Assassination of Francis, Duke of Guise

On 24 February 1563, Francis, Duke of Guise was assassinated by the Huguenot Jean de Poltrot during the Siege of Orléans. His death represents a critical turning point in the French Wars of Religion. It would be the first major assassination in what would become a blood feud between the various aristocratic houses which would see the deaths of Louis, Prince of Condé and the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre follow. It also proved a decisive factor in bringing the first War of Religion to a close in the Edict of Amboise.