The Huguenots Or, Reformed French Church

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Huguenots Or, Reformed French Church 1 THE HUGUENOTS OR, REFORMED FRENCH CHURCH. THEIR PRINCIPLES DELINEATED; THEIR CHARACTER ILLUSTRATED; THEIR SUFFERINGS AND SUCCESSES RE- CORDED. IN THREE PARTS: I. THE HUGUENOT IN FRANCE, AT HOME. II. THE HUGUENOT DISPERSED IN EUROPE. III. THE HUGUENOT AT HOME IN AMERICA. WITH AN APPENDIX. WILLIAM HENRY FOOTE. D. D, PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ROMNEY, WEST VIRGINIA ; Author of the “Sketches of Virginia and North Carolina," Biographical and Historical, illustrating the "Rise and Progress of the Presbyterian Church in America." RICHMOND: PRESBYTERIAN COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION. 2 EDITOR'S NOTICE. While this hook was passing through the process of stereotyping, under the supervision of the venerable author, he was called from the toils and labors of the Church on earth to the glories and joys of the upper sanctuary. This sad event, which occurred on the 22nd of last November, delayed the publication of this inter- esting volume for several months. It is now presented to the public in the belief that it will be esteemed a val- uable addition to our ecclesiastical literature, and that it will add to the reputation and will perpetuate the influence of its distinguished and lamented author. September 1, 1870. E. T. B. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by CHARLES GENNET, in trust, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 3 DEDICATION. To those who love the development of great principles; to those who admire patient continuance in well-doing and endurance of evil; TO ALL WHO ARE IN TROUBLE OR SORROW, this volume, written in times of great personal trouble and national distress, is respectfully dedicated BY THE AUTHOR, WILLIAM HENRY FOOTE, Romney, Hampshire County, West Virginia. i CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. LITERATURE AND RELIGION IN FRANCE PREVIOUSLY TO A. D. 1526. The commencement of the revival of Literature and vital piety in France, Lefevre and his pupil Farell. The doctrine of Faith a subject of discus- sion in France during the dark ages. The persecution that preceded the revival of Literature. Francis I. comes to the crown. Lefevre teaches Greek and explains the New Testament. The position of Louis XII in regard to the Pope. The change agreed upon by Francis, making the Pope's decisions superior to the decrees of Councils. Francis gains the disposal of the income of the Church property. Charles V., of Spain, becomes Emperor of Germany, and aspires to be Pope of Rome. The two reasons of Luther that gained the attention of the German Princes. Francis I. encourages literature for the glory of his kingdom. His sister Margaret becomes a convert to the literature and religious doctrines of the Reformers. Her character and influence, her aunt Philiberta becomes a convert. Briconnet, Bishop of Meaux, favours the new literature. Luther proposes to remove to France. Lefevre translates the Gospels into French. Other parts of the New Testament translated and widely circulated. A copy sent to the King. Portions of the Bible translated for the King's mother. The Romish priesthood ex- press great alarm at the efforts for Reformation. Objections made to two doctrines of the Reformers, viz: Salvation by Faith alone, and the suf- ficiency of the Scriptures without the decrees of councils. Francis fond of discussions of a literary nature, and will not persecute Lefevre for saying there were three Marys. Francis becomes alarmed about the doc- trines of the Reformation. He permits some in humble life to be tried for their religious belief, and to be burned. Le Clerc burned. Berquin arrested, and set at liberty by the King. The nobles to have the privi- lege of thought and speech. The Bishop of Meaux tried and recants. The learned men retire to Switzerland and Germany. The reception of Farel. The city of Lyons receives the Reformers. Varigus and Anthony Blet. Anthony Papillon. The Reformers received in Grenoble. Pas- tor Sebville. Francis annoyed by the Reformed doctrines. Affected by the death of a young daughter. The battle of Pavia in its effects on the (1) ii ii CONTENTS. Reformation in France. Margaret sends a copy of the Epistles to Fran- cis while in confinement. The Queen Regent writes to the Pope— prom- ises him to follow his direction about the Reformers. Beda bitter and active against the Reformation. The Queen writes to the Sorbonne. The Pope orders the introduction of the Inquisition into France. The work of persecution commences. Berquin again arrested. The Bishop of Meaux again arrested, condemned and does penance. Lefevre flies to Straasburg. Beda assails Erasmus. Pastor Shuck, in Lorraine, is burned. Pavanne a youth is burned in Paris. The hermit of Livry burned. Persecutions in the south of France - - - - - - 13 CHAPTER IL FROM THE YEAR 1526 TO