DOCSLIB.ORG

Copyright by RONALD D. FOWLER 1978 the LIFE and POLITICAL THOUGHT OF

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Copyright by RONALD D. FOWLER 1978 the LIFE and POLITICAL THOUGHT OF Copyright by RONALD D. FOWLER 1978 THE LIFE AND POLITICAL THOUGHT OF JACQUES ABBADIE by RONALD D. FOWLER, B.A., M.A. A DISSERTATION IN HISTORY Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved / Chairman of t] '^wy/.^jl^ %.. 3L.VÍ ofi Íhe Giíaduate School May, 19 7 8 A?/X^0355 ÍT^ ^^<^ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS c y V"> *—^ My grateful appreciation goes to Dr. Lowell L. Blaisdell of the Texas Tech University History Department. For years, he has tirelessly and professionally directed my course through graduate work and, then, through the research and writing phases of this dissertation effort. His unceasing interest and optimistic spirit have been constant sources of encouragement to me during these years In addition, I would like to thank the members of the graduate committee who supervised the now-completed degree program and dissertation. Especially I would like to acknowledge the time-consuming task performed by each member in reading and criticizing this dissertation. Dr. David M. Vigness, Dr. Jacquelin Collins, Dr. James W. Plarper, Dr. William E. Oden and, especially, Dr. James E. Brink, all contributed encouragement and constructive criticism at stages during the program. Finally, I am grateful to all friends and col- leagues who aided or encouraged the completion of this document. The list would be far too long if all names were to be mentioned. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ii Chapter I. THE HUGUENOT BACKGROUND 1 II. LIFE OF JACQUES ABBADIE 4 2 III. THE CORONATION SERMON OF 1688 87 IV. 1692: THE DEFENSE DE LA NATION BRITANNIQUE 131 V. ENGLAND AND PAPISM IN THE DEFENSE 18 0 VI. CONCLUSION 215 BIBLIOGRAPHY 246 111 CHAPTER I THE HUGUENOT BACKGROUND The purpose of this work is to explore the life and political philosophy of Jacques Abbadie (1654-1727), French Protestant divine, historian, and political theorist Although Abbadie was one of the more well-traveled men of his day, leaving France to reside in Brandenburg, England, and Ireland by life's end, his interest in the experiences of his Huguenot coreligionists back home prior to and fol- lowing the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 16 85 never flagged. Eventually, because of the circumstances in Franc and the situations in which he found himself, the Protestan minister came to deal with politics, a subject for which his training was inadequate. The political concepts that he evolved leaned heavily upon the ideas of John Calvin, the man whose thought shaped his primary interest, theology John Calvin, although best-known for his theolog- ical writings, also proferred his political opinions at various times over the course of his career. It was in the nstitutes of the Christian Religion, in fact, that he offered his most comprehensive remarks on this subject. In the fourth book, twentieth chapter, he dealt with the 2 subject of "Civil Government." A number of important political concepts emerge from this chapter, several of which are germane to the material that follows. John Calvin believed, first, that civil government was an essential condition of life. It was ordained by God as a distinct entity separate from spiritual govern- 2 ment. In fact, the division is so basic that neither secular nor spiritual government may interfere with the other without negatmg its very nature. 3 Magistrates, created by God, must look to the preservation of an atmosphere of godliness in civil society so that Law will be based on true piety. The chief responsibilities of magistrates are "righteousness (justice)" and "judgment 4 (control of wickedness)." On a broader scale, government in mankind takes three forms: Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy. It is God in His eternal wisdom who determines 5 that which is best for a particular society. Private John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion^ 2 vols., translated by Henry Beveridge (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), 2: 650-676. Hereafter cited as "Calvin." 2 Ibid., pp. 651-652. 3Ibid. , pp. 140-141. Although this is not a refer- ence to the specific chapter cited above, it is the most direct statement made by Calvin on the subject of the divi- sion. It thus serves a purpose in clarifying allusions found in the chapter on civil government to the twofold nature of authority. ^lbid., pp. 652-659. ^lbid., pp. 656-659. persons, through conscience as well as fear, owe respect and obedience to magistrates as God's appointed. This is true even when the officials are tyrants, for, often, tyranny is God's means of imposing punishment on a sinful 7 society. If a tyrant is to be resisted, this is the domain of "popular magistrates" if they "have been appointe to curb the tyranny of kings," such as the "Ephori" in Sparta, the "Demarchs" in Athens, or, perhaps the three g orders in moaern