saint bartholomew's day, massacre of, france, 1572

In the winter of 1564, young Princess Margot is sent to the court of France to marry Henri of Navarre in a political alliance planned by her mother, Queen Catherine de M?dicis. When Margot's wedding turns into a violent massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.

Marguerite de Valois is considered the most beautiful woman in the French Court in 1565 and is in love with Henri of Guise, but her mother, Catherine de Medici, and brothers have other plans, forcing Marguerite to marry Henry of Navarre, and leading Marguerite and her new husband into a hostage situation in the midst of the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew.

Explains the evangelical and Lutheran origins of the Huguenot Church in France, challenges simplistic interpretations of the religious conflict as purely a cloak for political rebellion, provides concise analyses of the wars themselves, and evaluates the extent of France's recovery under Henry IV.