1-156-918 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Henry of Lorraine, 3rd Duc de Guise, 16th century French soldier and statesman, c1820. Henry of Lorraine (1550-1588) was one of the instigators of the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which began on 24 August 1572 and resulted in the murder of tens of thousands of French Protestants (Huguenots) by Catholic mobs. He founded the French Catholic League in 1576 with the objective of preventing the heir, the Protestant Henry of Navarre, from becoming king. Guise was assassinated by order of Henry III on 23 December 1588.