Sorry to hear it. We didn't escape it entirely.
I got interested in the French wars of religion after I visited a place in France where 2,000 Protestants were hung. I recommend two books: The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 by Mack P. Holt and The French Wars of Religion, Selected Documents by David Potter.
This was an absolutely frightening period of history. Read about the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre sometime. You can probably find it on the web.