:07:40,340 --> 00:07:46,420 On April 2nd, 1562, the Prince of Condé entered the city of Tours with 2 ,000 84 00:07:46,420 --> 00:07:47,420 cavaliers. 85 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,920 Rouen was next to fall on April 15th. 86 00:07:53,960 --> 00:08:00,740 It was followed by Lyon, Bourg, Grenoble, Le Mans, and then 87 00:08:00,740 --> 00:08:01,740 Toulouse. 88 00:08:02,700 --> 00:08:07,540 In six months, the Kingdom of France plunged into the first war of religion, 89 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,000 dragging Europe behind it in a fight for faith. 90 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:37,900 Your Majesty, I bring you good news from France. Across the Channel, the 91 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:42,400 Protestant Queen of England, Elizabeth I, was delighted to discover that, 92 00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:47,080 following the massacre of Vassy, the French Huguenots had taken up arms 93 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:48,080 the Catholics. 94 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:49,460 Filthy papists. 95 00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:04,500 After four years on the throne... Elizabeth had shown herself to be a 96 00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:09,420 monarch and knew how to outmaneuver her enemies. 97 00:09:12,020 --> 00:09:18,120 Among them, the Guise brothers, the leaders of the ultra -Catholic France. 98 00:09:22,220 --> 00:09:27,860 In September 1562, a messenger arrived in the name of the Prince of Condé. 99 00:09:28,460 --> 00:09:31,080 Elizabeth could barely hide her curiosity. 100 00:09:32,330 --> 00:09:33,330 Very well. 101 00:09:33,530 --> 00:09:34,530 Speak. 102 00:09:35,150 --> 00:09:37,270 How can I help our Protestant ally? 103 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:43,110 The emissary from Condé had come to ask Elizabeth for support in the war against 104 00:09:43,110 --> 00:09:44,490 the Guises and the Catholics. 105 00:09:46,850 --> 00:09:48,510 Give him men and gold. 106 00:09:50,690 --> 00:09:56,030 Elizabeth saw immediately the advantages in backing the French Protestants. It 107 00:09:56,030 --> 00:10:00,330 would weaken the power of the Guises and could help England regain Calais. 108 00:10:02,190 --> 00:10:07,310 Port City had been in English hands since 1347, but it had been captured by 109 00:10:07,310 --> 00:10:10,790 French army under the command of the Duke of Guise four years earlier. 110 00:10:19,050 --> 00:10:22,270 A loss that the Queen of England never got over. 111 00:10:30,060 --> 00:10:35,520 In exchange for 6 ,000 men and 100 ,000 gold crown, the Prince of Condé promised 112 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,720 to give England a channel port in northern France. 113 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:45,120 Before marching on Calais, Condé first took the port of Le Havre and opened it 114 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,000 up to 3 ,000 of the Queen's soldiers. 115 00:10:49,940 --> 00:10:55,560 In Paris, Catherine de' Medici was furious to learn that English troops had 116 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:59,100 landed in Le Havre with the help of the leader of the French Protestants. 117 00:10:59,610 --> 00:11:00,610 The traitor! 118 00:11:03,210 --> 00:11:08,810 The very idea that English soldiers had once again set foot on French soil was 119 00:11:08,810 --> 00:11:10,130 unbearable for the region. 120 00:11:15,830 --> 00:11:21,910 She decided to retake Le Havre by force, driving the English out of France. 121 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:42,800 Despite having no military experience, Catherine de' Medici kept a close watch 122 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:43,800 over the battle. 123 00:11:46,260 --> 00:11:52,600 At 43 years old, the widow of King Henry II of France was an ambitious woman who 124 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:57,240 loved power and was intent on safeguarding the crown for her 12 -year 125 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:58,400 Charles IX. 126 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:07,220 Faced with an increasingly bloody battle, She begrudgingly handed the 127 00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:12,400 her armies to the man she once ousted from power, Francis the Duke of Guise. 