An Account of Mr. Yarnall's Favorite Country

Until this point, we haven't touched much on France's situation. In 1521, the Habsburg-Valois war began. 

When Charles (Habsburg) inherited both Spanish and French land from his parents, France was upset because they wanted more land. What a surprise! 

This war took on an ironic note because the Valois (Catholics) sided with the Protestants to mess with Charles. 

With the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, the Habsburg-Valois War ended. The Spanish won and France was now left in an unfortunate situation. Their economy was tanking and there did not look to be a way out. This lead the French government to look to their citizens in order to make money. 

The French government used the people's religious beliefs as tools of the government. The people believed they were supporting and protecting their church but in reality they were financing the government. 

The French also faced problems in regards to religion. Many pious Catholics and nobles were having issues with the way bishops were being chosen. The monarchy picked the best secular leaders and made them bishops even if they did not believe or care in Catholicism. The Catholics were upset because they didn't understand the religion and the nobles were upset because they didn't always get the position. This helped lead to Protestantism gaining momentum in France. 

Catholicism and Protestantism were struggling to become the main religion. Catholicism was technically the main religion but many French noblemen were attracted to Protestantism. Instead of tolerating both religions, many people of the era believed that religious pluralism caused the ruins of a society. 

Two religious could not coexist together because it caused violence and civil disorder. 

The French nobility took advantage of the weakness of the king and began to convert to Protestantism which can only cause more problems in France.