In1572,KingCharlesⅨofFranceandhismothercarriedoutaplantolureleadingProtestantstoParis.Theyarrangedaweddingbetweentheking'ssisterandaProtestantnobleman,ostensiblytosealthePeaceofStGermainbetweenFrenchProtestantsandCatholics,whichhadendedtheThirdWarofReligioninFrance.
On24August,sixdaysafterthewedding,theFrenchsoldiersandtheRomanCatholicclergyinParissuddenlyfellupontheunarmedProtestants.ThemassacresspreadthroughoutFrance.Neithermen,women,norchildrenwerespared.Inoneweek,almost100,000Protestantsperished.TheriversofFranceweresofilledwithcorpsesthatformanymonthsnofishwereeaten.WhennewsoftheMassacrereachedtheVatican,therewasjubilation.ThePopecommissionedItalianartistVasaritopaintamuraloftheMassacre,whichstillhangsintheVatican.
一五七二年，法國國王查理九世和母親用計，引誘新教徒領袖到巴黎。他們安排御妹和一新教徒貴族結婚，表面上是要鞏固法國新教徒和天主教徒的聖日耳曼和約。這和約終止了法國第三次宗教戰爭。
八月二十四日，即婚禮舉辦後六天，巴黎的法國士兵和羅馬天主教士突然向沒有武器的新教徒下殺手。屠殺蔓延全國，男人之外，婦孺都不放過，短短一星期之內，新教徒死者將近十萬人。法國的河流滿是屍體，以致多個月無人吃魚。梵蒂岡接到屠殺的消息，大肆慶祝。教皇還請義大利畫家瓦薩里作一壁畫，描繪這場屠殺。那壁畫今天仍然掛在梵蒂岡。