2-368-229 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, 1572 (1882-1884). The massacre occurred after a failed attempt by the powerful Catholic Guise family to murder the Huguenot (Protestant) leader Gaspard de Coligny (1519-1572). On 22 August 1572, Coligny was shot but only wounded. Fearing that her part in approving the plot would be discovered, Catherine de Medici, mother of King Charles IX, ordered the killing of the Huguenot leaders, who were gathered in Paris for the wedding of the future King Henry IV. The massacre began on 24 August 1572, and the Huguenot leaders, including Coligny, were killed. Afterwards, the massacre spread to ordinary Huguenots, initially in Paris, but later across much of the country, with Catholic mobs murdering tens of thousands of Protestants. Those who carried out the killings of the Huguenot leaders identified themselves with white armbands and a white cross on their hats. A print from La France et les Français à Travers les Siècle, Volume II, F Roy editor, A Challamel, Saint-Antoine, 1882-1884.