French Wars of Religion
From 1562 to 1598, France experienced terrible wars of religion. The Army Museum owns a rich collection of warfare practices and weaponry of that time.
The French Wars of Religion involved few large-scale battles, but rather small-scale conflicts. After 40 years of hostilities interspersed with respite periods, the Edict of Nantes, signed in 1598 by King Henry IV, put an end to the wars by offering freedom of conscience and worship to Protestants (until the limited resumption of the Protestant rebellion under King Louis XIII …)
The capture of cities represented a large part of military operations conducted during the French Wars of Religion. In the foreground, Protestant troops are approaching the ramparts.
On the right, the artillery is responsible for breaching the ramparts.
In the background, sappers (combat engineers) are weakening a bastion—they are destroying the fortification by attacking its foundations.
All the different stages of a siege are described. The siege of Chartres, shown here, was halted by the peace of Longjumeau (1568), which put an end to the Second War of Religion. But there was a third one to come …
Anne de Montmorency was wounded during one of these sieges—one in Dreux in 1562.
Bourguignotte portée par Anne de Montmorency lors de la bataille de Dreux, le 19 décembre 1562 Vue de profilMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
The monogram AM indicates that Anne de Montmorency was the owner of this helmet (indeed, Anne was a first name for both sexes at the time). Aged 69, the constable was wounded and taken prisoner by the Protestants during the battle of Dreux on December 19, 1562.
Bourguignotte portée par Anne de Montmorency lors de la bataille de Dreux, le 19 décembre 1562 Vue de trois-quart visière levéeMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
The mask of his iron helmet, called a burgonet, has been pierced on the left side with an impact of 0.8 inch (2 cm) due to the shot of a firearm. He was hit in the jaw and lost two teeth—a pretty lucky escape!
Nobody was spared during the Wars of Religion. Many important figures from both sides died either while fighting or were assassinated.
In the wake of their victory in Dreux, the Catholics, led by François de Guise, besieged Orléans. The city was about to fall, when on February 18, 1563, Protestant Jean Poltrot de Méré killed the Duke of Guise, thus depriving the Catholics of one of their most prestigious leaders.
Ambushed along a road that the Duke of Guise was supposed to take, Jean Poltrot shot him and fled.
La rencontre des deux armées françaises entre Cognac et Châteauneuf, le 13 mars 1569 (16th century) by Jean Perrissin (designer) and Jacques Tortorel (designer)Musée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
This print documents the battle of Jarnac, which took place in March 1569, during the Third War of Religion (1568–1570). It depicts the clash between the cavalry led by the Protestant prince, Prince de Condé, and that of his opponent, the King's brother (and future Henri III).
Several episodes of the battle are depicted—the scrimmage, the moment when Prince de Condé was found lying on the ground under his horse, and his assassination by a bullet in the back.
The exact composition of the opposing armies is difficult to determine. However, both sides resorted to foreign troops, notably the Lansquenets and the Reiter, Germanic mercenaries who served the highest bidder.
Demi-armure, Allemagne, XVIe siècle (Between 1575 and 1580)Musée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
Protected by flimsy armor coated with blackish material, the Lansquenets, who were Germanic mercenary foot soldiers, were armed with long pikes, halberds, and various types of swords, although the spread of firearms reduced the role of bladed weapons.
Demi-armure de lansquenet Vue de faceMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
The Reiters were German mercenary cavalry who operated in squadrons and fought with pistols using the so-called snail (limaçon) tactic—each rank detached from the squadron, moved to the front, and emptied its pistols before returning to the back to reload their weapons.
Modèle réduit de caisson-orgue portant 6 arquebuses à croc des calibres de France (1882) by Atelier du musée d'Artillerie and Artillery museum workshopMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
Weapons evolved during these 36 years of war. This small model equipment carrying case allowed infantry to save a considerable amount of time—mounted on a pivot, the arquebuses (a long gun) were immediately ready to fire.
Paire de pistolets à rouet, Saxe, 1588 (1588)Musée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
The use of the pistolwas the main innovation in 16th-century warfare. Developed around 1540, the wheellock pistol allowed horseback soldiers to have a ready-to-fire weapon. These heavy, large-caliber weapons lacked accuracy and required close-range use.
Arquebuse à rouet, France de l'Est, vers 1565-1570 Vue généraleMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
In French infantry regiments, nearly three-quarters of the firepower was made up of arquebusiers. This proportion dropped to one-third among German Lansquenets and to less than 15% among the Swiss, who were traditionally reluctant in the use of firearms.
A story written and edited by the teams of the Musée de l'Armée.
© Musée de l’Armée
This story was produced as part of the temporary exhibition The Hate of Clans (from 5 April to 30 July 2023): https://www.musee-armee.fr/au-programme/expositions/detail/la-haine-des-clans-guerres-de-religion-1559-1610.html
