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France’s Bloody and Brutal Persecution of the Huguenots
The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacres resulted in as many as 30,000 dead
My hometown of New Paltz, NY, was founded in 1678 by French Huguenots fleeing persecution in Europe. In school, I learned that the Huguenot settlers were Protestants who came to the New World from Germany after first fleeing the militant Roman Catholic France. A number of the stone houses the first settlers built are still standing.
Recently, I became curious about the persecution the Huguenots endured. What follows is the story of the beginning of the end for France’s Huguenot population. At the time of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacres in 1572, over 2 million French residents were Huguenots. By 1700, that number was just under 100,000.
The power behind the throne
In 1572, 22-year-old Charles IX was King of France. He had been on the throne since the age of ten. The king relied heavily on the advice of his mother, Catherine de’ Medici, who served as his regent.
Catherine was wealthy, powerful, and accustomed to having things her way. A Roman…