kingdoms. However, at times God, in His mercy, may use "avengers" to punish or remove a wayward 9 monarch. The private individual may ignore a magistrate's orders only when they are contrary to the expressed Will of God. If the consequences of. his disobedience are severe he may be solaced by the knowledge of his redemption throug Christ. Such, in brief, are the points of Calvin's political philosophy that have application here. Calvin's theory remained the basis of Huguenot political thought until 16 85. Even the religious wars of the sixteenth century could not shake the foundations of support for the monarchy entrenched in the sect. Certainl]^ it is true that the contemporary thinkers called the "monarchomachs" added certain dimensions to the initial ^lbid., pp. 668-669. ^lbid., pp. 670-674. ^lbid., p. 675. ^lbid., p. 674. Ibid., pp. 675-676. core of ideas and expanded the original rationale, but the spirit of Calvin remained basic within their works. That Calvin's fundamental concepts continued to be accepted is indicated by the general submission of the Huguenots to the monarchy after the accession of their coreligionist, Henry IV, to the throne in 15 89. This acceptance continued for a century and began to change only after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 16 85. It is the thesis of this paper that Jacques Abbadie, living a century and a half after Calvin, and active in the period of Huguenot political reassessment occasioned by the Revocation, struggled to evolve a politico-religious theory which would be consonant with the original tenor of Reformation Calvinism. And, in doing so, Abbadie demonstrated the illogic of a God- oriented political tlieory in an increasingly secular age. The progression of Abbadie's life and theory makes for an interesting study, which must, for practical con- siderations, begin with a brief survey of Huguenot history and political theory from 1562-16 85. The period, conve- niently, may be divided into four appropriate time seg- ments, which allows for an analysis of each in turn. Part I: 1562-1589 Persecutions connected with the French Reformation can be documented as early as the 1520's. During the four decades that followed, indications of the increasing ten- sions between dominant Catholic and growing Protestant factions multiplied. In 1547, for instance, the special agency called the "burning chamber" began its assigned 12 task of punishing Protestant heretics. But it was not until 1562 that the fragile peace in the French society deteriorated into war. In that year, Francis, the Catholic Duke of Guise, attacked and massacred a group of Huguenots 13 at worship in Vassy. This event signaled the beginnings of the religious warfare which would devastate France for forty years, and may be used for our purposes as initiatinc the first of the four designated periods. It is crucial to recognize the complexity of the French situation which faced the Huguenots in the last half of the sixteenth century. Religion was not their onli; subject of concern, for political strife, based on family jealousies, also played a part in these tumultuous decades. "La chambre ardente." 12 Philippe Erlanger, St. Bartholomew's Night, trans. Patrick O'Brian (New York: Randon House, Pantheon Books, 1962), p. 16. Originally published under title Le massacre de la Saint-Barthelemy, 24 aout 1572 (Paris: Gallinard, 1960) . 13 The massacre at Vassy has been called the "Sarajevo of the religious wars," by H. 0. Evennett, The Cardinal of Lorraine and the Council of Trent, p. 21, quoted in Donald R. Kelley, "Martyrs, Myths, and the Massacre: the Background of St. Bartholomew," American Historical Review 77 (December 1972): 1334. Rivalries involving the Valois family led by Catherine de Medici, the Guises under Francis and Henry, and the Bour- bons under Henry of Navarre, supported by the Montmorency clan, brought France constantly to the brink of disaster. Senseless brutality appeared early and led to the most violent event in the early war period: the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 15 72, when Catholics in Paris and other major cities attacked and murdered thou- sands of Huguenots. Promises were made by all sides, only to be broken when convenience demanded; atrocities occurrec only to be regretted when necessity called for compromise. While the Guises and the Bourbons fought for family and religion, the Valois fought for survival, and the Mont- morencys fought for political sanity. Only the removal of the Valois and Guise leadership and the Catholic con- version of Bourbon Henry brought peace, finalized in 1598 by the famous Edict of Nantes. The Calvinist political theoreticians during the period 1562-1572 had some difficulty synthesizing John Calvin's political ideas with the realities of the war situation. It was essential for them to view the Huguenot participation in warfare as basically defensive in nature, with the Huguenots defending the Valois monarch^ W.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Theology of the French Reformed Churches Martin I
