At the peace of Cateau-Cambresis in 1559, after 65 years of struggles, France had ceded supremacy in Europe to Spain. Rather than recovering her position, and joining in the expansion to the New World, France embarked on a series of 8 fratricidal civil-religious wars that consumed both Royal resources and private capital until the reign of Louis XIII.
From 1562 to 1629, there was conflict between Catholics and Protestants in France that even included the unlikely event of Spain's Phillip II sending an army to aide the king of France!
Why did this take so long to settle? Why 8 wars and not one and done?
Did this self-consuming conflict wreck France's opportunity to expand in time to the New World, in competition with Spain, and before England?
How does the religious conflict in France 1562 to 1629 fit in with the Counter Reformation?
Views? Ideas? Anyone there?
(EDIT): Well, before someone shoots me, I made a mistake.
The King of Spain sent an army to aid the Catholic League
against the King of France (Protestant Henry IV), 1589. That was before Henry became a Catholic (again), but that's another topic.
Edited by pikeshot1600 - 09-Jun-2006 at 23:55