Background.

The Huguenots were French Protestants. As John Calvin was French, the sect he founded spread quickly throughout France. While their numbers were not significant (between 1560 and 1570, the high watermark of their success, twelve hundred churches, or 10 percent of all churches in France, were Protestant), the Huguenots were extremely vocal and uncompromising in their demands. Some were content with local religious rights; others would only be happy with the spread of Protestantism throughout France, if not the world. Although the French monarchy was not closely tied to Rome and, in fact, was frequently at odds with the Pope, kings feared the Huguenots because they threatened the power of the monarch and a national church. Nobles enjoyed the autonomy Protestantism allowed them; many chose to convert since being Huguenot gave them the liberty to listen to their own consciences and follow...