The Wars of Religion in France, 1562 to 1629

Actually, in my point of view, the Wars of Religion are the teeage crisis of the French state.

This is of course debatable but people changed side so often during these war that it is almost impossible to say here are the interests of the protestant and here are the interest of the catholics. Actually the matter was who is going to govern? The nobles or the king? And as after 1559 the kings were too weak to monopolize violence on the territory, the matter became which nobles are going to rule?

In that sense the crisis doesn't end in 1598 with Henri IV final victory or in 1629 with the fall of La Rochelle, the last rebellious point hold by the protestants but in 1661 with the rise of the personal rule of Louis XIV. Of course I'm obscessed with the stae-rising penomenon, but here are few arguments:
- A bit in a HRE style, the protestants in the South and then the catholics in the North created their own states. Although formally still in the kingdom their esatates, protected by their own armies� Quite often in the province the only problem was to know who would control the taxes.
- The action of Catherine de Medicis who fought for her husband legacy and to protect the royal prestige. Henri IV did the same.
- If you pay attention the character that have led the so alled religious up risings are exactly the same as those who are involved in the various conspiracy against the king's power even if it hasn't anything to do with religion.

Concerning the New World missed rendez-vous, well, I couldn't say but one sure is for sure why the french would colonize America while half their territory was still empty. Don't forget that France is bout three time bigger than England and almost twice the size of Spain� If anything, the WoR did help to create some canadian settlements of ill respected protestant in their homeland.

M.