    The Theology of the French Reformed Churches REFORMED HISTORICAL-THEOLOGICAL STUDIES General Editors Joel R. Beeke and Jay T. Collier BOOKS IN SERIES: The Christology of John Owen Richard W. Daniels The Covenant Theology of Caspar Olevianus Lyle D. Bierma John Diodati’s Doctrine of Holy Scripture Andrea Ferrari Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant R. Scott Clark Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism Willem J. van Asselt, et al. The Spiritual Brotherhood Paul R. Schaefer Jr. Teaching Predestination David H. Kranendonk The Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition William VanDoodewaard Unity and Continuity in Covenantal Thought Andrew A. Woolsey The Theology of the French Reformed Churches Martin I. Klauber The Theology of the French Reformed Churches: From Henri IV to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes Edited by Martin I. Klauber Reformation Heritage Books Grand Rapids, Michigan The Theology of the French Reformed Churches © 2014 by Martin I. Klauber All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any man­ ner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at the following address: Reformation Heritage Books 2965 Leonard St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525 616­977­0889 / Fax 616­285­3246 [email protected] www.heritagebooks.org Printed in the United States of America 14 15 16 17 18 19/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 [CIP info] For additional Reformed literature, request a free book list from Reformation Heritage Books at the above regular or e-mail address.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Introduction The Other Voice [Monsieur de Voysenon] told [the soldiers] that in the past he had known me to be a good Catholic, but that he could not say whether or not I had remained that way. At that mo- ment arrived an honorable woman who asked them what they wanted to do with me; they told her, “By God, she is a Huguenot who ought to be drowned.” Charlotte Arbaleste Duplessis-Mornay, Memoirs The judge was talking about the people who had been ar- rested and the sorts of disguises they had used. All of this terrified me. But my fear was far greater when both the priest and the judge turned to me and said, “Here is a little rascal who could easily be a Huguenot.” I was very upset to see myself addressed that way. However, I responded with as much firmness as I could, “I can assure you, sir, that I am as much a Catholic as I am a boy.” Anne Marguerite Petit Du Noyer, Memoirs The cover of this book depicting Protestantism as a woman attacked on all sides reproduces the engraving that appears on the frontispiece of the first volume of Élie Benoist’s History of the Edict of Nantes.1 This illustration serves well Benoist’s purpose in writing his massive work, which was to protest both the injustice of revoking an “irrevocable” edict and the oppressive measures accompanying it. It also says much about the Huguenot experience in general, and the experience of Huguenot women in particular. When Benoist undertook the writing of his work, the association between Protestantism and women was not new.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CAMISARD UPRISING of the FRENCH PROTESTANTS. The
    THE CAMISARD UPRISING OF THE FRENCH PROTESTANTS. BY REV. PROF. HENRY MARTYN BAIRD, D.D., LL.D., University of the City of New York. The movement known as the War of the Camisards is an episode of the history of Protestantism in France which, though rarely studied in detail and perhaps but partially understood, was not devoid of significance.1 1 On the Camisard uprising see Louvreleuil, " Le Fanatisme renouvelle, ou Histoire des Sacrileges, des incendies . que les Calvinistes revoltez ont commis dans les Sevenes " (Avignon, 1704, 3 vols.). Concluded in a fourth volume under the title " L'Obstination confondue" (Avignon, 1706). Brueys, "Histoire du Fanatisme de notre terns" (3d edition, Utrecht, 1737, 3 vols.). Cavalier, " Memoirs of the Wars of the Cevennes " (2d edition, London, 1727). Though ostensibly written by Cavalier himself, the true author is said to be Pierre Henri Galli, who gives the results of conversations with the Camisard chief, but with such frequent errors as to diminish greatly the value of the narrative. The anonymous " Histoire des Camisards" (London, 1754) is inaccurate and rarely deserving of confidence. The pastoral letters of Bishop Fle'chier in the 5th volume of his " CEuvres completes " (Paris, 1828), and his correspondence in the 10th volume are of great interest. Antoine Court, '' Histoire des troubles des Cevennes ou de la guerre des Camisards, sous le regne de Louis XIV." (Villefranche, 1760, and Alais, 1S19, 3 vols.). By far the most faithful and complete history of the entire war. Although Court was a child at the time of the events described^ and is compelled to make use of the narratives of Louvreleuil, Brueys, etc., he had great familiarity with the region of the Cevennes, where he labored as a minister from 1715 onwards.
