Politiques of 16th century Europe

During the 16th century, Europe was influenced by many rulers. Henry of Navarre, Elizabeth I and William of Orange are three that come to mind. Politiques were people who put political survival above religious unity. However, they did not just change how Europe was politically but how it was culturally also.

Henry of Navarre, also known as Henry IV, would be considered a politique because during his reign he converted to Catholicism because he knew that he would be taken more seriously by the masses. However even after becoming Catholic he passed the Edict of Nantes to give his Protestant brothers freedoms much like Charles V did with the Peace of Augsburg. Elizabeth I is considered a politique because she helped form a “truce” between the Catholics and Protestants. She merged a centralized Episcopal system, which she firmly controlled, with broadly-defined Protestant doctrine and traditional Catholic ritual. Thereby creating the Anglican church and some semblance ...