Massacre of Vassy

March 1, 1562

The Duke of Guise's armed retinue, passing through the Champagne town of Vassy, slaughtered dozens of Huguenots worshiping illegally in a barn. News spread across France within days. The French Wars of Religion had begun, and would not truly end until the Edict of Nantes in 1598. The death toll of thirty to seventy crossed the threshold from political intimidation to religious violence that defined France for thirty-six years.