Henri IV and his Religious Conversions

Flip-flopping in politics is nothing new! Henri de Bourbon was born in 1553 and he was christened as his parents belonged to the Catholic church. Then his mother turned to the "Calvinist" branch of the Protestant Reformation movement, and so did Henri.

Years later, he married Marguerite de Médicis. The marriage had been arranged by her mother Catherine de Médicis to seal peace between Catholics and Protestants but that week, their wedding led to the "massacre of the Saint-Bartholomew” and Henri was forced to convert to back to Catholicism to save his life.

Later, Henri switched back to the Protestant belief (which was his actual faith) until opportunity knocked on his door: none of the sons of Catherine de Medicis and Henri II had descendants so there was no heir to the French crown. Henri de Bourbon being the closest heir, he happily converted again to Catholicism so he could be the next King of France.

Like a good politician, Henri explained his move: "Paris is worth a mass!"...