128 00:12:15,220 --> 00:12:16,420 Ah, Guise. 129 00:12:17,460 --> 00:12:23,020 A wise decision, because at Troyes, Guise managed to capture the queen's 130 00:12:23,020 --> 00:12:27,020 greatest enemy, the Prince of Condé, Louis of Bourbon. 131 00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:33,820 This was a huge victory for Catherine de' Medici. 132 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:37,080 She could now start to do what she liked best. 133 00:12:37,540 --> 00:12:38,540 Condé. 134 00:12:39,860 --> 00:12:41,760 Negotiate peace in the name of the king. 135 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:47,680 My son has charged me to restore justice, as well as bringing peace and 136 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:48,680 his subjects. 137 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:50,840 At your order, Majesty. 138 00:12:56,420 --> 00:12:58,320 Negotiations lasted several weeks. 139 00:13:00,620 --> 00:13:06,520 They finally resulted in a new peace treaty signed at Amboise on March 19, 140 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:14,820 Through the Treaty of Amboise, Catherine de' Medici and the Prince of Condé 141 00:13:14,820 --> 00:13:18,420 joined forces and recaptured Le Havre from the English. 142 00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:22,620 Together, Catholics and Protestants laid siege to the English -held port. 143 00:13:23,140 --> 00:13:26,080 They benefited from an unexpected twist of fate. 144 00:13:34,060 --> 00:13:35,160 The bubonic plague. 145 00:13:35,620 --> 00:13:40,300 Trapped inside Le Havre, the English garrison was gradually decimated by the 146 00:13:40,300 --> 00:13:41,300 disease. 147 00:13:55,220 --> 00:14:00,300 After a siege lasting several weeks, the surviving English surrendered and 148 00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:01,300 returned to England. 149 00:14:04,910 --> 00:14:10,110 They also took the plague back home with them, causing a further 21 ,000 deaths. 150 00:14:10,770 --> 00:14:12,870 Calais was forever lost to them. 151 00:14:15,650 --> 00:14:22,150 1563 was an annus horribilus for Queen Elizabeth, because in Scotland, her 152 00:14:22,150 --> 00:14:25,810 cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, was also claiming the throne of England. 153 00:14:28,210 --> 00:14:32,590 Since her return to Scotland, Mary Stuart was having trouble earning her 154 00:14:32,590 --> 00:14:33,590 countrymen's respect. 155 00:14:34,540 --> 00:14:38,360 The Scottish Protestants opposed the Catholic Queen wearing the crown. 156 00:14:41,060 --> 00:14:46,140 Many of her enemies supported her Protestant half -brother, James Stuart. 157 00:14:46,140 --> 00:14:47,340 regent in her absence. 158 00:14:48,340 --> 00:14:51,100 But since childhood, Mary had been a fighter. 159 00:14:56,420 --> 00:15:00,300 Mary was only nine months old when she was crowned Queen of Scotland. 160 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:06,040 At six she was threatened with abduction by the King of England and forced to 161 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:07,040 flee her kingdom. 162 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:08,720 It saved her life. 163 00:15:13,660 --> 00:15:16,640 Mary was taken in by the King of France, Henry II. 164 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,980 At sixteen years old she married the Dauphin Francis and was crowned as his 165 00:15:21,980 --> 00:15:22,939 queen. 166 00:15:22,940 --> 00:15:27,180 But after only one year of rule her husband died without leaving an heir. 167 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,620 Mary was a widow at twenty -two. 168 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:34,160 the young Queen of France was forced to leave her adoptive country and return to 169 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:38,940 Scotland to take up her throne there, a country which she was now having trouble 170 00:15:38,940 --> 00:15:39,940 ruling. 171 00:15:49,260 --> 00:15:54,480 In a letter, Mary, Queen of Scots, put pressure on Elizabeth, Queen of England. 172 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:55,980 Dearest Cousin, 173 00:15:57,450 --> 00:16:00,790 It has been several months since I regained the throne of Scotland. 