9. A Marriage That Began With a Massacre
The marriage of Margaret of Valois and Henry of Navarre was solemnized at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on August 19th, 1572. Things went wrong from the start when the Protestant groom refused – or was not allowed – to set foot in the Catholic cathedral. So he spent the wedding day outside of Notre Dame. Things got worse for religious reconciliation five days later when the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre began on August 24th, and thousands of Protestants who had traveled to Paris for the wedding were murdered by Catholic mobs.
Tens of thousands more Protestants were massacred throughout France in the following days. Henry of Navarre only survived with a promise to convert to Catholicism. He was forced to live in the French court, his movements and activities closely monitored, until he managed to flee in 1576. Margaret had nothing to do with what had been done to the Protestants and had done much to save her husband’s life. However, after the massacre of his co-religionists and four years of captivity, Henry of Navarre had no love for Catholics, including his Catholic wife.
