Oxford World"s Classics Saint Bartholomew"s Day 1572. Paris is awash with the blood of Huguenots slaughtered by order of Charles IX. Or perhaps of Catherine de Medicis, one of history"s great monsters? Or the ambitious Duke de Guise? Or the Duke d"Anjou, soon to be the reluctant King of Poland? It takes an iron nerve and a cool head to survive. Young Henry of Navarre has both in abundance, but he has more: he has his Queen, the beautiful, cultured Margot who stakes all on love and remains defiant in defeat. "La Reine Margot" (1845) is a novel of suspense and drama that recreates the violent world of intrigue, murder, and duplicity of the French Renaissance. Dumas fills his canvas with a gallery of unforgettable characters, unremitting action, and the engaging generosity of spirit which has made him one of the world"s greatest and best-loved storytellers.