Complex sentence: Their common dislike for the Catholic Church (Condé was an agnostic, and one of the leading defenders of the Huguenots), created a strong bond between them and, shortly before his death, it was suggested that Henry might marry Condé's niece.
Split into simpler sentences: Their common dislike for the Roman Catholic Church (Condé was an agnostic and one of the leading defenders of the Huguenots), created a strong bond between them. Shortly before his death, it was suggested that Henry might marry Condé's niece.