In 1584, following the death of François d’Anjou, the last brother of King Henry III, Henry of Navarre, first Prince of the Blood, became heir to the crown in accordance with Salic law. The Holy League, led by the House of Guise and supported by Spain, sought to oppose Henry of Navarre’s accession to the throne of France. During the Eighth War of Religion, the Guise faction seized Paris.
Henry III, driven from the capital, drew closer to Henry of Navarre and was reconciled with him at the Château of Plessis-lès-Tours. This reconciliation ultimately cost him his life: he was assassinated in 1589 by a Dominican friar, Jacques Clément.
Henry of Navarre, now King Henry IV of France, was not crowned at Chartres until 27 February 1594, after having abjured Protestantism. On 22 March 1594, he made his entry into Paris.
The year 1598 marked the return of peace, achieved through the signing of the Edict of Nantes.
