Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»July»July 25»July 25, 1593: Monarchs As “Keepers of the Faith:” Holy or Phony?
    July 25

    July 25, 1593: Monarchs As “Keepers of the Faith:” Holy or Phony?

    Major DanBy Major DanJuly 25, 2014Updated:June 23, 202264 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On July 25, 1593, Henry IV, King of France, converted from Calvinism back to the Catholicism of his birth.  Henry had been raised Protestant, although he was baptized Catholic.  His conversion back to Catholic came in the midst of the Wars of Religion, battles between Catholic and Protestant Europeans.

    Digging Deeper

    Was Henry’s re-conversion a political ploy or a sincere action of conscience?  It would seem to be a move made for political expediency, something monarchs and other national leaders have done throughout history.  Napoleon Bonaparte did not think highly of religion, but he recognized the usefulness of organized religion in controlling the masses and manipulated religion for political purposes.  He dressed and acted as a Muslim to pacify conquered Islamic people, and made a show of his superiority to the Catholic Church by crowning himself emperor.  History is full of leaders that said one thing about religion in public and acted quite differently on their own.

    In England, the reigning monarch is tasked with being the “keeper of the faith.”  When Henry VIII wanted a divorce that the Catholic Church would not grant, he gave England a new Protestant religion, creating the Anglican Church with himself as “keeper of the faith.”  To this day the British monarch retains this title.

    So why do we doubt Henry IV’s sincerity?  For one thing he was a famous philanderer, siring numerous children out of wedlock with multiple mistresses.  For some reason the deeply religious, “family values” American politicians seem to be prone to fathering bastards and keeping mistresses (or engaging in homosexual behavior that they publicly denounce as “Un-Christian”).

    President Obama had to overcome his father having been born into Islam and living his adult life as an atheist (both parents), something American voters seem to have a problem with.

    Declaring himself a Christian and belonging to a Chicago church, his real ties to the church and his faith were taken into question when it became apparent that he had no idea what sort of sermons the pastor had been preaching.

    President George W. Bush changed religions twice, and Newt Gingrich changed his religion as well.  Mitt Romney on the other hand was born and raised Mormon and has stuck with his church even though the LDS can be a political liability in a national election.  John Kennedy’s Catholicism almost kept him out of the White House.

    We have never had a Jewish president, although we have had plenty of Jewish Supreme Court Justices.  When Barry Goldwater (Jewish) ran for president he got walloped.  When Al Gore ran with Jewish  Joe Lieberman as his vice presidential running mate he lost an election he seemed sure to win.  History and Headlines trivia:  Who were the 2 Quaker presidents of the US?  Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon. 

    In communist countries, public leaders have to give the appearance of being atheists, whether they believe in God or not.  It seems like religious conformity is mandatory for running a country, although sincerity is not.  Question for students (and subscribers): Is the United States ready to elect an atheist?  Do you think that will ever happen?  If so, when?  Let us know what you think in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Van Kley, Dale K.  The Religious Origins of the French Revolution: From Calvin to the Civil Constitution, 1560-1791.  Yale University Press, 1996.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous Article10 Things History Got Wrong, Part Deux!
    Next Article Defining a Presidency: 10 Presidential “Doctrines”
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023

    History Short: Who was the First National Leader Assassinated by Firearm?

    January 23, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.