breeches, and boots he looked like a student. He g prayer book from a young priest and with his dis escaped. But there was more trouble for Henry Catherine would have him imprisoned in the Louvre. I have included this story for a special reason an for the name of Henry's friend, Agrippa d'Aubigne. known that two of the immigrant Gabriel Maupin's g married women with the name Dabney (d'Aubigne). Tha is, John Maupin married Frances Dabney and Daniel Maupin mar ied Mary Elizabeth Dabney, both daughters of Cornelius Dabney (d'Aubigne). That this Cornelius Dabney is a descendant of Agrippa d'Aubigne has been a subject of contention over the years but it is my desire to someday have the solid evidence that he is, if it can be found. It is known that Agrippa d'Aubigne had a son had by his first wife, Ann Marchant, a son, Theodore. this Theodore that the Cornelius Dabney whose married Maupins is descended. Constant had a From that marriage were three children, one of t Francoise d'Aubigne, who was to renounce her upbringing and become Madame de Maintenon and I wife of King Louis XIV after the death of Queen The..,.o~A said that Madame de Maintenon was influential in u Louis to revoke the Edict of Nantes in 1685. We h~ard much about her on the Huguenot Tour, especially at Versai~les, where two large portraits of her hang. Let us return to the story of Henry of Navarre. E en though he escaped being killed in the St. Barthelomew M ssacre his troubles were not over. His mother-in-law, Queen Catherine, kept him a prisoner in the Louvre. She knew it w uld be too dangerous for her to try to have him murdered after the Massacre was over. It was during this period that h conceived the document that was to become the Edict of Nantes. According to the diaries of Agrippe d'Aubigne, who remained at the Louvre with him, he dreamed of forcing Frenchmen of II religious beliefs to accept universal tolerance. Other Hugueno s managed, one by one, to escape from closely guarded P ris. Even d'Aubigne finally managed to get out and to carry he word to the Protestant nobles that their leader was waiting o join them. On February 2, 1576, Henry of Navarre managed o get by his guards and ride through the gates of Paris. Ever where huge crowds greeted him and everywhere he repeated is message; he sought religious freedom for men of all faith , Catholics, Protestants, and Jews- all would be equal under hi leadership. Many enlisted in his service - large numbers of Cat olic leaders joined him. All were sick of Queen Catherine's cr elty and the greed of the de Guise family. They wanted a peaceful, prosperous, and united France. Henry of Navarre ffered them that hope. The stage was set for one of hi tory's most remarkable dramas.
In 1576, Henry of Navarre formed a mighty army. In it he accepted all men of good faith, Huguenots and Catholics alike, If they would accept those of other faiths as their equals. And for the first time in the history of France, Jews were encouraged to join. A man's faith was his own business, declared Henry. He was responsible only to God for his religious beliefs. This concept was unique. Henry's concern was not only spiritual but political as he wanted France to be united to end the civil wars and have a prosperous France. In order to meet all his goals he needed religious freedom. The struggle went on for a dozen years with Henry gaining more ground all the time. Finally it was down to conquering Paris, the capital, and it was held by the Catholic League. Henry knew he had two choices, put Paris under siege and starve them into submission or become a Catholic and be acceptable to the Catholic leaders. Paris was strongly Catholic. It has been said that Henry made the statement "that Paris was worth a Mass". In February 1594, Henry received word that the Pope had accepted his conversion and agreed to accept him into the Church. So in March, 1594, Henry, as King Henry IV, rode in triumph through the streets of Paris to the Louvre where years before he had spent time as a prisoner of Queen Catherine. This began the remarkable reign of Henry IV. He threw out the corrupt and incompetent office holders, took care of the nation's debts, encouraged foreign trade, gave aid to the farmers, and introduced new industries into France such as the manufacture of silk, wool, and glassware. Under his leadership the potential of the New World was broadened, the explorers and fur traders came to Canada and the central part of what is now the United States. France was becoming the wealthiest and most powerful country in Europe. King Henry instigated policies that Great Britain, Holland, and Spain did not copy for many decades. One important thing he accomplished; he destroyed the old feudal system. All authority was centered in the crown. The Huguenots had been granted a few rights but King Henry IV realized in a political way that they would never have real peace in France until the civil wars were ended. His idea was simple: He wanted to grant guarantees of freedom of worship, plus the other privileges that the Catholics enjoyed without taking away anything from the Catholics. This was a radical idea because no where in Europe did men live together as equals. So in 1597, King Henry appointed a commission, composed of both Catholic and Protestant men, to draw up a truly revolutionary document, The Edict of Nantes.
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