    [Show full text]
  • Researching Huguenot Settlers in Ireland
    BYU Family Historian Volume 6 Article 9 9-1-2007 Researching Huguenot Settlers in Ireland Vivien Costello Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byufamilyhistorian Recommended Citation The BYU Family Historian, Vol. 6 (Fall 2007) p. 83-163 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Family Historian by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. RESEARCHING HUGUENOT SETTLERS IN IRELAND1 VIVIEN COSTELLO PREAMBLE This study is a genealogical research guide to French Protestant refugee settlers in Ireland, c. 1660–1760. It reassesses Irish Huguenot settlements in the light of new findings and provides a background historical framework. A comprehensive select bibliography is included. While there is no formal listing of manuscript sources, many key documents are cited in the footnotes. This work covers only French Huguenots; other Protestant Stranger immigrant groups, such as German Palatines and the Swiss watchmakers of New Geneva, are not featured. INTRODUCTION Protestantism in France2 In mainland Europe during the early sixteenth century, theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin called for an end to the many forms of corruption that had developed within the Roman Catholic Church. When their demands were ignored, they and their followers ceased to accept the authority of the Pope and set up independent Protestant churches instead. Bitter religious strife throughout much of Europe ensued. In France, a Catholic-versus-Protestant civil war was waged intermittently throughout the second half of the sixteenth century, followed by ever-increasing curbs on Protestant civil and religious liberties.3 The majority of French Protestants, nicknamed Huguenots,4 were followers of Calvin.
    [Show full text]
  • Rebecca Mccoy, Lebanon Valley College
    Protestant and Catholic Tensions After the French Revolution: The Religious Nature of the White Terror in Languedoc, 1815 Rebecca McCoy, Lebanon Valley College The Napoleonic Era ended with considerable turmoil across France as four different regimes—Napoleon’s Empire, the First Restoration, the Hundred Days, and the Second Restoration— succeeded one another from March 1814 to July 1815. Nowhere was the conflict more marked than in Languedoc.1 There, the rapid changes of government created the context for the White Terror of 1815, the last major episode in the cycle of religious violence that had marked Protestant and Catholic relations since the Wars of Religion. Scholars, however, have mainly interpreted the White Terror as a political reaction against the Revolution and especially the Hundred Days.2 The political focus of much of the secondary literature is no surprise given that most of the surviving sources were written by Bourbon officials, many of them Catholic Ultraroyalists, who represented the White Terror purely as the result of factionalism and political I would like to thank Professors Rosemary Hooper-Hamersley, Jennifer Popiel, Ralph Menning, and Bethany Keenan for their helpful critiques and suggestions. I would also like to thank Lebanon Valley College for numerous faculty grants. Finally, I want to thank my colleagues in the Department of History, Politics, and Global Studies at Lebanon Valley College for funding from the Dick Joyce Fund. 1The focus of this study is on the parts of Languedoc with a Protestant population, most notably the Gard along with adjacent areas of the Hérault, Aveyron, and Lozère. 2The key works on the White Terror are: Brian Fitzpatrick, Catholic Royalism in the department of the Gard, 1814-1852, (Cambridge: 2002); Daniel Resnick, The White Terror and the Political Reaction after 1815, (Harvard: 1966); and Gwynn Lewis, The Second Vendée: Counter-revolution in the Department of the Gard, 1789-1815, (Oxford: 1978).
    [Show full text]
  • Quakers in France, (Accessed 10 July 2017)
    A Journey through Space and Time to the Quakers of France Judy Pocock We travelled in the print of olden wars; Yet all the land was green; And love we found, and peace, Where fire and war had been. They pass and smile, the children of the sword— No more the sword they wield; An O, how deep the corn Along the battle field! By Robert Louis Stevenson writing as W.P. Bannatyne, epigraph to Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, 1879. Introduction to visit the Quakers of Congénies in the south of France. I had learned about this As I travelled on the high speed train small Quaker group from a fellow student south from Paris, I really had no idea the in my internet Quaker Studies course, and I world I was entering. If I had, I would have was on my way to visit him and his Meeting. looked more closely and found memories To me, the south of France was more of and words to capture the feeling. I do an exotic legend than a reality. Two Euros remember speeding near and sometimes got me on the local bus from Nimes and, as through craggy untamed mountains and it wound south from one tiny medieval stretches of green fields. I was on my way village to the next, I hung on to my suitcase Canadian Quaker History Journal 81 (2016) 99 The Quakers of France worried that I really didn’t have a clue if I requisite shutters. Off they went for their was going in the right direction to the right mid-afternoon nap and I was left alone to place.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beginnings of the Library in Charles Town, South Carolina by Edgae Legake Pennington
    1934.] The Library in Charles Town, So. Carolina 159 THE BEGINNINGS OF THE LIBRARY IN CHARLES TOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA BY EDGAE LEGAKE PENNINGTON HE lending library of colonial America owes most to T the industry and example of an English clergy- man, the Reverend Doctor Thomas Bray. Bray was born at Marton in Shropshire in 1656; after studying divinity at Oxford, he entered holy orders. He early attracted attention by his indefatigable zeal and great industry, and his interest in various reform movements. His energies led to his selection as a proper person to model the infant Church of England in the province of Maryland and establish it on a solid foundation. There had been a petition from that province for the assist- ance of a "superintendent, commissary, or suffragan"; 80, in April, 1696, Thomas Bray was appointed com- missary, or official representative of the Bishop of London who acted as diocesan of the Church in the American colonies. Bray was not able to go promptly. As he was impressed by the fact that it was difficult to secure the best ministers for the colonial field, he began to direct his efforts towards remedying such difficulties as might stand in the way. He found that the clergymen were usually too poor to buy books; and across the sea, shut off from educational opportunities, they must needs deteriorate. He laid the results of his enquiries before the bishops ; and declared that without a compe- tent provision of reading matter, the ministers could not prove useful to the design of their mission, and that a library would be the best encouragement to studious and sober men to enter the service.
