The massacre of St. Bartholomew

A historical study traces the escalation of sectarian conflict in sixteenth-century France, describing earlier persecutions that shaped Protestant resistance and the outbreak of mass violence in Paris. The narrative combines chronological account and document-based analysis, weighing rival interpretations of whether the slaughter was premeditated or a reactive panic, and draws on diplomatic correspondence, private letters, and provincial records. The author urges restrained judgment, highlights the moral costs of persecution, and emphasizes careful use of sources while aiming to reconstruct events impartially.