Excerpt from The French Wars of Religion The early French Reformers, though it suited their opponents to call them Lutherans, habitually spoke of themselves as Ceux de l'Evangile, and this rather cumbrous phrase denotes at once the origin and the character of the movement. At the opening of the reign of Francis I.(1515), the disorders of the Church - the non-residence and pluralism of the Bishops, the ignorance of the inferior clergy, the relaxation of discipline in the monasteries and nunneries - had convinced the great majority of serious thinking men of the necessity for Reform. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The French Wars of Religion Their Political Aspects: An Expansion of Three Lectures Delivered Before the Oxford University Extension Summer Meeting of August, 1892 Lectures as they were written, save for a few verbal corrections, since the material which has since been published would serve. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

A new look at the French wars of religion, designed for undergraduate students and general readers.

Excerpt from The Wars of Religion in France 1559-1576: The Huguenots Catherine De Medici, and Philip II No one acquainted with the history of historical writing can have failed to observe how transitory are its achievements. Mark Pattison's aphorism that history is one of the most ephemeral forms of literature has much of truth in it. The reasons of this are not far to seek. In the first place, the most laborious historian is doomed to be sup erszded in course of time by the accumulation of new material. In the second place, the point of view and the interpretation of one generation varies from that which preceded it, so that each generation requires a rewriting of history in terms of its own interest. These reasons must be my excuse for venturing to write a new book upon an old subject. It is now nearly thirty years since the appearance of the late Professor Henry M. Baird's excellent work, The Rise of the H ngnenots (new York, and little that is comprehensive has since been written upon the subject in English, with the exception of Mr. A. W. Whitehead's admirable Gaspard de Coligny, Admiral of France (london, But the limita tions imposed by biographical history compel an author inevitably to ignore movements or events not germane to his immediate subject, which, nevertheless, may be of great importance for gen eral history. Moreover, a biography is limited by the term of life of the hero, and his death may not by any means terminate the issue in which he was a factor - as indeed was the case with Coligny. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Catholic polemical works, and their portrayal of Protestants in print in particular, are the central focus of this work. In contrast with Germany, French Catholics used printing effectively and agressively to promote the Catholic cause. In seeking to explain why France remained a Catholic country, the French Catholic response must be taken into account. Rather than confront the Reformation on its own terms, the Catholic reaction concentrated on discrediting the Protestant cause in the eyes of the Catholic majority. This book aims to contribute to the ongoing debate over the nature of the French Wars of Religion, to explain why they were so violent and why they engaged the loyalities of such a large portion of the population. This study also provides an example of the successful defence of catholicism developed independently and in advance of Tridentine reform which is of wider significance for the history of the Reformation in Europe.

In The Politics of Print During the French Wars of Religion, Gregory Haake examines how, in late sixteenth-century France, authors and publishers used the printed text to control the terms of public discourse and determine history, or at least their narrative of it.

Excerpt from The Religious Wars of France: From the Accession of Henry the Second, to the Peace of Vervins It was during the reign Of Francis I. That women first acquired that ascendency at court, which, in subsequent reigns, enabled them to nominate minis ters of state, bishops, judges, and marshals. This monarch, fond Of gallantry and intrigue, thought that the charms and gentleness of the fair sex would soften the manners Of his courtiers, who had hitherto known no other glory than that of arms. T 0 give ad ditional brilliancy to his court, he drew thither the most wealthy of the prelates, who gradually neg lected the spiritual concerns of their dioceses. From their order the excessive luxury and elegant refine ments Of the higher circles-of French society ori ginated. Men of letters, wits, and poets were also specially honoured with the royal favour. Such were the guests who crowded the palaces of Francis, attracted by the love of pleasure, by avarice, and by ambition. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This book is a 2005 edition of Mack P. Holt's classic study of the French religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Drawing on the scholarship of social and cultural historians of the Reformation, it shows how religion infused both politics and the socio-economic tensions of the period to produce a long extended civil war. Professor Holt integrates court politics and the political theory of the elites with the religious experiences of the popular classes, offering a fresh perspective on the wars and on why the French were willing to kill their neighbors in the name of religion. The book has been created specifically for undergraduates and general readers with no background knowledge of either French history or the Reformation. This edition updates the text in the light of new work published in the decade prior to publication and the 'Suggestions for further reading' has been completely re-written.

Excerpt from The Soul of France English reader a cursory view of the spiritual history of France. Few historians concern themselves mainly with the Soul of nations; wars and dynasties are foremost in their works. The names of two or three great military men, and of one or two genial writers or artists: that is all that the man in the street knows of any people beside his own. That is particularly the case, we believe, with regard to the mutual acquaintance of those two near neighbours, the English and the French. And this explains how it is that, since the beginning of this War, France has been the wonder of the world, by the quality of her moral fibre, and her unexpected power of endurance in trials more severe than she has known for centuries. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.