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in France, making the religious beliefs of the king integral to his political goals. Thus these
scholars argue that matters of faith have to be considered in conjunction with political theory
when studying this period. This approach is critical to my argument because Henri IV’s
conversion was the only way that the king could continue the Catholic traditions so important to
the French monarchy. Among these were the legend of the first French Christian king, the piety
of the sainted Louis IX, and the prestige of the God-given fleurs-de-lis, all of which Gallic
monarchs had used to express the kingdom‘s esteemed status. Louis XIII would liberally
employ these traditions, while Maria de’ Medici would often conspicuously neglect them.
Among the most notable acts performed by the king was his conversion to Catholicism in
1593, a decision which Michael Wolfe argues was extremely significant in early modern France.
By rejecting his Protestant faith, Henri IV initiated the end of the Wars of Religion, allowing for
the rebuilding of France and setting in motion the process by which he would exercise royal
authority. As mentioned previously, Henri’s abjuration of Protestantism played an important
role in getting the majority of Catholics to recognize the Bourbon leader as the legitimate king of
France. The militant Catholics created the League because of the threat of a Protestant king, but
Henri’s subsequent conversion substantially weakened the group’s power by putting an end to
the cause that had united the members. Thus one of the major points of contention of the eighth
and final War of Religion was resolved.
The Protestants’ desire for rights to worship, however, still had to be addressed. To bring
relief to his one-time religious allies who had stood by him for so long, Henri IV proclaimed the
Edict of Nantes in 1598, which provided limited rights of worship for members of the Reformed
religion. 30 The king, who supported reuniting France under one Christian faith, viewed the edict
as a temporary measure of religious coexistence, not as a policy of toleration. Indeed two
attempts were made during Henri‘s reign to join the Protestants and Catholics. One project
intended to unite the two confessions under one patriarch, who would only answer to the king,
while the other sought to create a model comparable to the Church of England. 31 Although
neither of these ideas came to fruition, the edict, combined with Henri’s defeat of the last of the
League warlords, also in 1598, provided an end to the civil wars. Despite the appearance of
peace, the monarchy’s continued toleration of Protestantism aggravated the conservative
Catholics, perpetuating the division among the faithful.
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