Using Section 3 of Diefendorf’s document reader, Explain how religious tensions developed in the run-up to Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Project description
The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day

J.H. Robinson, ed.,
Readings in European History 2 vols.
(Boston: Ginn, 1906), 2:179-183.

Hanover Historical Texts Project
Scanned by Brian Cheek, Hanover College. November 12, 1995.
Proofread and pages aIDed by Jonathan Perry, March 2001.

Robinson’s note: The statesman and fair-minded historian De Thou (1553-1617), who as a young man witnessed the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, thus describes that

terrible event.

[Page 180] So it was determined to exterminate all the Protestants, and the plan was approved by the queen. They discussed for some time whether they should make an

exception of the king of Navarre and the prince of Conde. All agreed that the king of Navarre should be spared by reason of the royal dignity and the new alliance. The

duke of Guise, who was put in full command of the enterprise, summoned by night several captains of the Catholic Swiss mercenaries from the five little cantons, and

some commanders of French companies, and told them that it was the will of the king that, according to God’s will, they should take vengeance on the band of rebels

while they had the beasts in the toils. Victory was easy and the booty great and to be obtained without danger. The signal to commence the massacre should be given by

the bell of the palace, and the marks by which they should recognize each other in the darkness were a bit of white linen tied around the left arm and a white cross on

the hat.

Meanwhile Coligny awoke and recognized from the noise that a riot was taking place. Nevertheless he remained assured of the king’s good will, being persuaded thereof

either by his credulity or by Teligny, his son-in-law: he believed the populace had been stirred up by the Guises, and that quiet would be restored as soon as it was

seen that soldiers of the guard, under the command of Cosseins, had been detailed to protect him and guard his property.

But when he perceived that the noise increased and that some one had fired an arquebus in the courtyard of his dwelling, then at length, conjecturing what it might be,

but too late, he arose from his bed and having put on his dressing gown he said his prayers, leaning against the wall. Labonne held the key of the house, and when

Cosseins commanded him, in the king’s name, to the door he obeyed at once without fear and apprehending nothing. But scarcely had Cosseins entered when Labonne,

who stood in his way, was killed with a dagger thrust. The Swiss who were in the courtyard, when they saw this, fled into the house and closed the door, piling against

it tables [Page 181] and all the furniture they could find. It was in the first scrimmage that a Swiss was killed with a ball from an arquebus fired by one of

Cosseins’ people. But finally the conspirators broke through the door and mounted the stairway, Cosseins, Attin, Corberan de Cordillac, Seigneur de Sarlabous, first

captains of the regiment of the guards, Achilles Petrucci of Siena, all armed with cuirasses, and Besme the German, who had been brought up as a page in the house of

Guise; for the duke of Guise was lodged at court, together with the great nobles and others who accompanied him.

After Coligny had said his prayers with Merlin the minister, he said, without any appearance of alarm, to those who were present (and almost all were surgeons, for few

of them were of his retinue) : I see clearly that which they seek, and I am ready steadfastly to suffer that death which I have never feared and which for a long time

past I have pictured to myself. I consider myself happy in feeling the approach of death and in being ready to die in God, by whose grace I hope for the life

everlasting. I have no further need of human succor. Go then from this place, my friends, as quickly as you may, for fear lest you shall be involved in my misfortune,

and that some day your wives shall curse me as the author of your loss. For me it is enough that God is here, to whose goodness I commend my soul, which is so soon to

issue from my body. After these words they ascended to an upper room, whence they sought safety in flight here and there over the roofs.

Meanwhile the conspirators, having burst through the door of the chamber, entered, and when Besme, sword in hand, had demanded of Coligny, who stood near the door,

Are you Coligny ? Coligny replied, Yes, I am he, with fearless countenance. But you, young man, respect these white hairs. What is it you would do? You cannot

shorten by many days this life of mine. As he spoke, Besme gave him a sword thrust through the body, and having withdrawn his sword, another thrust in the mouth, by

which his face was disfigured. So Coligny fell, killed with many thrusts. [Page 182] Others have written that Coligny in dying pronounced as though in anger these

words: Would that I might at least die at the hands of a soldier and not of a valet. But Attin, one of the murderers, has reported as I have written, and aIDed that

he never saw any one less afraid in so great a peril, nor die more steadfastly.

Hanover Historical Texts Project
Return to Hanover College Department of History
Please send comments to:

Paper length: 3-6 pages, typed and double-spaced. Please staple your paper and number each page. If your paper is not stapled or secured with a paperclip, 1 point will

be deducted from your final grade.

Please write your paper to satisfy one of the following prompts. Your goal in writing this paper is to provide what John Arnold calls a true story. That is, you need

to take from the primary documents to evidence you need to make an argument meant to persuade your reader. You are not allowed to invent information, and when there is

information that argues against your interpretation, you need to explain why this information does not render your argument invalid. You may write from a biased point

of view for this assignment, that is to say , you may write to satisfy an imaginary 16th century Protestant.

1.Using sections 1 and 2 of Diefendorf’s document reader, explain how religious tensions developed in the run-up to the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

2.Using section 3 of Diefendorg’s document reader, explain how events unfolded during and after the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Permitted sources: You must use Barbara Diefendorf, The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre: A Brief History With Documents. You may use John Arnold, History: A Very

Short Introduction. You may use John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe. You may use dictionary and a writing guide. You may not use any other materialsthis

prohibition includes using Wikipedia, other websites, books or book reviews. Feel free to show your work to others to get advice, but the final work you turn in must

be entirely your own.

Citation format: You must use parenthetical quotations. Any time you quote or paraphrase the text, you must cite the page on which the quotation or section paraphrased

appears. You should use the Chicago Manual of Style formatthis is explained in your rhetoric handbook or you may find the information on our Blackboard site.