    [Show full text]
  • Veiled Propaganda and the Manipulation of Absolutist Authority in Eustache Le Noble’S La Pierre De Touche Politique (1688!1691) by Kathrina Ann Laporta
    “The Truth about Reasoning”: Veiled Propaganda and the Manipulation of Absolutist Authority in Eustache Le Noble’s La Pierre de touche politique (1688!1691) by Kathrina Ann LaPorta I. Introduction: The Political Stakes of Eustache Le Noble’s Pasquinades In a letter dated August 5, 1694, French chief of police Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie confesses his incapacity to prevent the publication of satirical pamphlets penned by then-imprisoned aristocrat Eustache Le Noble: Ce n’est pas la première fois qu’il a été défendu à cet auteur de mettre au jour des écrits de sa composition, ni la première fois qu’on a enlevé d’entre ses mains, pendant sa prison, les ouvrages de sa façon qu’il y vendait avec beau- coup de scandale. Il a toujours trouvé des protecteurs et des partisans qui ont cru qu’il était utile de laisser à cet homme la liberté d’écrire sur toutes sortes de matières. On ne sau- rait dire combien de manières il en a abusé, et à quel excès il ne s’est porté, ni répondre non plus qu’il se contienne à l’avenir. (Reynie) This is not the first time that this author was forbidden from bringing to light his writings, nor the first time that someone removed from his hands, during his imprison- ment, his works that he was scandalously selling there. He has always found protectors and supporters who found it useful to grant this man the freedom to write on all sorts of subject matters. One cannot say how many ways he has abused this freedom, and to what excess he has taken it, nor whether he will control himself in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • HISTORY of the STUDY of THEOLOGY [Pt
    HISTOEY OF THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY BY CHARLES AUGUSTUS gRIGGS D.D., D.LITT. Prepared for Publication by his Daughter EMILIE GRACE BRIGGS, B.D. VOL. II. NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1916 Published igt6 All rights reserved CONTENTS PART I THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE AGES CHAP. PA01 I. THE STUDY OF THEOLOOT IN THE NINTH AND TENTH .1 CENTURIES ...... 1 II. THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH CENTURIES . .17 III. THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE UNIVERSITIES IN THE TWELFTH AND THIRTEENTH CENTURIES . 40 IV. THE DECLINE OF SCHOLASTICISM IN THE FOURTEENTH AND FIFTEENTH CENTURIES . .61 PART II THE MODERN AGE L THE REVIVAL OF LEARNING . .82 IL THE REFORMATION ..... 105 III. THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES .... 143 IV. THB STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY ...... 184 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 213 INDEX ....... 219 PART I THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE AGES CHAPTER I THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY IN THE NINTH AND TENTH CENTURIES 1. A palace school was established by the Franks for the training of princes and nobles ; when Charlemagne ap pointed Alcuin as its superintendent, it rapidly became a great centre of learning. The palace school was founded by one of the pre decessors of Charlemagne for the training of the sons of princes and nobles. As a court school it moved about with the monarch from place to place. Charlemagne himself was trained there.1 He had some knowledge of Greek as well as Latin, and studied with the grammarian, Peter of Pisa ; possibly also with Paul the Deacon (t 797), a Benedictine monk and noted Lombard scholar, who taught Greek at his court for a time, and afterwards wrote a history of the Lombards.
