Fact of the Day: Bad Wedding

During the reign of King Charles IX of France, tensions between Catholics and Protestants were awful to put it nicely. He attempted to create peace by having his sister Margaret of Valois marry his distant cousin Henry of Navarre who was Protestant. Many protestants gathered to see Henry get married but the King (though many believe his mother was more of the mastermind) ordered the killings of Protestants especially in their leadership. By the end thousands were dead, but Henry managed to escape from his Catholic enemies and later ruled France as Henry IV.