The reign of Charles IX was actually the reign of Catherine de Médicis: intelligent, but without character, it did not have the force to control according to its conscience; it sacrificed Coligny, which it liked, let themselves involve in spite of him with the crime of Saint-Barthélemy, and died in prey with terrible remorses (1574).

Élisabeth of Austria, married to Charles IX in 1570, did not take any share with the political intrigues and chocolate éclairs of the court.

Simple, modest and soft, it testified the horror highly that Saint-Barthélemy inspired to him, and its supplications prevented Charles IX from assassinating young prince de Condé.

Catherine de Médicis, who was to advise Saint-Barthélemy, was about indifferent out of religious matter, and it made initially main efforts to prevent the civil war, in spite of the indignation of the Own ways, which wanted to extirpate the heresy by the force.

Of agreement with Michel of the Hospital, it convened with Poissy a conference (i.e. a kind of council) theologists of the two parties, in the hope which they would manage an agreement by reciprocal concessions.

The assembly meets with Poissy on September 9, 1561 in the presence of the king, of her Henri brother, the chancellor and a crowd of large characters; six cardinals, thirty-six archbishops or bishops, the General of the Jesuits and a great number of Doctors of Divinity represented the catholic church; the Protestants, on their side, had sent twenty-two deputies, eleven ministers and celebrates it Theodore de Bèze, their principal chief after Calvin.

As of the first day, the discussion was impossible, and after some meetings where hatreds made only envenimer, the conference separated at the end of October, with the great sadness of the moderated men, who saw France divided into two irreconcilable parties.

The family of the Own ways was a branch junior by the house of Lorraine.

Its Claude chief 1st, duke of Aumale, which was large-huntsman at the court of François 1st, was the son junior by the duke of Lorraine Rene II.

The three sons of Claude were: 1° François de Guise, which was announced by very different exploits in Metz, in Calais, in Amboise, Vassy, in Dreux, and which was assassinated with the head office of Orleans, in 1563, by the gentleman protesting Poltrot de Méré; 2° the cardinal of Lorraine, which represented the Catholics with the conference of Poissy and which tried to introduce in France the Enquiry; 3° Claude II, duke of Aumale, which took also a very active share with the wars of religion.

Marie of Lorraine, woman of king d' Écosse Jacques V and mother of Marie Stuart, was also girl of Claude 1st.

François de Guise had, like his Claude father, three sons which played a great part in the history: 1° Henri de Guise, called Balafré, which was made the chief of the catholic party, poured protesting blood with Jarnac, to Moncontour, in the night of Saint-Barthélemy, to Dormans, Auneau, aspired to the throne of France, and was assassinated with the castle of Blois in 1588; 2° the cardinal of Own way, which succeeded his uncle the cardinal of Lorraine as archbishop of Rheims, and which was assassinated in Blois two days after his brother; 3° Mayenne, which became the chief of the League with died of his two brothers and who was beaten by Henri IV with Arch and in Ivry.