Second; 1567–1568Saint-Denis; Chartres Third; 1568–1570Jarnac; La Roche-l'Abeille; Poitiers; Orthez; Moncontour; Saint-Jean d'Angély; Arney-le-Duc Fourth; 1572–1573Mons; Sommières; Sancerre; La Rochelle Fifth; 1574–1576Dormans Sixth; 1577La Charité-sur-Loire; Issoire; Brouage Seventh; 1580La Fère War of the Three Henrys (1585–1589)Coutras; Vimory; Auneau; Day of the Barricades Succession of Henry IV of France (1589–1594)Arques; Ivry; Paris; Château-Laudran; Rouen; Caudebec; Craon; 1st Luxembourg; Blaye; Morlaix; Fort Crozon Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598)2nd Luxembourg; Fontaine-Française; Ham; Le Catelet; Doullens; Cambrai; Calais; La Fère; Ardres; Amiens The Battle of La Roche-l'Abeille occurred on 25 June 1569 between the Catholic forces of King Charles IX of France commanded by the Duke d’Anjou and the Huguenots commanded by the Admiral de Coligny during the "Third War" (1568–1570) of the French Wars of Religion.
In order to attack the royal army, Coligny directed the Protestant army toward the Limousin region, hoping thus to regroup with 14,000 mercenaries being led by the Duke of Zweibrücken (French: duc des Deux-Ponts) and financed by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
[1] After a brief fight with a detachment of the royal army, the Duke of Zweibrücken was able to cross the Vienne at Aixe, but died on 11 June at Nexon[citation needed].
The royal army of 29,500 troops, led by the Duke d’Anjou (the future Henry III) were stationed before Saint-Yrieix to protect the city.
In the days that followed, the Protestant army massacred hundreds of people throughout the Limousin and Périgord regions, including 500 infantry men at La Roche-l'Abeille and 250 peasants at La Chapelle-Faucher,[2] as retribution for the death of Condé and Paulon de Mauvans.