Saint Bartholomews Day Massacre

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Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre (August 24, 1572) Mass murder of Huguenots (French Protestants) on St Bartholomew's feast day. The Huguenot leaders gathered in Paris for the marriage of Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV). On orders from Catherine de' Medici, a bungled attempt was made on the life of Gaspard de Coligny. The plot's failure led to a plan for a more widespread slaughter. With the support of the king, Charles IX, the massacre began when soldiers killed Coligny and other Huguenot leaders. It soon spread and continued in the provinces until October 3. Modern estimates suggest that c.70,000 people died.

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