174 00:16:01,710 --> 00:16:06,750 Mary asked Elizabeth to officially recognize her as her successor, should 175 00:16:06,750 --> 00:16:08,830 Queen of England die without leaving an heir. 176 00:16:14,450 --> 00:16:19,010 Mary Stuart had a strong claim to Elizabeth's throne, since the two queens 177 00:16:19,010 --> 00:16:23,630 shared the same ancestor, Henry VII of England, the first of the Tudor kings. 178 00:16:24,910 --> 00:16:26,330 But there was a problem. 179 00:16:27,650 --> 00:16:28,950 Mary was Catholic. 180 00:16:29,290 --> 00:16:33,910 If Elizabeth wanted England to remain Protestant, she must produce an heir. 181 00:16:37,590 --> 00:16:42,690 At 30 years old, the thorny question of marriage raised its head once again. 182 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:48,290 Until now, Queen Elizabeth had always refused to share her throne or power 183 00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:49,290 a man. 184 00:16:50,710 --> 00:16:56,370 And yet, rumors abound that she was in love with her childhood friend, Robert 185 00:16:56,370 --> 00:16:57,370 Dudley. 186 00:16:59,020 --> 00:17:03,720 Dudley grew up alongside Elizabeth and followed her to her court after her 187 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:04,720 coronation. 188 00:17:05,660 --> 00:17:10,160 He was handsome and intelligent, and only one year older than the Queen. 189 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:17,619 Dudley was born into the English nobility, but he was not of royal blood. 190 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:23,060 Elizabeth was apparently so madly in love with Dudley that she was prepared 191 00:17:23,060 --> 00:17:24,859 bestow a host of titles on him. 192 00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:34,380 To save her crown from the Scottish threat, the Virgin Queen, as she was 193 00:17:34,380 --> 00:17:36,900 throughout her realm, needed to make a decision. 194 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:38,280 My lords. 195 00:17:41,340 --> 00:17:43,000 I shall marry no one. 196 00:17:48,820 --> 00:17:54,680 But if one day, my cousin Mary Stuart should sit on the throne of England, 197 00:17:54,940 --> 00:17:58,080 then her child must be one of ours. 198 00:18:02,350 --> 00:18:08,090 That is why, Lord Robert, I appoint you Earl of Leicester. 199 00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:11,890 You will wed my cousin, Queen Mary. 200 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,420 Three years later, in Scotland, Mary Stuart was about to give her kingdom in 201 00:18:35,420 --> 00:18:36,420 air. 202 00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:44,200 I can already see the head. 203 00:18:46,220 --> 00:18:47,240 Breathe, Your Majesty. 204 00:18:48,540 --> 00:18:49,540 It's all right. 205 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:51,400 Take a deep breath. 206 00:18:52,820 --> 00:18:53,820 It's coming. 207 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,040 Very good. 208 00:18:57,700 --> 00:19:04,360 On June 19, 1566, She gave birth to a boy, the future James VI of 209 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:05,360 Scotland. 210 00:19:06,060 --> 00:19:09,500 Here, Your Majesty, a bonny boy. Congratulations. 211 00:19:13,980 --> 00:19:20,820 The child's father was not the 212 00:19:20,820 --> 00:19:25,420 man Elizabeth wanted the Scottish Queen to marry. He was Henry Stuart, Mary 213 00:19:25,420 --> 00:19:26,680 Stuart's Catholic cousin. 214 00:19:27,340 --> 00:19:31,260 A seductive young man with a temperament as fiery as that of his new wife. 215 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:36,780 It was not a happy marriage. 216 00:19:37,420 --> 00:19:42,740 The new king consort of Scotland turned out to be a drunken, selfish, jealous 217 00:19:42,740 --> 00:19:48,500 womanizer. It was believed he also harbored plans to kill his wife and 218 00:19:48,500 --> 00:19:49,500 throne for himself. 219 00:19:56,110 --> 00:20:01,030 Deeply unhappy, Mary Stuart consoled herself in the arms of the Lord High 220 00:20:01,030 --> 00:20:05,730 Admiral James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, a Protestant noble. 221 00:20:25,130 --> 00:20:30,310 Eight months later, one winter's night at two o 'clock in the morning, a 222 00:20:30,310 --> 00:20:32,390 explosion shook the city of Edinburgh. 223 00:20:39,190 --> 00:20:41,950 Majesty, Majesty, your husband has been murdered. 224 00:20:44,830 --> 00:20:46,370 Inform the Earl of Bothwell. 