His death in 1569 threw the leadership of the Huguenots into the steadier and stronger grasp of Coligny.
But such means of dealing with a profoundly dangerous crisis were of course but the most wretched palliatives.

The Catholic bigots would permit no dallying with the heretics.

In 1567 they were strong enough to secure the disgrace of L'Hopital and in the following year to extort a royal edict unconditionally forbidding the exercise of the reformed cult.

The Huguenots again rebelled and in 1569 suffered two severe defeats [Sidenote: Huguenots defeated] at Jarnac and at Moncontour.
The Catholics were jubilant, fully believing, as Sully says, that at last the Protestants would have to submit.

But nothing is more remarkable than the apparently slight effect of military success or failure on the {216} strength and numbers of the two faiths.