French Protestantism And The French Revolution

A study of the Calvinist minority in France, from the time of Louis XIV to the Napoleonic era, with the main emphasis on the period of the French Revolution. Mr. Poland traces the influence and political behavior of the French Protestants, their attitudes toward the Catholic Church the religious revival of the famed "Church of the Desert," and the effect of the Revolution on Protestant belief and behavior. Contrary to usual opinion, he reveals that the Protestants were found in almost every political camp, that they were Frenchmen first and churchmen second, and that they were not a conspiracy against the altar and throne of France. Originally published in 1957. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A study of the Calvinist minority in France, from the time of Louis XIV to the Napoleonic era, with the main emphasis on the period of the French Revolution. Mr. Poland traces the influence and political behavior of the French Protestants, their attitudes toward the Catholic Church the religious revival of the famed "Church of the Desert," and the effect of the Revolution on Protestant belief and behavior. Contrary to usual opinion, he reveals that the Protestants were found in almost every political camp, that they were Frenchmen first and churchmen second, and that they were not a conspiracy against the altar and throne of France. Originally published in 1957. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This volume examines the history of religious dissent and discord in France from the time of the Wars of Religion to the present day. Contributors analyze the various solutions elaborated by the government, by religious institutions, and by private groups in response to the serious problems raised by religious differences. This collection of essays also explores the impact these problems and solutions have on religious and national identity, and how these issues play out in political and religious life today.

At the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, French Protestants began their struggle for religious equality and civil rights. They faced opposition from the monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries the Catholic Church had influenced every aspect of life--cultural, educational, social, political, and economic. Protestantism arrived as a foreign invader and disrupted the Catholic monopoly. Protestants did not receive individual civil and religious rights until the French Revolution in 1789. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen announced a new era of religious tolerance. Official recognition of the Protestant religion was not granted until Napoleon came to power and imposed the Concordat of 1801 and the Organic Articles in 1802. The rights obtained by Protestants did not always translate into protection from violence and discrimination. During the nineteenth century, political upheaval and attempts to reestablish Catholicism as the state religion led to the termination of the Concordat in 1905. The history of French Protestantism serves as a reminder of the danger of either religion or government assuming powers and roles which have not been attributed to them by the law of the land, the laws of God, or the will of citizens.