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The Reformation in France

Introduction

The Reformation in France was a bloodier business than in either England or Germany, for the question of reform became entangled with the political fortunes of the crown and of certain noble families. While reform proceeded relatively peacefully in the first part of the 16th century, the second half was dominated by the so-called Wars of Religion.

French Protestants were called Huguenots, named after a French reformer in Geneva. They were persecuted sporadically by the French crown up to 1559, but they also enjoyed periods of toleration and their numbers grew, especially in the south and southwest. During the Wars of Religion, the Huguenots came close to controlling the crown, then were nearly crushed. Tens of thousands died for their faith before the Huguenots at last won an edict of toleration that granted them peace for a time.

The Wars of Religion created a deep division within French society. They also so weakened the kingdom that France's international position was seriously threatened in the later 1500s; she did not really recover until the 1630s. The wars also gave rise to a literature of political resistance, as the Protestants tried to justify their defiance of legal authority, a literature that would become important for later rebels and political philosophers.