225 00:20:48,110 --> 00:20:52,940 On hearing that her husband, the King Consort, had been assassinated, Mary 226 00:20:52,940 --> 00:20:54,880 Stewart remained strangely calm. 227 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,960 But the finger of suspicion immediately pointed at Mary's lover, the Earl of 228 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:04,960 Bothwell. 229 00:21:05,820 --> 00:21:10,780 After an investigation and a fake trial, Bothwell was declared innocent of the 230 00:21:10,780 --> 00:21:11,780 assassination. 231 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:23,340 On May 15, 1567, two months after Henry Stuart's mysterious death, 232 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:27,100 Lord Bothwell and Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, married. 233 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:35,280 The marriage shocked all of Europe, especially the Protestant Scottish 234 00:21:35,540 --> 00:21:39,060 They were convinced that Mary was an accomplice in her husband's murder. 235 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,700 Mary Stuart was in serious danger. A month after her wedding, she escaped 236 00:22:01,700 --> 00:22:04,260 Edinburgh and met up with her husband, Bothwell. 237 00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:11,280 One week earlier, fearing for his life, Bothwell fled to the south of Scotland. 238 00:22:12,940 --> 00:22:18,040 Despite being found not guilty, all Scottish Protestants had no doubt that 239 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,300 was responsible for the murder of the King Consort. 240 00:22:39,750 --> 00:22:45,170 My love, we shall gather our friends together and prove our innocence. I 241 00:22:45,170 --> 00:22:46,170 promise. 242 00:22:46,270 --> 00:22:47,270 We will. 243 00:22:47,730 --> 00:22:49,230 We will prevail, my love. 244 00:23:00,030 --> 00:23:05,400 In an attempt to regain her legitimacy in the eyes of her subjects, The 25 245 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,920 -old queen gathered together an army made up of poorly armed commoner and 246 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:11,040 marched on Edinburgh. 247 00:23:14,580 --> 00:23:20,320 Mary was also dressed as a commoner. She wore a kilt, red blouse, and a black 248 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:21,420 velvet pamoshatter. 249 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:28,940 On June 15, 1567, Mary found herself facing her enemies at Tarbury Hill, a 250 00:23:28,940 --> 00:23:30,220 few miles west of Edinburgh. 251 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:35,330 After hours of talks, Mary Stewart finally accepted the Scottish noble's 252 00:23:35,330 --> 00:23:38,710 proposals. She surrendered in return for Bothwell's freedom. 253 00:23:44,290 --> 00:23:49,230 She had just enough time to give her husband one last kiss before following 254 00:23:49,230 --> 00:23:50,230 enemies to prison. 255 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:12,140 Mary Stuart would never again see the man for whom she gave up her throne. 256 00:24:17,860 --> 00:24:22,900 Over 600 miles from Scotland, the Protestants of Flanders also wanted to 257 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:23,940 overthrow their ruler. 258 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:45,360 For a year now, Flemish Protestants had been executed en masse by the Catholic 259 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:48,760 authorities in the name of King Philip II of Spain. 260 00:24:49,100 --> 00:24:54,500 Eleven years earlier, Philip had inherited a vast empire comprised of 261 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:55,500 the New World. 262 00:24:55,900 --> 00:25:02,120 Spain, the majority of Italy, Flanders, and the Spanish Netherlands, which 263 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,460 included Belgium, Luxembourg, and present -day Holland. 264 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:15,040 It was Philip's second wealthiest stronghold, but it was also the most 265 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:16,040 rebellious. 266 00:25:16,860 --> 00:25:22,540 Across Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges, the King of Spain was burning those he 267 00:25:22,540 --> 00:25:24,120 heretics at the stake. 