Henry, Duke of Guise

Timeline

1. 1581–1585Nancy · Grand EstThe Duke of Guise built up military strength and Catholic prestige in his Lorraine and Champagne domains. After the death of the Duke of Anjou in 1584, he joined forces with the parties of the Holy Union to form the Catholic League, openly opposing the Huguenot heir Henry of Navarre, and forcing Henry III to revoke his succession rights in 1585 and become embroiled in war against the Huguenots.
2. 1585–1587Eastern France and Paris · FranceThe Duke of Guise commanded League forces against the Huguenots and royal armies, achieving some success in Champagne, Picardy, and elsewhere. Although he failed to prevent the Huguenot victory at Coutras in 1587, his prestige among Paris's Catholic populace grew, and he was seen as a better defender of the Catholic faith than the king himself.
3. 1588Paris, Blois · FranceDuring the Day of the Barricades on 12 May 1588, the Duke of Guise rallied Parisians to raise street barricades, forcing Henry III to withdraw from the capital and making him the de facto leader of Paris. In December that year he answered the king's summons to a conference at the Château de Blois, where on the 23rd he was stabbed by royal guards; his brother Cardinal Charles was killed the same day, provoking a fierce Catholic backlash.