The massacre on Saint Bartholomew’s Day
This historical article by Joseph Holstege examines the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, a pivotal and tragic event in which French Catholics systematically persecuted and killed Huguenot (French Protestant) leaders and believers. Through detailed narrative of the massacre's context—including John Calvin's influence on French Protestantism, the failed assassination of Gaspard de Coligny, and the religious tensions that sparked civil war—the article illuminates both the brutality faced by early Reformed believers and the strength of the Protestant cause in France. This resource serves as important historical documentation of the persecution endured by Reformed churches during the Reformation era.
In the morning of August 24, 1572, the body of a Frenchman fell lifeless from the window of the Paris residence where he was staying. It was neither suicide nor accident. His name was Gaspard de Coligny, the nobleman who took charge of the Protestant cause in France. Moments before his body was dumped out the window, Coligny was killed in cold blood by assassins, triggering the brutal campaign of persecution known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. The Reformation in France struggled...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org