Wars of Religion, (1562–98) conflicts in France between Protestants and Roman Catholics. The spread of French Calvinism persuaded the French ruler Catherine de Médicis to show more tolerance for the Huguenots, which angered the powerful Roman Catholic Guise family.
The nation was left in a weak condition after achieving independence in 1821. Agricultural, mining, and manufacturing activity had all plummeted as a result of the conflict, and more than half a million Mexicans had perished.
