The Duke of Anjou and the Politique Struggle during the Wars of Religion

From the beginning of the French Wars of Religion a small minority of toleration-minded Protestants and Catholics sought out a via media to end the civil wars which were destroying France. Later called politiques by their more zealous Catholic opponents who favoured religious uniformity, this group turned to Francois de Valois, duke of Alencon and Anjou in the 1570s to champion their cause.