THE YEAR 1550. The interest attached to the early part of the sixteenth century. The true foundation of Literature, Science and Religion. Charles V., Henry VIII., of England, and Francis I. cotemporaries. Their separate influ- ence on the Reformation. The contrast of Francis I. and his sister Mar- garet. Francis, to win the confidence of the Church of Rome, proposes an alliance. The negotiation protracted. The marriage takes place. Treaty with the Duke of Wurtemburg. Denis dc Reux and Berquin burned. The noble death of Berquin. Margaret, now Queen of Na- varre, publishes the Mirror of the Soul. The Sorbonne condemns it. Francis interposes in her behalf. The placards set up in the palace — their effect on Francis and his son Henry. Margaret flies to her domin- ions. The purgation of the city determined upon. The numerous fires and victims. The grand procession, and the victims. The declaration of Francis about his hand. The persecution at Meaux— and of the Wal- denses. twenty-two of their villages being burnt to ashes. He regrets his treatment of the Waldenses. His character and views of Religion. increase of the Reformed. Henry II of France, his inconsistency in as- sisting the Protestants abroad, and persecuting the Reformers in France. The martyrdom of five young men at Lyons. Their long confinement and heroic death, and its great effect upon the bystanders. Catherine de Medici makes her husband more bitter against the Reformers. His desire to see the death of Dubourg. His death. His last effort with his parliament to sanction the Inquisition in France. The Council of Trent. Four events favour the formation of the Reformed French Church; Ist, The influences connected with the Duchess of Ferrara; 2nd. Those clustering around John Calvin; 3d. Those connected with Clement Marot; and 4th, Those connected with the Protestant churches in Germany. The Duchess of Ferarra protects the Reformers. Her message to the Duke of Giave. The labors of Calvin in Geneva. Clem- ent Marot, the poet, protected by Margaret of Navarre. Persuaded to translate some of the Psalms of David into French verse. Various edi- tions of these psalms — their great popularity. The favourite psalms of the royal family. The efforts of the licentious to introduce other poetry. iii CONTENTS. iii The effect of singing the psalms of Marot and Beza. It becomes a part of the public worship of the Reformed. Effects of the treaty of Passau and Diet of Augsburg. Religion not free in Germany or England or Switzerland or Holland. A very general agreement in doctrine in these churches. The advantage of the Church in France by not being sup- ported by the King or parliaments. The steps by which the Reformed French Church was formed. The first places of preaching. The neces- sity for association in worship and doctrine and discipline. The admin- istration of the ordinances. Consistories formed. The order of public worship, the confession of sin, the forms of baptism, of communion, of marriage, and of the burial of the dead admitted but not commanded. The repetition of the Lord's prayer and the ten commandments. The formation of Colloquies, Provincial Synods, and lastly the formatian of the National Synod. Parliament refuses to introduce the Inquisition at the request of Henry II. Cardinal Lorraine on his own responsibility introduces it in 1558. The Reformed complete their church organization the next year, 1559. Formation of the Book of Discipline, first in forty sections, afterwards increased to two hundred and twenty. The confes- sion of the Reformed French a model to Scotland and to Holland. The peculiar position and honor of the Reformed French Churchy - - 33 CHAPTER III. FROM THB FORMATION OF THE NATIONAL SYNOD, 1559, TO ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S, 1572. The surprise caused by the treaty of Chateau Cambresis. The secret arti- cles for the destruction of those differing from the church of Rome. Marriage of the daughters of Henry II. and his consequent death. Fran- cis II. succeeds to the crown in his sixteenth year. His mother, Cather- ine de Medici, regent. Two branches of the descendents of St. Louis claim the regency and the crown in event of failure of the Valois line, and form two parties, the Bourbon and the Guise. The Bourbons favour the Reformed, the Guises are supported by Rome. The compara- tive strength of the parties. Where the greatest strength of the Re- formed lay. The principles that governed Catherine de Medici. Politi- cal meeting at Vendome, 1560. The embassy to the King. The King of Navarre beguiled. An appeal to the Reformed to form a political party in favour of the Bourbon line. A petition for toleration. The embassy betrayed and a multitude of people slain. Reformer, Huguenot, and rebel become synonymous. The chancellor Michael Lc Hospital on Tol- eration. A political assembly at Fontainbleau, 1560, to which the Admi- ral presents a petition from Normandy, and asked for toleration.
