Gaspar de Ch-atillon Coligni From 1552 admiral of France. From 1569 head of the Huguenots. Killed on St. Bartholomew's Night. Date of Birth: 16.02.1519 Country: France

1. Biography of Gaspard de Châtillon Coligny
2. Early Life and Career
3. Huguenot Leader
4. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

Biography of Gaspard de Châtillon Coligny

Gaspard de Châtillon Coligny was a French statesman and military leader, renowned as one of the leaders of the Huguenots in France and as the head of the Montmorency clan. He was born on February 16, 1519, in Châtillon-sur-Loing, into an ancient aristocratic family.

Early Life and Career

Coligny participated in the Italian Wars and in 1547, he was appointed as the chief of the French infantry. In 1552, he became the Admiral of France. However, during the Battle of Saint-Quentin in 1557, he was captured by the Spaniards and taken as a prisoner to Ghent. It was during his captivity that he became influenced by the ideas of Calvinism. After his release in October 1559, Coligny returned to France and joined the Huguenots, taking on a leadership role following the death of Prince Condé in 1569.

Huguenot Leader

Coligny was a proponent of religious tolerance and advocated for the freedom of worship. He played a crucial role in the negotiation of the advantageous Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1570, which secured favorable terms for the Huguenots. As a close advisor to French King Charles IX, Coligny encouraged an active foreign policy, including colonial expansion in the Americas and, most importantly, a war against Catholic Spain, which he considered France's main enemy. He secretly prepared for intervention in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands.

The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

Coligny's influence on the king caused concern for Catherine de' Medici and the Guise family, who sought to exploit the discontent of many Parisians by bolstering the Huguenots. An assassination attempt was organized against the admiral, but the hired assassin only managed to wound him on August 22, 1572. On August 24, 1572, Admiral Gaspard Coligny was killed during the mass killing of Huguenots in Paris, known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.