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The 'Amboise conspiracy', or 'Tumult of Amboise' (1560), was a failed attempt by Huguenots and the house of Bourbon to wrest power over France, by abducting the young king, Francis II and arresting François (the Duke of Guise) and his brother Charles (cardinal of Lorraine).
Rumors of the plot reached Charles ahead of time, due to poor planning. The conspirators, led by La Renaudie, attempted to storm the Château d'Amboise on 17 March, where the king was residing. The army was easily defeated. In the following weeks, 1200 bodies hung on iron hooks on the façade of the Château d'Amboise and from nearby trees, enraging the Huguenot opponents of the house of Guise. Francis and his young wife, Mary Stuart, personally witnessed many of the executions. The Guise brothers suspected Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde, of leading the plot. He was arrested and eventually freed for lack of evidence, adding to the tensions which culminated in the French Wars of Religion.