Marie Queen of Scots /MQS on the 2 warring parties of the French WARS of RELIGION in 1562 As I heartily wish them well and by nature am bound so to do, so would I be loath to condemn all others that are not of my mind... Source: Gorman Scottish Queen p.199 Quoted in a letter by English ambassador Randolph about the MQS response to a letter from Queen Elizabeth Tudor /QE1 excusing herself for aggressively invading France with warring troops and violating the peace Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis of April 1559. MQS uncle the Francis Duke de Guise/ Lorraine and General Montmorency were the primary leaders of the French royal forces representing the Catholic factions. QE1 who had crowned herself Queen of France in January 1559 had no French territories over which to support her claim. The port town of Calais had been lost back to the France during her sister Queen Mary Tudors reign. The French house of Bourbon was attempting to usurp the French throne under cover of the Protestant-Huguenot religion as led by Admiral Coligny and his cousin Prince Conde of Bourbon. Regent Queen Catherine de Medici wanted to pacify the rebelling Huguenot forces and led the decree called the EDICT of St. GERMAIN in January 1562. The decree granted Huguenots release from persecution and allowed private worship conducted outside of the towns. However the MASSACRE of VASSY in March 1562 upset the decrees intention. At Vassy a group of Huguenots were in violation of the decree and holding a public worship service in a barn. The Duke de Guise entered the barn with his army and attempted to end the service. The intervention met resistance, throwing stones at the Dukes forces and quickly escalated into severe violence resulting in the loss of 60 out of the 700 Huguenot lives present. Fighting between the 2 factions escalated with the Huguenots led by Prince Conde seizing the city of Orleans in April 1562. Encouraged this was followed by Huguenot attacks on the French towns of Angers, Blois, Tours, Valence and Lyon. When Toulouse was attacked, the Catholic people fought back. In 1562, 1576 and 1587 Queen Elizabeth sent or arranged for armies to invade France - these were direct military interventions. In 1562 it was a royal English army, aided by squadrons of the Royal Navy all dispatched by the queen and directed to aide the (rebelling) Huguenots... The English government dispatched arms, equipment, munitions and money... In 1562 Elizabeth sought territorial compensation for the army she sent to northern France... Source: Recchia and Velsh Just & Unjust Military Intervention p.30 QE1/ England then proceeded to militarily occupy the French town of Le HAVRE/ New Haven. QE1 justified her invasion of France to MQS in a letter, at the time MQS was returned from putting down the Huntley rebellion in Scotlands northern regions: Dear Sister, If it were not impossible that one should forget her own heart, I should fear you thought I had drunk the waters of Lethe (Greek myth about a river of Hades that causes forgetfulness). But I assure you that besides there is no such river in England, you are the chief cause of the fault. To this letter MQS responded with the above quote. Source: Gorman Scottish Queen p.197 October 1562 QE1 contracted smallpox, nearly expiring of the same. In February 1563 MQS was attacked by the Huguenot agent Chatelard and her Uncle Duke de Guise assassinated by a Huguenot agent. In March 1563 Queen Medici was able to act quickly to unify both the Catholic and Huguenot forces in France against the invading English in the TREATY of AMBOISE driving QE1s forces out.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 19:20:31 +0000
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