    [Show full text]
  • From Contract to Treaty: the Legal Transformation of the Spanish Succession (1659-1713)
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Ghent University Academic Bibliography From Contract to Treaty: the Legal Transformation of the Spanish Succession (1659-1713) Frederik Dhondt Ph.D. Fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Legal History Institute, Ghent Universityi Abstract The problem of the Spanish Succession kept the European diplomatic system in suspense from 1659 until 1713. Statesmen and diplomats tackled the question. Their practical vision of the law is a necessary complement to legal doctrine. Louis XIV and Emperor Leopold I used incompatible and absolute claims, which started in private law and Spanish succession law. At the Peace of Utrecht, these arguments completely dissolved. The War of The Spanish Succession thus not only redesigned the political map of Europe. It altered the norm hierarchy in public law, strengthening international law as the framework of the “Société des Princes”. Introduction The War of the Spanish Succession (1701/1702-1713/1714) redesigned the political map of Europe. It sealed the definitive end of French encirclement by the Spanish Habsburgs. When Louis XIV died in September 1715, the heydays of the Spanish Monarchy were gone and a Bourbon King, his own grandson, reigned in Madrid. Both Spanish and French claims for universal monarchy had come to an endii. The Treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt/Baden created a balance of power on the continent between Versailles and Vienna, which was to last for 30 years. Finally, the war constituted the basis for British dominance as a commercial naval power, at the expense of the Dutch Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Theatre of Truth: Performing Public Religious Disputation in Seventeenth-Century Europe
    Theatre of Truth: Performing Public Religious Disputation in Seventeenth-Century Europe by David Lorne Robinson A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree History University of Toronto © Copyright by David Lorne Robinson 2020 Theatre of Truth: Performing Public Religious Disputation in Seventeenth-Century Europe David Lorne Robinson Doctor of Philosophy History University of Toronto 2020 Abstract This dissertation examines the practice of public religious disputation in early seventeenth- century Europe. It takes a transnational approach, examining disputations in France, England, and the Low Countries between 1598 and 1625. This approach highlights the ways in which common social and political circumstances created a climate for frequent disputations, but also how religious controversy was communicated across political boundaries. It argues that these debates were part of a wider culture of performance and became especially prevalent in religiously-divided communities where performances of religious unity like Corpus Christi processions had become contested. These disputations took the practice of academic disputation, still well regarded by both Catholics and Protestants as an effective method of inquiry, and relocated it in the homes of lay hosts. The lay audience thereby became active participants in the performance, debating clergy and performing their own religious identity. Disputations then became the subject of a more public debate as rumours about them spread and clerics exploited oral and manuscript communications networks and printing presses to vaunt their victories and denigrate their opponents, making use of negative stereotypes to solidify religious divisions. State actors, seeing the utility of disputation in shaping public opinion, also sought to organize disputations in an effort to legitimize their religious policies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Books of Gregorio Leti (1630-1701)
    A Scholar’s Library from the Seventeenth Century: The Books of Gregorio Leti (1630-1701) Martina Di Gregorio MA Thesis Book and Digital Media Studies Leiden University First reader: Prof. dr. P.G. Hoftijzer Second reader: Fleur Praal MA Words: 17,123 Date: 29/08/2019 Acknowledgment I would like to extend my thanks to Prof. dr. P.G. Hoftijzer for his comments and patience throughout the writing of this thesis. I would like to thank my parents and my friends for listening to me and supporting me during this process. Most importantly, I would like to thank my partner, Nicolas Chagnet, for his endless patience and support. 2 Abstract This thesis aims at presenting Gregorio Leti (1630 - 1701) through the books he owned and using the auction catalogue established at his death. This unique approach paints a picture of a well-read man with connections in influential literary circles and interest in literary and philosophical topics. This analysis required the creation of an extensive database, transcribing and fixing mistakes from the auction catalogue from 1701. This database supported the quantitative and qualitative observations on Leti’s reading habits and interests. Quantitatively, the database agreed with the usual accounts of Leti's life as a typical seventeenth century academic and educated historian, accounts that have been discussed in the few bibliographies focusing on Leti. Qualitatively, this thesis highlighted a thoroughness and range of interest matching the profile of a seventeenth century scholar. While analysing Leti’s life and personality, this thesis also introduces some changes of the seventeenth century, including an analysis of philosophical and literary movements that became more prominent in this period.
    [Show full text]