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The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre: The Mysteries of a Crime of State

Online ISBN:
9781781708880
Print ISBN:
9780719097553
Publisher:
Manchester University Press
Book

The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre: The Mysteries of a Crime of State

Arlette Jouanna
Arlette Jouanna

Emerita of History

University of Montpellier-III
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Published online:
21 January 2016
Published in print:
1 May 2015
Online ISBN:
9781781708880
Print ISBN:
9780719097553
Publisher:
Manchester University Press

Abstract

The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which began in Paris in August 1572 and later spread to numerous other French towns, was the most notorious bloodbath of its kind in early modern Europe. Occurring during the French wars of religion, the Massacre has for long encapsulated the worst features of religious violence. Over the centuries, its gruesome reputation has generated numerous conspiracy theories. This book seeks dispassionately to sift the evidence and follow where it leads, but also to understand how contemporaries came to terms with the events of 1572. It also follows the reactions of those most involved, paying particular attention to the way in which the French monarchy explained its actions to foreign rulers and how the survivors among the Protestant communities read the events in the light of their heavily biblical culture. The role of the Massacre in strengthening arguments for royal sovereignty is also explored.

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