On 24 February 1563, François, Duke of Guise was assassinated by the Huguenot Jean de Poltrot during the Siege of Orléans. His death represents a critical turning point in the French Wars of Religion.
![Assassination of the Duke of Guise, engraved by Jacque Tortorel and Jean Perrissin [fr] in 1570](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Assassinat_du_duc_Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Guise%2C_18_f%C3%A9vrier_1563.jpg/500px-Assassinat_du_duc_Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Guise%2C_18_f%C3%A9vrier_1563.jpg)
Assassination of the Duke of Guise, engraved by Jacque Tortorel and Jean Perrissin [fr] in 1570
A portrait of the Duke of Guise by François Clouet
Massacre of Vassy
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The Massacre of Vassy was the murder of Huguenot worshippers and citizens in an armed action by troops of the Duke of Guise, in Wassy, France on 1 March 1562. The massacre is identified as the first m
Late 16th-century print of the massacre