Massacre of Vassy facts for kids
The Massacre of Vassy (also called the Wassy Massacre) happened on March 1, 1562, in a town called Wassy, France. During this event, soldiers led by the Duke of Guise attacked and killed many Huguenots. Huguenots were French Protestants who followed the teachings of John Calvin.
This terrible event is seen as the start of the French Wars of Religion. These were a series of wars between Catholics and Protestants in France. The fighting that followed the massacre ended with the signing of the Peace of Amboise on March 19, 1563.
What Led to the Massacre?
Religious Tensions in France
For many years, Protestants in France faced harsh treatment from the government. This started with King François I and continued with his sons, Henri II and François II. When François II died young in 1560, his mother, Catherine de' Medici, became the ruler for her young son, Charles IX.
Catherine wanted to bring peace to France. She tried to allow some freedom for Protestants by creating a law called the Edict of January. This law would have let Protestants worship in certain areas. However, the main court in Paris, called the Parlement, was slow to approve this law. So, it was not officially in place when the massacre happened.
Wassy and the Powerful Guise Family
The town of Wassy had about 3,000 people in 1562. Even though it was a royal town, it had strong connections to the powerful House of Guise family. The Duke of Guise's niece, Mary, Queen of Scots, used to own parts of the town. The Guise family also owned the castle area in Wassy, where the Protestant meeting house was located.
The Guise family was very powerful in this region. Their main family home, Joinville, was only a few miles from Wassy. These connections were important later when the Duke of Guise tried to explain his actions.
How Protestantism Grew in Wassy
Even though Wassy was a small town, many Huguenots lived there. In 1533, the Duke of Guise's mother, Antoinette of Bourbon, even had a Protestant preacher burned in the town. But despite this, the Protestant community kept growing. They got help from a nearby Protestant church in Troyes.
In 1561, the Huguenots in Wassy held their first official church service in a draper's house. About 120 people attended. The community grew to over 500 people. On December 13, the pastor from Troyes performed the town's first Protestant baptism. By Christmas, 900 people attended their service. This made Wassy a strong Huguenot town, with more Protestants than many other places in the area. A new preacher named Léonard Morel was sent from Geneva to lead the community.
Attempts to Stop the Protestants
The growth of Protestantism in Wassy did not go unnoticed. The Duke of Guise heard about the public preaching in November and sent soldiers to stop it, but they didn't have much success. The local Catholic priest, Claude le Sain, told Antoinette of Bourbon about his worries. However, she didn't want to act without the Duke's support or the help of the local governor, the Duke of Nevers, who was actually a Protestant.
After the public baptism, the Cardinal of Lorraine, who was the Duke of Guise's brother, stepped in. He sent a bishop to try and bring the Protestants back to the Catholic Church. But his attempt to break up a Protestant service failed. He was chased out of the meeting house, which only made the Protestant community even stronger.
The Massacre of Wassy
Before the Attack
In early 1562, France was getting closer to a civil war. The Duke of Guise met with a German leader, promising to support a certain Protestant faith in France if the German leader stayed neutral. After this, Guise started heading back to Paris. He had been called there by the King's top general, the King of Navarre, to help oppose Catherine de' Medici's Edict of January.
On his way, Guise stopped at his family home in Joinville. His mother, Antoinette, complained to him about the spread of Protestantism on their lands and urged him to do something. The next day, Guise left Joinville with 200 soldiers. He planned to stop at another family estate, passing through Wassy to pick up more soldiers.
As he reached a nearby town, he heard the church bells of Wassy ringing. It was too late in the day for Catholic Mass, which made him very angry. He gathered his main leaders to decide what to do. Some of his stricter followers convinced him to go into the town. Guise claimed he wanted to hear Mass in Wassy. So, he and all his soldiers entered the town and headed for the church.
The Attack Begins
As Guise walked towards the church, he became even angrier when he saw that the Protestant meeting house was very close to the Catholic church. It was also located in the castle area, which was his family's property. He went into the church and spoke with the town's main Catholic leaders, who urged him to break up the Protestant gathering.
Heading towards the meeting house, he sent one of his men ahead to announce his arrival. Inside the barn, about 500 Protestant worshippers were singing religious songs. Guise's men tried to enter the barn but were stopped by people at the door. They forced their way in and began to kill those closest to them. The rest of Guise's soldiers rushed forward, trumpets blaring, ready to attack. Guise himself either could not or would not stop what had started.
Many worshippers tried to escape through a hole in the roof. Others who managed to get out were shot by soldiers. Those who ran down the streets were met by soldiers waiting near the cemetery. The Protestant preacher, Morel, was wounded and captured. After about an hour, the killing stopped. Out of 500 worshippers, 50 were dead, including 5 women and 1 child.
What Happened Next?
News Spreads Quickly
News of the massacre spread very fast across France and to other countries. Stories were printed, and pictures were made for people who couldn't read. Right away, Protestants and Catholics disagreed about what exactly happened. Each side blamed the other for starting the violence.
Protestant stories said it was a planned attack by Catholics who shouted, "Let us kill them all!" when they entered the building. The Duke of Guise, however, said that when he tried to look inside, his men were attacked, and guns were fired from inside the barn. He claimed his men only had swords to defend themselves.
The word "massacre," which used to mean a butcher's block or knife in French, started to be used with its new meaning: a brutal killing of many people.
More Violence and Rebellions
The Massacre of Wassy led to more religious violence. On April 12, people in Sens killed over 100 Huguenots in their town. More massacres happened in other towns like Castelnaudary and Bar-sur-Seine in early 1562.
Huguenots who took over towns like Rouen and Troyes said they had to do it to protect themselves from being massacred like the people in Wassy.
The Start of War
After the massacre, Catherine de' Medici told Guise to come to court right away. But Guise went to Paris instead, where Catholic people welcomed him as a hero. Catherine, as the ruler, saw how dangerous the powerful leaders were in the city. She ordered Guise and the leader of the Huguenot party, the Prince of Condé, to leave Paris. Guise refused.
Because of this and the massacre, Condé marched to Orléans and took control of it on April 2. A few days later, he released a statement explaining why he was rebelling. He mentioned the "cruel and horrible killing at Vassy, in the presence of M. de Guise." Soon after, at a Protestant meeting in Orléans, he was named the protector of all Protestant churches in France.
The First French War of Religion
The main battles of this war happened at the Siege of Rouen, the Battle of Dreux, and the Siege of Orléans. At the Siege of Rouen, the King's forces took back the city, but the King of Navarre died from his injuries. In the Battle of Dreux, Condé was captured by the King's forces, and the Constable of France Montmorency was captured by the rebels.
In February 1563, during the Siege of Orléans, Guise was killed by a Huguenot named Jean de Poltrot de Méré. Since he was killed outside of direct combat, the Guise family believed it was an assassination ordered by the Duke's enemy, Admiral Coligny. The anger caused by this killing, along with the city of Orléans resisting the siege, led Catherine de' Medici to arrange a truce. This resulted in the Edict of Amboise on March 19, 1563, which brought a temporary end to the fighting.
See also
- List of massacres in France
- Massacre of Sens
- St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
