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With the Osmanlı İmparatorluğu (Ottoman Empire) putting Malta to siege in 1565, certain French lords rushed to join the defence of the island bastion. Among those joining the defenders on the walls were the comte de Brissac, the future colonel-general Strozzi and Saint-Gouard. In total around 300 French gentleman and 800 soldiers would arrive at Malta. They would however, only arrive after the siege had ended. Nevertheless the Osmanlı government was greatly perturbed at this development, and Catherine sought to sooth their anger through condemning those nobles who had rushed to join the defence of Malta and banishing those who had made the journey. This punishment was however aimed at seeing them return to France.

In 1576 a lawyer made his way to Roma in the retinue of the bishop of Paris. On route he died in Lyon, and papers were allegedly discovered on his person that argued the descendants of Hugues Capet had been abandoned by god and had fallen into degeneracy (i.e. Henri III), while the descendants of Charlemagne (including the house of Lorraine) were flourishing in body and spirit. The text spread around the capital but for the moment the king did not view it as a serious threat. According to de Thou, Henri had received a copy of the treasonous text from his ambassador Saint-Gouard who had received it from Felipe II. The authenticity of the text is disputed, with some arguing that it may have been manufactured to justify the 1588 assassination of the duc de Guise by arguing that he had been engaged in anti-Valois plans for over ten years. Felipe for his part would have seen advantage in providing to Saint-Gouard a text which could cause factional instability in France.

After have effected the assassination of the duc de Guise, Henri moved to ensuring the act was properly justified internationally. André Hurault de Maisse who was departing for Italia was instructed to inform the late duc's maternal uncle the duca di Ferrara that Guise had been poisoned by his ambition and was planning to seize Henri and hand him over to the ligueurs in Paris. Henri was confident that the Pope would approve of the act he had undertaken, and wrote to Saint-Gouard to this effect. Saint-Gouard was informed that the Pope would see it as not only lawful but also a pious act. When the Pope was informed he diverged from Henri's vision, ordering Henri to release from his imprisonment the cardinal de Bourbon and the archbishop of Lyon from his captivity. Henri was further to report to Roma to seek absolution under threat of potential excommunication.

Many of the great royalist Catholic lords of France were left in a difficult position after the assassination of Henri III. They now faced the prospect of having to serve a Protestant king. While this was too much for some, in the following days many nobles of Guyenne swore themselves to the king of Navarre as Henri IV. Among them were maréchal de Matignon and Biron, the duc de Ventadour, the seigneur de La Rochefoucauld, the comte de La Vauguyon, the duc de Thouars and Saint-Gouard. These were all military nobles capable of mobilising their networks in the favour of the new king.

The Pope greatly opposed Henri's assumption of the crown. All Catholics who supported him were ordered to withdraw their support on pains of excommunication. Beyond his spiritual interventions, the Pope dispatched a small army to support the ligueur cause in their war with Henri, however it was badly ravaged by dysentery and accomplished little. With the death of Pope Gregory in October 1591 a new election was held. The new Pope, elected in January 1592 maintained his support for the ligueur cause. He continued to direct his severity against Catholic supporters of Henri IV. Thus, with Saint-Gouard and the cardinal de Gondi on the road to Roma to ask the Pope to assist in the potential conversion of Henri to Catholicism, the Pope forbid them to continue their journey. He was supported in his refusal to meet with Saint-Gouard and Gondi by the ligueur agents in Roma.

In July 1593 Henri abjured Protestantism and became a Catholic. Many Catholics however suspected his conversion was cynical or invalid. To this end Henri redoubled his efforts to gain absolution from the Pope. He was supported in this effort by the Tuscan and Venetian ambassadors in Roma who faced off with the Spanish Papal ambassador who sought to convince the Pope to continue the fight. From late 1592 the Venetian ambassador had convinced Clement military and financial support towards the Catholic ligue was playing into the hands of the Spanish. The Pope remained determined though not to receive Gondi and Saint-Gouard, and upon receiving word of Henri's adoption of Catholicism considered declaring the Catholics who received him schismatics. He was talked out of this by the Venetian ambassador on the grounds it would accelerate French Gallican sentiment. Finally in November 1593 the Pope agreed to receive the duc de Nevers, however only in his capacity as a private person and not as a representative of Henri IV. Even after this meeting the Pope remained firm, declaring Henri could not be absolved as he 'persisted in his errors'.

Sources

• Constant, Jean-Marie (1984). Les Guise. Hachette.
• Haan, Bertrand (2011). L'Amitié Entre Princes: Une Alliance Franco-Espagnole au Temps des Guerres de Religion (1560-1570). Presses Universitaires de France.
• Le Roux, Nicolas (2020). Portraits d'un Royaume: Henri III, la Noblesse et la Ligue. Passés Composés.
• Le Roux, Nicolas (2022). 1559-1629 Les Guerres de Religion. Gallimard.
• Micallef, Fabrice (2023). "La Puissance Italiennes face aux Guerres de Religion en France". In Le Roux, Nicolas (ed.). Les Guerres de Religion: Une Histoire de l'Europe au XVIe Siècle.