268 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,180 Will you shut her up? 269 00:25:30,980 --> 00:25:37,640 In the face of this violent cruelty, one Sunday 270 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,080 afternoon in 1566, 271 00:25:39,850 --> 00:25:43,050 Catholics and Protestants united and began to revolt. 272 00:25:56,070 --> 00:26:02,930 Part of the Dutch 273 00:26:02,930 --> 00:26:07,430 nobility presented a petition to Margaret of Parma, the governor of the 274 00:26:07,430 --> 00:26:08,430 Netherlands. 275 00:26:08,460 --> 00:26:10,840 She was the half -sister of the King of Spain. 276 00:26:14,860 --> 00:26:19,440 To reassure her, her counselors uttered a phrase that would ignite the powder 277 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:20,480 keg of Flanders. 278 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,100 They are nothing but beggars, milady. 279 00:26:23,340 --> 00:26:28,040 When the insult reached the ears of the Flemish noble, they quickly organized 280 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:32,740 the Beggars' Revolt. The King of Spain struggled to contain the uprising, but 281 00:26:32,740 --> 00:26:36,440 Philip refused to lose this territory. It was totally out of the question. 282 00:26:53,930 --> 00:27:00,050 In the summer of 1566, as an aside to the beggars' revolt, a group of ultra 283 00:27:00,050 --> 00:27:03,490 -radical Protestants vandalized Catholic places of worship. 284 00:27:09,430 --> 00:27:13,490 Religious paintings, carvings, relics, and statues were destroyed. 285 00:27:14,590 --> 00:27:17,530 400 churches and monasteries were ravaged. 286 00:27:18,530 --> 00:27:22,450 Protestant church services were held in places that had been so -called 287 00:27:22,450 --> 00:27:23,450 purified. 288 00:27:32,170 --> 00:27:34,830 The revolt soon spread across all Flanders. 289 00:27:35,650 --> 00:27:41,410 To quash it, King Philip of Spain sent 20 ,000 men to crush the reformists, 290 00:27:41,610 --> 00:27:43,950 consolidating his power in the region. 291 00:27:45,550 --> 00:27:50,970 Philip wanted the King of France to come to his aid, but Charles IX was also in 292 00:27:50,970 --> 00:27:51,970 trouble. 293 00:27:54,510 --> 00:27:57,130 King Charles was now 17 years old. 294 00:27:57,790 --> 00:28:01,910 He had been ruling France for four years, but the young man was mentally 295 00:28:01,910 --> 00:28:06,210 and easily manipulated by his ambitious mother, Catherine de' Medici. 296 00:28:07,030 --> 00:28:11,330 Despite losing the regency when her son came of age, Catherine remained a key 297 00:28:11,330 --> 00:28:16,930 decision -maker in the affairs of the kingdom, and in 1567, France was hit by 298 00:28:16,930 --> 00:28:20,070 the knock -on effect of the troubles flaring up in the Spanish Netherlands. 299 00:28:28,140 --> 00:28:32,900 The revolt in Flanders had rekindled the Protestants' enthusiasm, especially 300 00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:35,320 that of the Prince of Condé. 301 00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:39,860 Despite the Treaty of Amboise, which he had signed four years earlier with 302 00:28:39,860 --> 00:28:44,820 Catherine de' Medici, Condé now wanted to take up arms against the Catholics in 303 00:28:44,820 --> 00:28:46,420 support of the Flemish beggars. 304 00:28:46,940 --> 00:28:51,140 My friends, the Catholics continue to humiliate us. 305 00:28:52,260 --> 00:28:53,800 The Pope condemns us. 306 00:28:56,810 --> 00:28:59,390 And the king has doubled his guard, such is his fear of us. 307 00:29:01,690 --> 00:29:04,410 It's high time to unify the kingdom ourselves. 308 00:29:04,790 --> 00:29:09,210 The Prince of Condé was a member of the House of Bourbon, rivals of the Valois, 309 00:29:09,390 --> 00:29:14,490 but with an equally legitimate claim to the French throne, because the Prince of 310 00:29:14,490 --> 00:29:20,650 Condé was cousin to the King of France, Charles IX, and both were descendants of 311 00:29:20,650 --> 00:29:21,650 Louis IX. 312 00:29:23,180 --> 00:29:28,000 As such, Condé hoped to be appointed commander of the king's army and use it 313 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,740 support the Protestants of Flanders. 314 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,440 But Catherine de' Medici wasn't fooled. 315 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:37,260 She anticipated Condé's intentions and refused him the privileged position. 316 00:29:38,060 --> 00:29:39,240 Condé was furious. 