Recommended publications
  • Constantia, St
    THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARY REFERENCE CYCLOPEDIA of BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL and ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE Constantia, St. - Czechowitzky, Martin by James Strong & John McClintock To the Students of the Words, Works and Ways of God: Welcome to the AGES Digital Library. We trust your experience with this and other volumes in the Library fulfills our motto and vision which is our commitment to you: MAKING THE WORDS OF THE WISE AVAILABLE TO ALL — INEXPENSIVELY. AGES Software Rio, WI USA Version 1.0 © 2000 2 Constantia, Saint a martyr at Nuceria, under Nero, is commemorated September 19 in Usuard's Martyrology. Constantianus, Saint abbot and recluse, was born in Auvergne in the beginning of the 6th century, and died A.D. 570. He is commemorated December 1 (Le Cointe, Ann. Eccl. Fran. 1:398, 863). Constantin, Boniface a French theologian, belonging to the Jesuit order, was born at Magni (near Geneva) in 1590, was professor of rhetoric and philosophy at Lyons, and died at Vienne, Dauphine, November 8, 1651. He wrote, Vie de Cl. de Granger Eveque et Prince dae Geneve (Lyons, 1640): — Historiae Sanctorum Angelorum Epitome (ibid. 1652), a singular work upon the history of angels. He also-wrote some other works on theology. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.; Jocher, Allgemeines Gelehrten- Lexikon, s.v. Constantine (or Constantius), Saint is represented as a bishop, whose deposition occurred at Gap, in France. He is commemorated April 12 (Gallia Christiana 1:454). SEE CONSTANTINIUS. Constantine Of Constantinople deacon and chartophylax of the metropolitan Church of Constantinople, lived before the 8th century. There is a MS.
    [Show full text]
  • The Basques of Lapurdi, Zuberoa, and Lower Navarre Their History and Their Traditions
    Center for Basque Studies Basque Classics Series, No. 6 The Basques of Lapurdi, Zuberoa, and Lower Navarre Their History and Their Traditions by Philippe Veyrin Translated by Andrew Brown Center for Basque Studies University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada This book was published with generous financial support obtained by the Association of Friends of the Center for Basque Studies from the Provincial Government of Bizkaia. Basque Classics Series, No. 6 Series Editors: William A. Douglass, Gregorio Monreal, and Pello Salaburu Center for Basque Studies University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557 http://basque.unr.edu Copyright © 2011 by the Center for Basque Studies All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Cover and series design © 2011 by Jose Luis Agote Cover illustration: Xiberoko maskaradak (Maskaradak of Zuberoa), drawing by Paul-Adolph Kaufman, 1906 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Veyrin, Philippe, 1900-1962. [Basques de Labourd, de Soule et de Basse Navarre. English] The Basques of Lapurdi, Zuberoa, and Lower Navarre : their history and their traditions / by Philippe Veyrin ; with an introduction by Sandra Ott ; translated by Andrew Brown. p. cm. Translation of: Les Basques, de Labourd, de Soule et de Basse Navarre Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: “Classic book on the Basques of Iparralde (French Basque Country) originally published in 1942, treating Basque history and culture in the region”--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-877802-99-7 (hardcover) 1. Pays Basque (France)--Description and travel. 2. Pays Basque (France)-- History. I. Title. DC611.B313V513 2011 944’.716--dc22 2011001810 Contents List of Illustrations..................................................... vii Note on Basque Orthography.........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Jeanne D'albret Was the Most Illustrious Woman of Her Time, and Perhaps One of the Most Illustrious Women in All History
    Jeanne D’Albret (1528 – 1572) Jeanne d'Albret was the most illustrious woman of her time, and perhaps one of the most illustrious women in all history. She was the only daughter of Margaret of Valois, Queen of Navarre (and sister of King Francois 1st), whose genius Jeanne inherited, and whom she surpassed in her gifts of governing, and in her more consistent attachment to the Reformation. Her first husband Germany’s Duke of Cleves, to whom she was forced to wed at the age of 12 in 1541, no more consummated the marriage than placing his foot in her bed. Her fine intellect, elevated soul, and deep piety were unequally yoked with Anthony de Bourbon, her second husband in 1549, a man of humane dispositions, but of low tastes, indolent habits, and of paltry character. His marriage with Jeanne d'Albret brought him the title of King of Arragon, whose usurpation was confirmed by Pope Julius II, so King of Navarre; but his wife was a woman of too much sense, and her dominions were restricted to that portion of the ancient Navarre cherished too enlightened a regard for the welfare of her subjects, to which lay on the French side of the Pyrenees. give him more than the title. She took care not to entrust him with the reins of government. "Unstable as water," he spent his life in traveling In 1560, we have said, Jeanne d'Albret made open profession of the between the two camps, the Protestant and the Popish, unable long Protestant faith. In 1563 came her famous edict, dated from her to adhere to either, and heartily despised by both.
