By May 1588, Paris had been under the influence of the Holy League for several weeks, and fiery sermons by monks and clerics roused the city's residents to fanaticism.
When Henry III attempted to bring troops into the capital, and thereby violating one of the city's privileges, the reaction was swift. On 12 May 1588, the people closed off the city's streets with chains and threw up barricades. Henri III was forced to flee to Chartres. He never returned to the capital of his kingdom.