317 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:47,440 The king and the merchant woman are staying here, at Chateau de 318 00:29:49,620 --> 00:29:50,640 That's where we'll attack. 319 00:29:52,430 --> 00:29:56,390 To get rid of Catherine de' Medici, whom Condé called the Italian merchant 320 00:29:56,390 --> 00:30:01,210 woman, he and the other Protestant leaders decided to kidnap the king and 321 00:30:01,210 --> 00:30:02,410 entire royal family. 322 00:30:14,490 --> 00:30:19,990 The plot became known as the Surprise of Meaux, but it would ultimately fail as 323 00:30:19,990 --> 00:30:23,970 Catherine de' Medici had been forewarned This was a disaster for the 324 00:30:23,970 --> 00:30:25,870 Protestants. Charles, wake up. 325 00:30:26,170 --> 00:30:27,250 Come on, dress yourself. 326 00:30:27,650 --> 00:30:31,190 Quickly. In the middle of the night, Catherine and the young king fled the 327 00:30:31,190 --> 00:30:36,170 castle of Montsolemo to the east of Paris and rode to the Louvre in the 328 00:30:36,930 --> 00:30:37,970 Hurry now, hurry. 329 00:30:47,950 --> 00:30:51,550 From that moment on, the Queen Mother and King Charles considered Condé guilty 330 00:30:51,550 --> 00:30:54,610 of treason and swore he would never be pardoned. 331 00:30:58,870 --> 00:31:01,890 Throughout the kingdom, Condé's men took up arms. 332 00:31:02,770 --> 00:31:07,630 On September 30, 1567, his men murdered 80 Catholics in Nîmes. 333 00:31:09,610 --> 00:31:13,010 In Orléans, they caused the collapse of part of the cathedral. 334 00:31:13,670 --> 00:31:19,070 In Picardy, the Huguenots lay waste to the region of Soissons, while at the 335 00:31:19,070 --> 00:31:21,730 gates of Paris, Condé had laid siege. 336 00:31:40,130 --> 00:31:44,640 Earlier in the fall, Catherine de' Medici learned that the Prince of Condé 337 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:49,980 moved in 4 ,000 men at Saint -Denis to destroy the windmill and starve the 338 00:31:49,980 --> 00:31:50,980 capital into surrender. 339 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:54,120 Charles, your heretic cousin will never cease to torment us. 340 00:31:54,420 --> 00:31:55,940 He's now at the gates of Paris. 341 00:31:58,880 --> 00:31:59,880 Mother, 342 00:32:00,140 --> 00:32:02,960 please let me lead our army. 343 00:32:04,340 --> 00:32:06,800 I'll bleed those Huguenot dogs to death. 344 00:32:15,340 --> 00:32:16,340 On guard. 345 00:32:20,580 --> 00:32:25,240 Catherine de' Medici refused to expose her son, the king, to danger. But her 346 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,480 intense hatred for the Prince of Condé affected her common sense. 347 00:32:28,980 --> 00:32:33,600 She decided to send an army to destroy Condé and his men at the gates of Paris. 348 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:40,640 On November 10th, 1567, despite having only 5 ,000 men, 349 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,740 Conde decided to attack the immense royal army. 350 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:01,240 The Battle of Saint -Denis marked the start of the second war of religion of 351 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:02,240 Renaissance. 352 00:33:04,580 --> 00:33:08,740 The Protestants initially broke through the ranks of the royal soldiers before 353 00:33:08,740 --> 00:33:09,800 losing their advantage. 354 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:17,620 After two savage hours of combat, in which Conde fought like a lion, the 355 00:33:17,620 --> 00:33:20,020 Protestants managed to outwit the king's troops. 356 00:33:20,500 --> 00:33:23,520 They escaped in order to build up their reinforcements. 357 00:33:28,940 --> 00:33:33,280 The battle left the town of Saint -Denis littered with the corpses of over a 358 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:39,080 thousand men, including that of the Duke of Montmorency, the commander of the 359 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:40,100 Catholic Royal Army. 360 00:33:49,390 --> 00:33:54,350 The king's army may have won the Battle of Saint -Denis, but civil war continued 361 00:33:54,350 --> 00:33:57,690 to rage, most notably in the south of the kingdom. 362 00:34:01,690 --> 00:34:06,730 Two months after the Battle of Saint -Denis, the Prince of Condé brought in 363 00:34:06,730 --> 00:34:09,409 ,000 German soldiers to bolster his troops. 364 00:34:13,670 --> 00:34:17,409 Their leader was the 24 -year -old Prince John Casimir. 