Saint Denis, les Guise et Paris sous la Ligue, 1588-1590

The royal abbey of Saint-Denis, where Henri IV was converted in July 1593, is the necropolis of the kings of France. Nevertheless, during the Ligue, a Catholic extremist movement, the monks of the abbey did not always support the king’s cause. In fact, until the cardinal of Guise’s murder, the abbey was held by the Lorraine family. But this state murder, which angered so many townspeople and corporation authorities, did not really move the monks. What is the meaning of the changing behavior of these monks, neither royalist nor guisard? This essay intends to provide an understanding of the reasons for commitment or noncommitment during the civil wars. Corporate identity, more than affinities or clientage links, explains the attitude of this clergy, which stood by its seigneurial power, highly symbolic treasure of sacred objects, and cleric ideal.