This week in Christian history: Catholic Church declares first woman 'doctor;' Peace of Augsburg signed
Protestant queen accused of heresy – Sept. 28, 1563
This week marks the anniversary of when Jeanne d'Albret, a French Protestant and the Queen of Navarre, was ordered to appear in Rome by Pope Pius IV under the accusation of being a heretic.
The queen, who oversaw the French region of Béarn, had converted to Protestantism three years earlier, which became a source of tension for a nation dealing with increased tensions between Catholics and Huguenots.
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Catharine de Medicis, the Catholic queen regent of France, took the side of d'Albret, believing that the pontiff did not have the authority to interfere with French matters in such a way.
"Whether the Pope withdrew the citation is debated by historians. Some say he excommunicated D'Albret three months later," explained the Christian History Institute.
"Her son ascended the French throne as Henry IV. Although he converted to Catholicism, he granted the Huguenots a measure of tolerance and independence."
