War ravaged France. Although fewer in numbers than their foes, the Huguenots fought so fiercely they managed to extract concessions which allowed them to build churches and manage affairs in cities where they had majorities. But the bloodshed imprinted animosity between Protestants and the Catholic majority. Out of this smoldering hatred flared up one of the most despicable events of church history. Wounded, he returned home to recover.
Accounts disagree as to what happened next and who was responsible.
Coligny's death was the signal for a general butchery of the Huguenots. This atrocity is known to history as the St. Bartholomew's Massacre because it lasted into that saint's day. Huguenots were slaughtered in cold blood into the morning of the 24th in Paris and for days in outlying regions. As many as 70,000 perished. The rest fled to fortified cities and fought back.