The Huguenot’s had increased their social power along with their political power to the point that they had become entwined by 1562. This is exemplified by the fact that the head of the most senior family in France was a Huguenot, Antoine of Navarre, and that Admiral Coligny another leading Huguenot had become one of the king’s closest advisors and constable of France. This increase in social power culminated in the marriage between Henry of Navarre, a Huguenot, and Marguerite de Valois, a Catholic, in 1572. The Huguenot’s were now able to exercise tighter control over France because they were socially strong. However it only fanned the flames of Catholic resentment giving them an excuse to wage war upon the Huguenot’s. Therefore it can be considered as an important factor in the start of the French wars of religion.
However the developing social and political strength of the Huguenot’s was not the only reason why the wars began in 1562. A significant factor was the fact that after Henry II’s sudden death in 1559 he left a feeble monarch on the throne, Lotherington describes this as the opening of the “Floodgates of discontent”. Francis II lacked the maturity and experience needed to be a strong absolute monarch. Consequently the Guise were able to take control of the crown and persecute the Huguenot’s under the Edict of Écouen 1559 until Francis’ death in 1560. Thus without a strong monarch to maintain order in France and command loyalty from its noblemen , the French noble factions were out of control and free to wage war upon each other with little or no opposition.
By 1562 France was in an economic depression due to the cost of the lengthy Habsburg-Valois conflict and inflation. The French crown had a debt of 40 million livres with only a 12 million livres per year income. This was in part due to its expensive foreign policy but also because of its “policy of magnificence” which only helped to increase the debt burden. Thus the crown was unstable it was not able to financially sustain the country’s law and order, hence the outbreak of war in 1562. With the end of the Habsburg- Valois conflict came an increase in the rate of unemployment due to the number of soldiers who had no skills to offer employers because, in most cases, they had fought in the wars for many years. To avoid starvation, following a series of bad harvests, many of these soldiers joined one of the three noble factions: Guise, Montmorency or Bourbon. The noble factions now had an army behind them and so had more power to challenge each other with. Therefore the economic depression was a very important factor in the outbreak of war in 1562 because the soldiers were desperate for war so that they could earn enough money to survive.
Possibly the most important factor in the outbreak of the French wars of religion was the release of the forces of noble faction in 1559. All the factions were vying for power and to expand their power base at the expense of the other factions. This is exemplified by the Montmorency’s high degree of influence during the reign of Henry II but under Francis II the Guise had considerably more power whilst the Montmorency’s had very little, which can be seen in the execution of Anne de Bourg in 1559. The Guise had managed to increase their power at the cost of the Montmorency’s by marrying Mary Stuart to Francis II. Therefore they were able to control France in the name of Francis II. But this seizure of power infuriated the other factions especially the Bourbons and so encouraged war. Due to the end of the Habsburg-Valois conflict the noble factions had managed to employ large clientage’s which they could use at any time. Although such followings are sometimes useful to kings when they have to go to war they can, as in this case, prove a major problem. Catherine de Medici constantly had to determine which faction was the most powerful and could do the most damage and join them to prevent France from being overrun. For example in 1562 she allied herself with the Triumvirate who not only had support from French noble factions but from the Pope and Phillip II of Spain, to prevent France being taken over and Catherine losing her regency to Charles IX and ability to manipulate him. The Triumvirate had become a powerful force by 1562 and as a result were able to carry out their aim of maintaining Catholic supremacy in France regardless of the Monarchy’s opinions. This is exemplified by their strong opposition to Calvinist theology at Piossy, 1561. Consequently they were able to succeed where the Huguenot’s had failed, in 1562 they captured the King and Catherine de Medici. Thus they possibly had the means needed to remove Protestantism from both France and its monarchy.
Vassy, 1562, was the final factor, both sides wanted war. The Huguenot’s were incensed by the massacre because the edict of January had not been confirmed by parliament till after the massacre, consequently there was an issue of legality, was it murder or punishment? The Huguenot’s wanted vengeance for the massacre; this is exemplified by Condé taking Orleans in august 1562. This was not the first time that the Huguenot’s and Catholic’s had clashed but it was the first time that the leader of the faction had participated in the blood shed. This is exemplified by the fact that when they returned from Vassy the duke and his entourage were hailed as the saviours of the Catholic faith. However the duke’s blatant arrogance instigated the war between the two religions.
In conclusion the social and political development of the Huguenot’s allowed them not only to become a serious threat to the insecure crown but to Catholic supremacy in France, to the extent that in 1589 Henry of Navarre was crowned king as a known Huguenot. However this was not the most important factor in explaining the outbreak of war in 1562, but rather the presence of the noble factions and their determination to win religious and political domination of France at what ever cost.