To celebrate the end of the war, Henry II held a jousting tournament. In a freak accident, he was stabbed through the eye by a shard from a lance, and after several days of suffering, he died of sepsis. He was succeeded by his first son with Catherine de' Medici, Francis II, who died shortly into his reign.

Nouwen's spirituality was greatly influenced by his friendship with Jean Vanier. The two men met while Nouwen was teaching at Harvard. Vanier sensed how lost Nouwen was feeling and invited him to visit Trosly-Breuil.