# Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1559-peace-of-cateau-cambresis
Location: Cateau-Cambrésis

France renounced most Italian ambitions while confirming gains such as the Three Bishoprics. Within the broader Renaissance & Wars of Religion period, Renaissance monarchy brought Italian wars, humanist culture and overseas exploration. The Reformation then fractured the kingdom, producing decades of civil war between Catholic and Protestant factions. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Francis II (King of France). Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems.

Ruler at the time: [Francis II](https://history-france.com/rulers/francis-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Peace+of+Cateau-Cambr%C3%A9sis&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Peace+of+Cateau-Cambr%C3%A9sis)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)