The Renaissance only arrived in France in 1494, when Charles VIII (1483-1498), son of Louis XI, invaded Italy. Following the invasion, the French king was captivated by the charms of Italian Renaissance art and brought with him Italian artists, who began to decorate his palaces.
However, during his time and that of his successor, Louis XII (12-1498), Renaissance art could be found mainly in the Loire Valley, while Paris remained a medieval city in character.Paris The Renaissance reached its full potential only during the reign of François I (1515-1547). Its symbol, the salamander, can be found in several hidden places in the city (try to spot it on Place Leopold Achille in the Marais district, or in the Hirondelle alley near the Saint-Michel fountain).
In Paris, there are several palaces and houses remaining from this period, the most famous of which is The New Louvre Palace, whose construction was begun by Francis I about a year before his death. The construction of the palace was continued by his son, Henry II (1547-1559), and almost all of his kings France And the emperors who came after him added their own wings to it.
Another example of Renaissance architecture in Paris is the “Fountain of the Innocents” (Fontaine des Innocents), located not far from From the Pompidou Center And is a reminder of an ancient cemetery that was located there until the end of the 18th century. Beyond the construction projects, the period of François I is also remembered for a cultural flourishing of poetry and prose. If you want to taste a little of this cultural wealth, try reading the books of François Rabelais - enjoyment is guaranteed.
Alongside the building boom, the reign of François I is also known for two revolutions that changed France forever. The first was the “Edict of Villers-Cotterêts” of 1539, which transformed the The French language The official language of the kingdom (instead of Latin, which had been used until then in all official documents).
The second revolution was not initiated by the king, and came to France from the German principalities, but its influence on the next hundred years was decisive. This is, of course, the Protestant Reformation, which was started by Martin Luther (1483-1546) and gained great popularity in France, especially among the elites.
French Protestants were called “Huguenots.” At the beginning of the reign of Francis I, they were treated relatively tolerantly, but as time passed, the king began to see them as a threat and persecuted them (some of the most prominent Huguenots of the period were burned at the stake in Place Maubert). Despite the persecution, the Huguenot movement continued to grow, and at the same time, as a counter-reaction, the “Catholic League” was formed, whose goal was to destroy the Huguenots and ensure that France remained Catholic.
The Wars of Religion: Internal Ruptures and Cruelty
Francis I and his son, Henry II, were strong kings, and despite the rising religious tensions of their time, they managed to maintain internal peace. In 1559, Henry II even managed to reach a peace treaty with Spain, which ended 65 years of French involvement in Italy.
However, during the celebrations of peace, Henry II was killed in an accident at a knights' tournament, and the religious powder keg on which France sat exploded. Henry II had four sons, three of whom succeeded him: Francis II (1559-1560), a sickly boy who died at the age of 16, and his two brothers, Charles IX (1560-1574) and Henry III (1574-1589). In practice, the one who ruled the kingdom was their mother, Catherine de Medici (1519-1589).
Into the resulting governmental vacuum, the Huguenots and Catholics were sucked in, and France plunged into a series of bloody civil wars, which lasted on and off for nearly 40 years.
The most famous and brutal event of that period is the “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre” (August 1572), which took place a few days after the wedding of Henry of Navarre, the leader of the Huguenots, and Marguerite de Valois, daughter of the King of France and sister of King Charles IX. This marriage was intended to put an end to the struggle, but the leaders of the Catholic faction, encouraged by Catherine de Medici, decided to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the top Huguenot leadership that had arrived in Paris.
The signal for the massacre was given by the ringing of the bell in the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, near the Louvre. Following this, an enthusiastic Catholic mob took to the streets and massacred thousands of Protestants for days. Despite the horror, the massacre failed to eliminate the Huguenot movement, and the civil war continued (Henry of Navarre himself was saved from the massacre thanks to the intervention of his wife).
In 1588, the Duke of Guise, leader of the Catholic League, was assassinated by King Henry III. In retaliation, the king himself was assassinated by a fanatical Catholic monk in 1589. On his deathbed, Henry III named his brother-in-law, Henry of Navarre, as his successor, and he became King Henry IV (1589–1610). Paris, a stronghold of extreme Catholicism, refused to accept the rule of a Huguenot king, and civil war continued.
Henry IV was forced to lay siege to Paris. Although the city was on the verge of famine, it did not surrender. Finally, in 1593, Henry IV decided to convert to Catholicism, during which he is credited with the famous saying “Paris is worth a mass.” Only in this way was the king able to enter the city and gain the recognition of its inhabitants, and a few years later he ended the Wars of Religion with the “Edict of Nantes” (1598), which granted rights to Protestants.
Henry IV rebuilds Paris
When Henry IV entered Paris in 1594, he found the city in ruins and wounded. Together with his talented finance minister, the Duc de Silli, he began to rebuild France as a whole and Paris in particular. He had in mind the declared goal that every peasant in his kingdom “should have a chicken in a pot every Sunday.” In addition to economic reforms, Henry IV initiated magnificent construction projects in Paris and left behind a number of Monuments, some of which sparked an urban revolution.
First, Henry IV continued the construction of the palace The Louvre (The wing he built is in the southwestern part of the palace.) The king also built theVon Nef ("The New Bridge"), the first bridge in Paris to be built without houses on it, a move that was a planning revolution. Finally, the king built two royal squares: the Place Dauphin, adjacent to the Place Neuf, andPlace de Vosges, which also revolutionized urban planning.
Henry IV planned another, even more magnificent square, called the Place de France, to be built in the northern part of the Marais. This plan never came to fruition, as the king was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic in 1610 while stuck in traffic on Rue Ferronnerie.
Recommended films about Paris during the Renaissance
Chapters from "Once Upon a Time"
The only chapter relevant to this period is the chapter on the Renaissance, which, although it takes place mostly in Italy, but towards the end also describes the special relationship between Leonardo da Vinci and King Francis I:
Other interesting films about the period
The first film I recommend is “Queen Margot,” based on the book by Alexandre Dumas, and tells the story of Marguerite de Valois and Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) against the backdrop of the Wars of Religion.
The second film, “The Return of Martin Guerre,” although not set in Paris, is a great film set in 16th century France and deals with a soldier, presumed dead, who returns to his village to his wife who does not recognize him.
Additional articles on the site dealing with the period
In Venezia, Cellini and the Saltworks of Francis I
The life of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II
How was the legend of “Beauty and the Beast” created in 16th-century France?
The Story of Cinderella from Lauren
The oldest and most beautiful clock in Paris
Gabrielle d'Astra, the mistress who almost became Queen of France
Want to read more about the history of Paris?
You are welcome to go toNext chapter in the Paris history series And learn about other periods in the history of the City of Lights.
