Soon after midnight of 24 August, a day dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, patron of butchers, Guise and a small group of men made their way through the dark streets of Paris to the house where Coligny was staying.
Catherine had retired early, but arose at two in the morning to join Charles and Anjou in the king's apartments. All over the city, the king's soldiers waited to carry out their orders.
Suddenly, a single shot rang out into the night. No one knew where it had come from, or what it signaled, but Catherine and Anjou were struck with such terror that they sent word to Guise to cancel the entire plot. Nothing could happen as long as the Admiral was still alive. They waited anxiously until a messenger from Guise arrived. It was too late. The Admiral was dead.[24]
Coligny had not died peacefully, however. When Guise gave the signal, Anjou's men rushed into the house, killing anyone who got in their way. They finally reached Coligny's room, where they saw the Admiral waiting patiently. They stabbed him repeatedly, and then threw him out the window. He was still breathing, and he caught the window ledge before the men pushed him onto the street below. Guise kicked him in the face before one of his men cut off Coligny's head. The deed was complete, but the night was far from over.[25]
Guise sent one of his men to St. Germain l'Auxerrois to give the signal, and as the tocsin rang out, the citizens of Paris awoke. The king's executioners, wearing white armbands and crosses on their hats, went from door to door, killing everyone on their list.[26] Inside the palace, Charles sent for Navarre and Condé, who had no idea why they had been summoned. Charles told them of his order to kill the Huguenot leaders and then offered the young princes a choice: mass, death, or the Bastille.[27] They had three days to make their decision.
In the streets, meanwhile, the executions had taken an even uglier turn. "Paris was a Catholic city, not merely by tradition, habit, or even laziness, like several other big cities in the kingdom of France, but because its faith had the violent, brutal gregariousness which Paris can evince on the occasion of serious political crises."[28] In their eyes, the crisis had arrived, and they were going to do everything in their power to avert it.
Suddenly, a single shot rang out into the night. No one knew where it had come from, or what it signaled, but Catherine and Anjou were struck with such terror that they sent word to Guise to cancel the entire plot. Nothing could happen as long as the Admiral was still alive. They waited anxiously until a messenger from Guise arrived. It was too late. The Admiral was dead.[24]
Coligny had not died peacefully, however. When Guise gave the signal, Anjou's men rushed into the house, killing anyone who got in their way. They finally reached Coligny's room, where they saw the Admiral waiting patiently. They stabbed him repeatedly, and then threw him out the window. He was still breathing, and he caught the window ledge before the men pushed him onto the street below. Guise kicked him in the face before one of his men cut off Coligny's head. The deed was complete, but the night was far from over.[25]
Guise sent one of his men to St. Germain l'Auxerrois to give the signal, and as the tocsin rang out, the citizens of Paris awoke. The king's executioners, wearing white armbands and crosses on their hats, went from door to door, killing everyone on their list.[26] Inside the palace, Charles sent for Navarre and Condé, who had no idea why they had been summoned. Charles told them of his order to kill the Huguenot leaders and then offered the young princes a choice: mass, death, or the Bastille.[27] They had three days to make their decision.
In the streets, meanwhile, the executions had taken an even uglier turn. "Paris was a Catholic city, not merely by tradition, habit, or even laziness, like several other big cities in the kingdom of France, but because its faith had the violent, brutal gregariousness which Paris can evince on the occasion of serious political crises."[28] In their eyes, the crisis had arrived, and they were going to do everything in their power to avert it.
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