Introduction: Are the French Wars of Religion a Period or a Problem?

France – The Wars of Religion, 1562-98

In this course, Professor Mark Greengrass (University of Sheffield) explores the French Wars of Religion. In the first module, we consider whether the Wars of Religion are a period or a problem, thinking in particular about the key characteristics of the period, as well as the history of the term 'French Wars of Religion' itself. In the second module, we begin to question the accepted view of the chronology of the French Wars of Religion—namely, that it began with the death of Henry II and ended with the Edict of Nantes. After that, we consider whether the Wars of Religion really were fundamentally religious or civil wars, before moving on in the fourth module to consider the political and military organisations of the period. In the fifth module, we look more closely at why the Wars of Religion became synonymous with massacres and what the religious component in these massacres might be said to be. In the sixth and final module, we think about peace-making in the period, and the difficult process by which the Wars of Religion were brought to an end.

Introduction: Are the French Wars of Religion a Period or a Problem?

In this module, we consider whether the French Wars of Religion are a period or a problem, thinking in particular about the key characteristics of the period of the French Wars of Religion, as well as the history of the term 'French Wars of Religion' itself.