The Truth Behind the Mask: Unveiling King Henry III and False Catholics Through Polemic Printed Texts (France, 1589)

Abstract: Focused on the Catholic League, a pivotal episode in the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century, this article explores how transparency was strategically employed in a series of libels —short polemical texts commenting on contemporary events. The analysis unfolds in three stages. First, it is argued that the absence of transparency enabled polemicists to construct an accusation against King Henry III. Second, the article highlights how the libels also denounced a more pervasive lack of transparency. Finally, the third section investigates the strategic and discursive advantages these accusations conferred both on the League as a faction, and on the libels as sociopolitical actors.