The Huguenot Bartholomew Dupuy and his descendants

HUGUENOT STRUGGLES. 71
to the Huguenots that the design of the Pope, introa.
of the King of Spain, and of the French Court, 1614.
was to uproot all opposition
to Roman Catholicism,
and to establish absolute authority of
the King over all nobles, provinces, cities, and
towns, and to use all means, just or unjust, to
accomplish that end. The man to effect the design
was not yet even thought of by the court,
and had not yet
risen to the surface in the
Church of Rome. In 1614, Concini caused the
young King's majority, when he was thirteen
years of age, to be declared by Parliament, and
then called the States-General to meet in Paris
the following October. That assembly represented
faithfully the jealousies and ill-will between
the orders, and besides the interesting
fact that Du Plessis-Mornay, a Huguenot, laid
the grievances of his order before the King,
they did nothing towards removing from the
court the obnoxious favorites, Concini and his
wife, nor towards harmonizing the nobles ; and
finally broke up in confusion. The Regency
being ended, the young king, Louis XIII., in
assuming the reins of government, retained
the obnoxious favorites; and also ratified the
Edict of Nantes. The nobles of all ranks ex-
pressed their disapprobation of the favorites,
and political matters were now unsatisfactory.
In 1615, the Eong married Anne of Austria, 1615.
marching with an armed force to the borders
*^^^^"^2®
of his kingdom to receive his bride. As his louIs
march led through the Provinces of the ^"^•
Huguenots, he took great dislike for them.
He confined Conde in the Bastile, for his
open discontent; and many nobles retired
from court. For two years Concini steered his
perilous way between the young king, who
cared little for him, and between the Princes