In the shadow of the Saint Bartholomew’s massacre: justice for victims and the negotiations for peace, 1572–1575
Résumé
Abstract This article examines the negotiations between Henri III and Protestant delegates in April–May 1575. Although they did not lead to the hoped-for pacification of the civil wars that had begun in the wake of the massacre of Saint Bartholomew, the surviving, detailed journal of the discussions, emanating probably from the leading Protestant negotiator, gives us an insight into the way the massacre overshadowed their deliberations. The article focuses on the demands for justice for the victims of the events of 1572 and the discussions that ensued. They enable us to see how the massacre was a negotiating counter, and to explain why, ultimately, there would be no justice for the victims.