The siege of Paris took place in 1590 during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

when the French Royal Army under

Henry of Navarre Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

, and supported by the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

, failed to capture the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

from the Catholic League. Paris was finally relieved from the siege by an international Catholic and Spanish army under the command of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma.

Background

After his victory over the Catholic forces commanded by

Charles, Duke of Mayenne Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (26 March 1554 – 3 October 1611), or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, followi ...

and Charles of Guise, Duke of Aumale at the Battle of Ivry on 14 March,

advanced with his troops on his main objective of

, possession of which would allow him to confirm his contested claim to the French throne. Paris at the time was a large walled city of around 200,000–220,000 people.

Siege of Paris

On 7 May, Henry's army surrounded the city, imposing a blockade and burnt

windmills A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some par ...

to prevent food from reaching

. Henry had at this point only around 12,000–13,000 troops, facing defenders estimated at around 30,000, mostly militia. Owing to the limited amount of heavy siege

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

that Henry had brought, it was thought that the Catholic city could only be compelled to surrender through starvation. The city's defence was placed in the hands of the young

Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Nemours Charles Emmanuel de Savoie, 3rd Duc de Nemours (7 February 1567 15 August 1595), was known as the prince of Genevois during his childhood. He was the Duke of Nemours from 1585 to his death in 1595, during the French Wars of Religion. Life Charle ...

.Horne. ''Seven Ages of Paris: Portrait of a City'' p.80–81 Henry set up his artillery on the hills of

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

, and bombarded the city from there. In July his force was swelled by reinforcements to 25,000 and by August he had overrun all the suburbs outside the city walls. Henry tried to negotiate the surrender of

, but his terms were rejected and the siege continued. On 30 August, news reached the city that a Spanish-Catholic relief army under general the Duke of Parma was on its way. The Duke of Parma's army was able to break the siege and send food supplies into the city. After a final attack on the city's ramparts failed, Henry broke off his siege and retreated. An estimated 40,000–50,000 of the population died during the siege, most of starvation.

Aftermath

After repeated failures to take the capital of

, Henry IV converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1593, reportedly declaring that "Paris is well worth a mass". The war-weary Parisians turned on the Catholic League's hardliners, who continued the conflict even after Henry had converted. Paris jubilantly welcomed the formerly Protestant Henry in 1594, and he was crowned King of France that year. Four years later he issued the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...

in an attempt to end the religious strife that had torn the country apart.Knecht. ''The French Wars of Religion (1559–1598)''

Notes

References

*Horne, Alistair. ''Seven Ages of Paris: Portrait of a City''. (2003) Pan Books. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Siege of (1590) 1590 in France Sieges involving France Battles involving Spain History of Catholicism in France Battles of the French Wars of Religion Battles in Île-de-France Conflicts in 1590 Sieges involving Spain Sieges involving England Siege 1590

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

16th-century military history of France Cannibalism in Europe Incidents of cannibalism

Background

Siege of Paris

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References