Catholic Rulers and Statesmen
All categories › Roman Catholicism › Roman Catholics
Catherine de’ Medici
The queen mother of three French kings whose shifting policy ended in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572.
Charles V
The emperor who outlawed Luther at Worms and spent his reign trying to restore one faith to his divided empire.
Duke George of Saxony
The bearded duke of Dresden who hosted the Leipzig Debate and became Luther’s most determined princely enemy.
Mary I
The Catholic queen who restored the papacy in England and under whom 288 Protestants were burned.
Mary of Guise
The French queen-regent of Scotland whose struggle with John Knox and the Protestant lords ended with her death in 1560.
Philip II
The king who crushed the Spanish Protestants, made war on the Dutch, and sent the Armada against England.
The Duke of Alba
Philip II’s iron general, whose Council of Troubles brought terror to the Protestant Netherlands.
