The death of King Henry III of France in 1589 was a turning point in the French Wars of Religion, a long conflict between Catholics and Protestants that had polarized the kingdom for decades. After Henry III died, the French crown went to Henry de Bourbon, King of Navarre, a Protestant and Huguenot leader. As Henry IV of France, he was confronted with an immediate and formidable challenge his Protestantism stood in direct opposition to the deeply held Catholic traditions of the French people and crown.  France had been a battleground for religious conflict for years, and the Catholic majority had vehemently opposed Protestantism.

The Catholic League, a powerful faction dedicated to preserving Catholic supremacy, had for a while attempted to prevent a Protestant from ascending to the French throne. The prospect of a Huguenot king was an anathema to the majority of the French nobility, clergy, and even commoners. Although Henry IV was the legitimate claimant to the throne, his Protestantism made it highly unlikely that he could gain support across a wide base. Realizing that his reign would be precarious without the acceptance of the Catholic majority, Henry IV made a painful yet pragmatic decision. He understood that attempting to convert the entire kingdom to Protestantism was not only unrealistic but a path that would likely lead to more civil war and instability.

To ensure his claim to the throne and bring peace back to his war-weary kingdom, Henry IV converted to Catholicism in 1593. By converting publicly to Catholicism, he assured his people that he would reign as they expected religiously. In making this fateful decision, Henry IV is famously quoted as having said, Paris vaut bien une messe Paris is worth a mass. It was a statement of his pragmatic approach to ruling, showing his willingness to set aside personal belief in the sake of political unity and stability. His conversion appeased the Catholic League and paved the way for his coronation in 1594. However, even after his conversion, Henry IV did not abandon his former Protestant supporters. In 1598, he issued the Edict of Nantes, a landmark decree that granted religious tolerance and provided important rights for Huguenots while maintaining Catholicism as the official state religion. The edict put an end to the French Wars of Religion and provided France with a degree of peace, allowing the nation to recover after decades of warfare. Henry IV's decision to convert is history's most renowned example of political opportunism. Although it was possibly a compromise of faith, it did secure his reign, stabilize France, and lay the foundation for religious tolerance in the kingdom.