365 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:25,400 Casimir was a die -hard Calvinist. He was keen to show solidarity with all the 366 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,440 Protestants of Europe, but he had little experience of war. 367 00:34:31,380 --> 00:34:34,639 Also, Condé and Casimir didn't get along. 368 00:34:35,380 --> 00:34:38,780 The German prince demanded money and food for his men. 369 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,260 But money was something that Condé seriously lacked. 370 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,679 All I can pay you right now is this. 371 00:34:48,389 --> 00:34:53,130 Desperate not to lose the German support, Condé gave permission for 372 00:34:53,130 --> 00:34:56,150 his men to pillage every village they entered on the way to Paris. 373 00:35:02,530 --> 00:35:07,010 Meanwhile, within the walls of the Louvre, Catherine de' Medici had made an 374 00:35:07,010 --> 00:35:08,010 important decision. 375 00:35:08,350 --> 00:35:12,610 With the commander of the Royal Army dead at Saint -Denis, she appointed her 376 00:35:12,610 --> 00:35:17,170 youngest son, Henry, Duke of Anjou, to the position of Lieutenant General of 377 00:35:17,170 --> 00:35:18,170 Kingdom. 378 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,260 These wars of religion cannot continue, Condé. It's just not possible. 379 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:34,700 But Catherine de' Medici knew that the treasury was empty and that her son was 380 00:35:34,700 --> 00:35:35,720 not ready to fight. 381 00:35:36,740 --> 00:35:41,160 Once again, the Queen Mother set off in person for peace talks with her 382 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,220 archenemy, Louis of Bourbon, Prince of Condé. 383 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:45,880 On my conditions? 384 00:35:46,580 --> 00:35:48,960 No, our conditions will establish them together. 385 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,660 Who's to say mine will be respected? 386 00:35:58,350 --> 00:36:02,830 On March 23rd, 1568, the Peace of Longjumeau was signed. 387 00:36:03,390 --> 00:36:06,950 Today, the treaty is conserved in the National Archives in Paris. 388 00:36:12,730 --> 00:36:17,570 The treaty authorized the practice of Protestant worship in cities where it 389 00:36:17,570 --> 00:36:22,110 already practiced, but it would remain prohibited in Paris and its 390 00:36:23,650 --> 00:36:27,110 The treaty brought an end to the Second War of Religion. 391 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:33,620 But Catherine de' Medici wrote that it merely puts a little ash on a huge 392 00:36:33,620 --> 00:36:34,620 brazier. 393 00:36:34,980 --> 00:36:39,660 A brazier that Catherine would rekindle when she heard of the violence being 394 00:36:39,660 --> 00:36:42,100 metered out by the Catholic King of Spain. 395 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:51,020 In Flanders, Philip II, King of Spain, was stepping up the pressure on his 396 00:36:51,020 --> 00:36:54,880 enemies in an attempt to establish the one true faith, Catholicism. 397 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:56,500 Stop! 398 00:36:57,100 --> 00:36:58,540 No, please, no. 399 00:36:59,860 --> 00:37:01,420 No, no. 400 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:07,500 An example of this was seen in Brussels on June 5th, 1568, when Philip had two 401 00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:12,320 of his own state councillors, the Counts of Edgemont and Horns, beheaded. He 402 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:14,300 judged them too weak in face of the heritage. 403 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:15,680 No. 404 00:37:17,180 --> 00:37:18,180 Please. 405 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,000 No. 406 00:37:22,190 --> 00:37:26,390 The Civil War would cost the lives of more than 1 ,000 people, both 407 00:37:26,390 --> 00:37:27,390 and Catholics. 408 00:37:35,510 --> 00:37:40,010 Philip II intended to impose this policy of repression on his French neighbors. 409 00:37:59,580 --> 00:38:02,440 Farrier, what message from our dear cousin in Spain? 410 00:38:03,700 --> 00:38:08,140 The Spanish ambassador sent by Philip demanded that Catherine de' Medici and 411 00:38:08,140 --> 00:38:13,300 King Charles follow the right path by ridding France of heretics. They must 412 00:38:13,300 --> 00:38:15,300 cease to tolerate Protestants. 