St. Bartholomew's Massacre the next day

Today on August 25, 1572 the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre spread to Meaux.  It arrived in Meaux  with a mid afternoon note from Catherine, who was Countess of Meaux.  The gates were seized in the evening and the Huguenots arrested while at supper with many being killed.  Those that lives in the Grand Marche section of Meaux were able to escape since it was across the river.  The men found only women left in the Grand Marche, but managed to kill 25 of them immediately and many others later died from the beatings they received.  The next morning they plundered the houses, killed all the people in the prisons.  There were so many they had to take a break for supper before finishing up.  They then chased those from the Grand Marche area who escaped to surrounding villages down and tried their best to exterminate all the Huguenots in the area. 

Of course in Paris the slaughter continued.  People were carried to bridges to be dropped off and drowned.  More men died such as Pierre de la Place.  He was a well known jurist and author.  He had survived the first day because he paid off the men who broke down his door with 1000 crowns.  However, La Place and his wife could not find anyone willing to take them in.  They were turned away by at least three different houses.  The next day, the 25th, he and his eldest son were killed.  Men came with orders to take them to the palace.  The wife wept, but to no avail.  His eldest son tried to put on the white cross to show loyalty to Rome, but La Place rebuked his son saying they were being called to carry the true cross now.  His son removed the cross, the two went out to go to the place where they were executed immediately.  Just one story out of thousands in the killing that took place in Paris. 

The killing was not just an accidental overflow of excitement.  it was not a Paris mob getting out of hand while the Duke of Guise simply tried to get even on Admiral Coligny.  This was a premeditated campaign of extinction of those who believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And so today it spread from one city to the next by order of the Queen Mother.