Attitude towards Protestants Henry's reign was marked by the persecution of Protestants, mainly Calvinists known as
Huguenots. Henry II severely punished them, particularly the ministers, for example by
burning at the stake or cutting off their tongues for uttering
heresies. Henry II was made a
Knight of the Garter by
Edward VI, King of England, in April 1551. By 19 July, after some lengthy haggling concerning the dowry, a betrothal was made between his daughter,
Elisabeth and Edward. The
Edict of Châteaubriant (27 June 1551) called upon the civil and ecclesiastical courts to detect and punish all heretics and placed severe restrictions on Huguenots, including the loss of one-third of their property to informers, and confiscations. The Edict also strictly regulated publications by prohibiting the sale, importation or printing of any unapproved book. It was during the reign of Henry II that Huguenot attempts at establishing a colony in
Brazil were made, with the short-lived formation of . In June 1559, with war against the Habsburgs concluded, Henri established in
letters patent his desire to task much of the
Gendarmerie that had been involved in the foreign wars with the extirpation of domestic heresy.
Italian War of 1551–1559 following the 1552
Treaty of Chambord The
Italian War of 1551–1559 began when Henry declared war on Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the intent of recapturing Italy and ensuring French, rather than Habsburg, domination of European affairs. Persecution of Protestants at home did not prevent him from becoming allied with German Protestant princes at the
Treaty of Chambord in 1552. Simultaneously, the continuation of his father's
Franco-Ottoman alliance allowed him to invade the
Rhineland while a Franco-Ottoman fleet defended southern France. Although an attempted 1553 invasion of
Tuscany ended with defeat at
Marciano, in return for his support in the
Second Schmalkaldic War, Henry occupied the
Three Bishoprics of
Toul,
Verdun and
Metz, acquisitions secured with victory at
Renty in 1554. After the abdication of Charles V in 1556, the Habsburg empire was split between his son
Philip II of Spain and brother Emperor
Ferdinand I. The focus of Henry's conflict with the Habsburgs shifted to
Flanders, where Philip, in conjunction with
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, defeated the French at
St Quentin. England's entry into the war later that year led to the French
capture of Calais, and French armies plundered the
Spanish Netherlands. However, in April 1559 lack of money and increasing domestic religious tensions led Henry to agree the
Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. The Peace was signed between Henry and
Elizabeth I on 2 April and between Henry and Philip of Spain on 3 April 1559 at
Le Cateau-Cambrésis. Under its terms, France restored
Piedmont and
Savoy to Emmanuel Philibert, but retained
Saluzzo,
Calais and the Three Bishoprics. The agreement was reinforced by a marriage between Henry's sister
Margaret and Emmanuel Philibert, while his daughter
Elisabeth of Valois became Philip's third wife. Henry raised the young
Mary, Queen of Scots, at his court, hoping to establish a dynastic claim to the
Kingdom of Scotland by
her marriage to
Dauphin Francis on 24 April 1558. Their son would have been King of France and King of Scotland, and also a claimant to the throne of
England. Henry had Mary sign secret documents, illegal in Scottish law, that would ensure Valois rule in Scotland even if Mary died without leaving a child by Francis. As it happened, Francis died without issue a year and half after his father, ending the French claim to Scotland. ==Patent innovation==