Gaspard de Coligny

Gaspard de Coligny (1519-1572) was a prominent French Admiral and a leader of the Huguenots, the French Protestant movement during the Wars of Religion. As a skilled military leader, he fought for religious freedom against the Catholic majority. Coligny sought to unite Protestants and promote tolerance, but his efforts led to political tensions. His assassination in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre sparked widespread violence against Huguenots. Coligny is remembered as a symbol of the struggle for Protestant rights in France and as a victim of the intense conflicts between Catholics and Protestants during the 16th century.