413 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:19,420 What will you have us do? 414 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:25,860 Unlike King Charles, 415 00:38:26,590 --> 00:38:29,190 Catherine de' Medici feared the threats from Spain. 416 00:38:29,630 --> 00:38:33,490 She therefore agreed to toughen her position regarding the Huguenots. 417 00:38:34,930 --> 00:38:36,310 We will act accordingly. 418 00:38:39,190 --> 00:38:44,650 She forced the king to annul the peace of Longuemont and henceforth prohibit 419 00:38:44,650 --> 00:38:47,430 practice of the Protestant faith across the entire kingdom. 420 00:39:11,340 --> 00:39:15,020 With the annulment of the Edicts of Tolerance, and through fear of being 421 00:39:15,020 --> 00:39:16,060 assassinated himself, 422 00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:20,920 the Prince of Condé, the leader of the French Protestants, took refuge at La 423 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:23,140 Rochelle, the new capital of the Huguenots. 424 00:39:25,260 --> 00:39:29,200 Flanders and England had sent troops and weapons to Condé to support a third 425 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:30,200 war. 426 00:39:31,500 --> 00:39:34,800 And many of the German troops were yet to return home. 427 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:40,440 The peace of Longimaux had lasted only five months. 428 00:39:40,910 --> 00:39:43,910 Time enough for both sides to reinforce their army. 429 00:39:52,750 --> 00:39:55,410 A third war of religion was inevitable. 430 00:39:57,170 --> 00:40:01,690 To the west, the Prince of Condé and his men protected La Rochelle while waiting 431 00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:06,750 for reinforcements, notably soldiers sent by William of Orange and Wolfgang 432 00:40:06,750 --> 00:40:11,580 Bavaria. who had left Holland and Germany respectively to join up with 1 433 00:40:11,580 --> 00:40:12,580 men. 434 00:40:13,060 --> 00:40:17,540 King Charles and his mother were at the head of an army in the east, trying to 435 00:40:17,540 --> 00:40:21,320 stop the Dutch and Germans from entering France to support the Protestants. 436 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:28,760 Henry of Anjou headed west, intent on taking his revenge on the Huguenots. 437 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,600 The battle would finally take place at Jarnac. 438 00:40:45,070 --> 00:40:49,530 Henri of Anjou, whom everyone called Monsieur, was now a deeply respected and 439 00:40:49,530 --> 00:40:50,850 trusted military leader. 440 00:40:53,670 --> 00:40:59,670 At Jarnac, he had 28 ,000 men, twice as many as the Protestants. He prepared to 441 00:40:59,670 --> 00:41:01,150 attack. My brothers! 442 00:41:02,530 --> 00:41:05,770 For the kingdom of God and his church! 443 00:41:20,300 --> 00:41:24,920 On March 13th, 1569, at 10 o 'clock in the morning, the two armies finally 444 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:25,920 clapped. 445 00:41:50,250 --> 00:41:53,270 For two hours, the soldiers fought in the name of God. 446 00:41:59,350 --> 00:42:04,490 At noon, the Prince of Conde saw his troops in difficulty and rode into the 447 00:42:04,490 --> 00:42:05,490 of battle. 448 00:42:08,270 --> 00:42:10,510 But Conde was thrown from his horse. 449 00:42:13,250 --> 00:42:15,530 He had no option but to surrender. 450 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:25,740 Just when everyone thought the battle was over, a musketeer from the Catholic 451 00:42:25,740 --> 00:42:27,840 Royal Army shot the Prince of Condé. 452 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,480 He died on the spot. 453 00:42:40,260 --> 00:42:44,960 Henry of Anjou's victory over the leader of the Protestants was acclaimed by all 454 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:46,220 the Catholics in the kingdom. 455 00:42:59,620 --> 00:43:02,080 Catherine de' Medici could not hide her pride. 456 00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:07,120 Her favorite son was now an important figure on Europe's political chessboard. 457 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:15,420 From now on, she wanted all to know that the Kingdom of France could count on 458 00:43:15,420 --> 00:43:20,340 Henri of Anjou. Little did she know what fate lay in store for her young son.