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Why did Henry IV struggle to gain control of Paris after becoming king?

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Henry IV Henry IV, undated copperplate engraving.

Henry IV struggled to gain control of Paris primarily because he was a Protestant, which made him unacceptable to the militant Roman Catholic faction known as the Holy League.12

The Holy League, which viewed itself as the defender of the ancestral faith, refused to recognize Henry’s right to the throne and maintained Paris as its principal stronghold. Even after Henry became king, the League—supported by Spain—continued to resist his authority, forcing him to engage in years of exhausting military campaigns and unsuccessful sieges.123

Henry eventually realized that he could only secure his kingdom by removing the religious pretext for resistance. In July 1593, he underwent a final conversion to Roman Catholicism. This act effectively undermined the Holy League’s opposition, leading to the submission of various towns and, ultimately, the surrender of Paris on March 22, 1594.13