Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/600

 564 F K A N C E [HISTORY. 3539-91. price of declaring himself Catholic, the Huguenots would be offended if not alienated. So he neither absolutely re fused nor said yes ; and the chief Catholic nobles, in the main, stood aloof, watching the struggle between Huguenot and Leaguer, as it worked out its course. Henry, thus weakened, abandoned the siege of Paris, and fell back; with the bulk of his forces he marched into Normandy, so as to be within reach of English succour ; a considerable army went into Champagne, to be ready to join any Swiss or German help that might come. These were the great days of the life of Henry of Navarre. After the rough training of his boyhood, when his noble mother was no more, and he had become entangled with the dis solute Valois court, he had taken willing share in their debaucheries, and seemed no better than the rest ; after he had secured his throne, he relapsed again into a scandalous life, which dimmed the lustre of his vigorous government. But now he was at his best ; in the life of camps, the ex citements of the battlefield, in the flashes of genius with which he fought successfully against heavy odds, Henry showed himself a hero, who strove for a great cause the cause of European freedom as well as for his own crown. The duke of Mayenne followed the Huguenots down into the west, and found Henry awaiting him in a strong posi tion at Arques, near Dieppe ; here at bay the &quot; Bearnais &quot; inflicted a heavy blow on his assailants; Mayenne fell back into Picardy ; the prince of Lorraine drew off alto gether ; and Henry marched back triumphantly to Paris, ravaged the suburbs, and then withdrew to Tours, where he was recognized as king by the parliament. His campaign of 1589 had been most successful; he had defeated the League in a great battle, thanks to his skilful use of his position at Arques, and the gallantry of his troops, which more than counterbalanced the great disparity in numbers. He had seen dissension break out among his enemies ; even the pope, Sixtus V., had shown him some favour, and the Politique nobles were certainly not going against him. Early in 1590 Henry had secured Anjou, Maine, and Normandy, and in March defeated Mayenne in a great pitched battle at Tvry, not far from Dreux. The Leaguers fell back in consternation to Paris. Henry reduced all the country round the capital, and sat down before it for a stubborn siege. The duke of Parma had at that time his hands full in the Low Countries ; young prince Maurice was beginning to show his great abilities as a soldier, and had got possession of Breda ; all, however, had to be suspended by the Spaniards on that side, rather than let Henry of Navarre take Paris. Parma with great skill relieved the capital without striking a blow, and the campaign of 1590 ended in a failure for Henry. The success of Parma, however, made Frenchmen feel that Henry s was the national cause, and that the League nourished only by in terference of the foreigner. Were the king of Navarre but a Catholic, he should be a king of France of whom they might all be proud. This feeling was strengthened by the death of the old Cardinal Bourbon, which re-opened at once the succession question, and compelled Philip of Spain to show his hand. He now claimed the throne for his daughter Elizabeth, as eldest daughter of the eldest daughter of Henry II. All the neighbours of France claimed some thing ; Frenchmen felt that it was either Henry IV. or dismemberment. The &quot; Bearnais &quot; grew in men s minds to be the champion of the Salic law, of the hereditary prin ciple of royalty against feudal weakness, of unity against dismemberment, of the nation against the foreigner. The middle party, the Politiques of Europe, the English, that is, and the Germans, sent help to Henry, by means of which he was able to hold his own in the north-west and south-west throughout 1 591. Late in the year the violence of the Sixteen of Paris drew on them severe punishment from the duke of Mayenne ; and consequently the duke 1 ceased to be the recognized head of the League, which now looked entirely to Philip II. and Parma, while Paris ceased to be its headquarters ; and more moderate counsels having taken the place of its fierce fanaticism, the capital came under the authority of the lawyers and citizens, instead of the priesthood and the bloodthirsty mob. Henry meanwhile, who was closely beleaguering Rouen, was again outgeneraled by Parma, and had to raise the siege. Parma, following him westwards, was wounded at Caudebec; and though he carried his army triumphantly back to the Netherlands, his career was ended by this trifling wound. He did no more, and died in 1592. In 1593, Mayenne having sold his own claims to Philip Tl of Spain, the opposition to Henry looked more solid and ve dangerous than ever ; he therefore thought the time was f come for the great step which should rally to him all the moderate Catholics. After a decent period of negotiation and conferences, he declared himself convinced, and heard mass at St Denis. The conversion had immediate effect ; it took the heart out of the opposition ; city after city came in ; the longing for peace was strong in every breast, and the conversion seemed to remove the last obstacle. The Huguenots, little as they liked it, could not oppose the step, and hoped to profit by their champion s improved position. Their ablest man, Sully, had even advised Henry to make the plunge. In 1594 Paris opened her gates to Henry, ; who had been solemnly crowned, just before, at Chartres. , He wa r j welcomed with immense enthusiasm, and from that day onwards has ever been the favourite hero of the capital. By 1595 only one foe remained, the Spanish court. The League was now completely broken up ; the parliament of j Paris gladly aided the king to expel the Jesuits from j France. In November 1595 Henry declared war against V Spain, for any thing was better than the existing state of * things, in which Philip s hand secretly supported all oppo sition. The war in 159G was far from being successful for Henry; he was comforted, however, by receiving at last the papal absolution, which swept away the last scruples of France. By rewards and kindliness, for Henry was always will ing to give and had a pleasant word for all, most of the reluctant nobles, headed by the duke of Mayenne himself, came in in the course of 1596. Still the war pressed very heavily, and early in 1597 the capture of Amiens by the Spaniards alarmed Paris, and roused the king to fresh energies. With help of Sully (who had not yet received the title by which he is known to history) Henry recovered Amiens, and checked the Spanish advance. It was noticed that while the old Leaguers came very heartily to the king s help, the Huguenots hung back in a discontented and suspicious spirit. After the fall of Amiens the war languished ; the pope offered to mediate, and Henry had time to breathe. He felt that his old comrades the offended Huguenots had good cause for complaint ; and in April 1598 he issued the famous Edict of Nantes, which secured 1 their position for nearly a century. They got toleration } for their opinions ; might worship openly in all places, with 1 the exception of a few towns in which the League had been strong; were qualified to hold office in financial posts and in the law ; had a Protestant chamber in the parlia ments. The number of Huguenots is said to have been at this time rather over a million in all, though little trust can be put in figures ; they were strong in Burgundy, Poitou, Saintonge, Provence, Guyenne, and Danphiny; in the rest of France there were but few of them. Immediately after ths publication of the Edict of Nantes. the Treaty of Vervins was signed. Though Henry by it* broke faith with Queen Elizabeth, he secured an honourable peace for his country, and undisputed kingship for himself. S