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Local Politics in the French Wars of Religion: The Towns of Champagne, the Duc de Guise and the Catholic League, 1560-95

2008; Oxford University Press; Volume: CXXIII; Issue: 500 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/ehr/cem419

1477-4534

Stuart Carroll,

Historical Economic and Social Studies

Mark Konnert proves that, even in a province well trodden by historians, there are new things to say about the urban dimension of the Wars of Religion. Particularly refreshing is his concentration on the smaller towns, which are usually overlooked by students in search of a Ph.D. thesis. Konnert has trawled the archives of, and antiquarian literature on, Langres, Bar-sur-Aube, Vitry, Sens, Saint-Dizier, Sainte-Menehould and Reims, to add to his previous study of Châlons. We learn a great deal about the internal dynamics of small-town politics, some of which does not surprise: town élites wanted to keep outside interference to a minimum; they were little concerned with ‘national’ issues, their allegiances being more determined by ancient local rivalries with each other, pitting Châlons against Vitry and Chaumont against Langres. This is an impressive endeavour and one that is welcome. Chapters One and Two give us the economic, social and institutional background in some depth, and the remaining six chapters are based on sound scholarship that skilfully compares the fortunes of each town through the travails of the civil wars, indicating the options available to city élites in their allegiance, and why some chose one path and one chose another.