ABSTRACT
One feature that marked Catholic militancy in the south-west during the 1560s was the interconnectedness of activism across regional and national borders. The Spanish ambassador, Chantonnay, had enticed Antoine de Bourbon into joining the Catholic Triumvirate in the hope he might be able to steer his queen away from her path of reform. In one respect, the defeat of the tats made the subsequent outburst of sectarian violence at Oloron somewhat inevitable. Still aggrieved at the restrictions imposed on their practice of their faith, Catholics at Oloron were incensed when Protestant officials returned in December 1563 to complete the removal of statues from the cathedral of Sainte-Marie. The comté of Foix was immediately garrisoned by Spanish troops, who claimed to be supporting the fledgling Catholic rebellion there. It has been shown that the sphere of influence of Catholic activists of the south-west reached far wider than the defence of orthodoxy at Bordeaux, Agen and Toulouse.
