---
title: "War of the Three Henrys — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The War of the Three Henrys (1587-1589) was the final phase of the French Wars of Religion, ending with Henry IV, the politique king behind the Edict of Nantes."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/war-of-the-three-henrys"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP European History"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# War of the Three Henrys — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The War of the Three Henrys (1587-1589) was the final phase of the French Wars of Religion, a three-way fight among King Henry III, the Catholic League's Henry of Guise, and the Huguenot Henry of Navarre. Navarre won, became Henry IV, and later issued the Edict of Nantes to restore peace.

## What It Is

The War of the Three Henrys was the last and messiest round of the [French Wars of Religion](/ap-euro/key-terms/french-wars-of-religion "fv-autolink"), fought from 1587 to 1589. The three Henrys were King Henry III (the Catholic Valois king with no heir), Henry, Duke of Guise (head of the ultra-Catholic Catholic League, backed by Spain), and Henry of Navarre (the Protestant Huguenot who was next in line for the throne). The fight was officially about religion, but it was just as much about who would control the French crown. That's exactly the blend the CED wants you to see, where [religious reform](/ap-euro/key-terms/religious-reform "fv-autolink") deepened conflicts between the monarchy and the nobility.

The ending reads like a tragedy. Henry III had Henry of Guise assassinated in 1588 to break the Catholic League's grip, then was himself assassinated in 1589. That left Henry of Navarre as the last Henry standing. He took the throne as [Henry IV](/ap-euro/key-terms/henry-iv "fv-autolink"), converted to Catholicism to win over Paris (the famous line attributed to him is "Paris is worth a Mass"), and in 1598 issued the Edict of Nantes granting Huguenots limited toleration. Henry IV is the textbook politique, a ruler who put political stability above religious purity.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in Topic 2.4 (Wars of Religion) in [Unit 2](/ap-euro/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Age of [Reformation](/ap-euro/key-terms/protestant-reformation "fv-autolink"), and it's a near-perfect illustration of learning objective 2.4.A, which asks you to explain how religion and politics influenced each other from 1450 to 1648. Every essential knowledge point in that LO shows up here. Religious reform exacerbated monarchy-vs-nobility conflict (the king vs. the Guise family). States exploited religious conflict for political gain (Spain bankrolled the Catholic League to weaken France). And France ultimately allowed religious pluralism through the Edict of Nantes to keep domestic peace. If an exam question asks how a state chose stability over confessional unity, the chain from this war to Henry IV to the Edict of Nantes is your go-to evidence.

## Connections

### [Edict of Nantes (Unit 2)](/ap-euro/key-terms/edict-of-nantes)

The [Edict of Nantes](/ap-euro/key-terms/edict-of-nantes "fv-autolink") (1598) is the direct outcome of this war. Henry IV won the throne, then granted Huguenots toleration to end decades of civil war. The CED names it explicitly as an example of a state allowing religious pluralism to maintain domestic peace.

### [Catherine de' Medici (Unit 2)](/ap-euro/key-terms/catherine-de-medici)

Catherine was the power behind the Valois throne for most of the French Wars of Religion, including the [St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre](/ap-euro/key-terms/st-bartholomews-day-massacre "fv-autolink") in 1572. Her decades of maneuvering between Catholics and Huguenots set the stage for the three-way collapse her son Henry III couldn't survive.

### [Concordat of Bologna (Unit 2)](/ap-euro/key-terms/concordat-of-bologna)

The [Concordat of Bologna](/ap-euro/key-terms/concordat-of-bologna "fv-autolink") (1516) already gave French kings control over church appointments, so the French crown never had a financial reason to go Protestant the way some German princes did. That helps explain why the monarchy stayed Catholic even while fighting Catholic nobles like the Guises.

### Charles V and the Habsburg fight for Catholic unity (Unit 2)

Spain's Habsburg rulers funded the Catholic League against Henry of Navarre, the same pattern the CED describes of states exploiting religious conflicts for political interests. Religion was the banner, but weakening a rival kingdom was the prize.

## On the AP Exam

On multiple choice, expect questions on the cause of the war (a Protestant heir to a Catholic throne), the identity of the three Henrys, the role of the Catholic League, and the outcome (Henry IV's accession and conversion). No released FRQ has used this term verbatim, but it's prime evidence for LEQs and DBQs on LO 2.4.A about how religion and politics intertwined from 1450 to 1648. The strongest move is using Henry IV as your example of a politique. Pair the war with the Edict of Nantes to argue that some states chose political stability over religious uniformity, then contrast that with the Habsburgs' failed push for Catholic unity.

## War of the Three Henrys vs French Wars of Religion (as a whole)

The War of the Three Henrys is not the whole conflict. The French Wars of Religion ran from 1562 to 1598 and included earlier flashpoints like the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572). The War of the Three Henrys (1587-1589) is just the final phase, the succession crisis that decided who would rule. If a question is about the entire civil war, say French Wars of Religion. If it's about the three-way endgame that put Henry IV on the throne, that's the War of the Three Henrys.

## Key Takeaways

- The War of the Three Henrys (1587-1589) was the final phase of the French Wars of Religion, pitting King Henry III, the Catholic League's Henry of Guise, and the Huguenot Henry of Navarre against each other.
- The core cause was a succession crisis, because the legitimate heir to a Catholic kingdom, Henry of Navarre, was a Protestant.
- The Catholic League, backed by Habsburg Spain, fought to block Navarre from the throne, showing how foreign states exploited religious conflict for political gain.
- Both Henry of Guise (1588) and Henry III (1589) were assassinated, leaving Henry of Navarre to become King Henry IV.
- Henry IV converted to Catholicism to secure his rule and issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, making him the classic example of a politique who valued political stability over religious uniformity.
- For LO 2.4.A, this war is your best evidence that religious reform deepened conflicts between monarchs and nobles, and that some states ended those conflicts by allowing religious pluralism.

## FAQs

### What was the War of the Three Henrys in AP Euro?

It was the final phase of the French Wars of Religion (1587-1589), a three-way struggle among King Henry III, Henry of Guise of the Catholic League, and the Protestant Henry of Navarre over who would control the French throne. Navarre won and became Henry IV.

### Who won the War of the Three Henrys?

Henry of Navarre. After Henry of Guise was assassinated in 1588 and Henry III was assassinated in 1589, Navarre took the throne as Henry IV, converted to Catholicism, and issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598.

### Was the War of the Three Henrys really about religion?

Only partly. Religion was the rallying cry, but the war was fundamentally a dynastic succession crisis, and Spain backed the Catholic League mainly to weaken France. That mix of religious and political motives is exactly what AP Euro's LO 2.4.A asks you to explain.

### How is the War of the Three Henrys different from the French Wars of Religion?

The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars from 1562 to 1598, including the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572. The War of the Three Henrys was just the last phase (1587-1589), the succession fight that ended the whole conflict by putting Henry IV in power.

### What role did the Catholic League play in the War of the Three Henrys?

The Catholic League, led by Henry of Guise and funded by Habsburg Spain, was the ultra-Catholic faction trying to keep the Protestant Henry of Navarre off the throne. It even pushed King Henry III around, which is why he had Guise assassinated in 1588.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.4 Wars of Religion](/ap-euro/unit-2/wars-religion/study-guide/EGM2pS20VWvPTJslv7Se)

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