    [Show full text]
  • Prisons and Punishments in Late Medieval London
    Prisons and Punishments in Late Medieval London Christine Winter Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of London Royal Holloway, University of London, 2012 2 Declaration I, Christine Winter, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: Date: 3 Abstract In the history of crime and punishment the prisons of medieval London have generally been overlooked. This may have been because none of the prison records have survived for this period, yet there is enough information in civic and royal documents, and through archaeological evidence, to allow a reassessment of London’s prisons in the later middle ages. This thesis begins with an analysis of the purpose of imprisonment, which was not merely custodial and was undoubtedly punitive in the medieval period. Having established that incarceration was employed for a variety of purposes the physicality of prison buildings and the conditions in which prisoners were kept are considered. This research suggests that the periodic complaints that London’s medieval prisons, particularly Newgate, were ‘foul’ with ‘noxious air’ were the result of external, rather than internal, factors. Using both civic and royal sources the management of prisons and the abuses inflicted by some keepers have been analysed. This has revealed that there were very few differences in the way civic and royal prisons were administered; however, there were distinct advantages to being either the keeper or a prisoner of the Fleet prison. Because incarceration was not the only penalty available in the enforcement of law and order, this thesis also considers the offences that constituted a misdemeanour and the various punishments employed by the authorities.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Southampton Research Repository
    University of Southampton Research Repository Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and, where applicable, any accompanying data are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non- commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis and the accompanying data cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content of the thesis and accompanying research data (where applicable) must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holder/s. When referring to this thesis and any accompanying data, full bibliographic details must be given, e.g. Thesis: Katarzyna Kosior (2017) "Becoming and Queen in Early Modern Europe: East and West", University of Southampton, Faculty of the Humanities, History Department, PhD Thesis, 257 pages. University of Southampton FACULTY OF HUMANITIES Becoming a Queen in Early Modern Europe East and West KATARZYNA KOSIOR Doctor of Philosophy in History 2017 ~ 2 ~ UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF HUMANITIES History Doctor of Philosophy BECOMING A QUEEN IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE: EAST AND WEST Katarzyna Kosior My thesis approaches sixteenth-century European queenship through an analysis of the ceremonies and rituals accompanying the marriages of Polish and French queens consort: betrothal, wedding, coronation and childbirth. The thesis explores the importance of these events for queens as both a personal and public experience, and questions the existence of distinctly Western and Eastern styles of queenship. A comparative study of ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ ceremony in the sixteenth century has never been attempted before and sixteenth- century Polish queens usually do not appear in any collective works about queenship, even those which claim to have a pan-European focus.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Calendars, Commemorative Processions and the Recollection of the Wars of Religion During the Ancien Régime
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by RERO DOC Digital Library © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of French History. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/fh/crn046, available online at www.fh.oxfordjournals.org Advance Access published on October 8, 2008 DIVIDED MEMORIES? HISTORICAL CALENDARS, COMMEMORATIVE PROCESSIONS AND THE RECOLLECTION OF THE WARS OF RELIGION DURING THE ANCIEN RÉGIME PHILIP BENEDICT * Abstract — In the centuries that followed the Edict of Nantes, a number of texts and rituals preserved partisan historical recollections of episodes from the Wars of Religion. One important Huguenot ‘ site of memory ’ was the historical calendar. The calendars published between 1590 and 1685 displayed a particular concern with the Wars of Religion, recalling events that illustrated Protestant victimization and Catholic sedition. One important Catholic site of memory was the commemorative procession. Ten or more cities staged annual processions throughout the ancien régime thanking God for delivering them from the violent, sacrilegious Huguenots during the civil wars. If, shortly after the Fronde, you happened to purchase at the temple of Charenton a 1652 edition of the Psalms of David published by Pierre Des-Hayes, you also received at the front of the book a twelve-page historical calendar listing 127 noteworthy events that took place on selected days of the year. 1 Seven of the entries in this calendar came from sacred history and told you such dates as when the tablets of the Law were handed down on Mount Sinai (5 June) or when John the Baptist received the ambassador sent from Jerusalem mentioned in John 1.19 (1 January).
    [Show full text]
  • The Hermeneutics of the Puritans Thomas D
    JETS 39/2 (June 1996) 271–284 THE HERMENEUTICS OF THE PURITANS THOMAS D. LEA* What is a Baptist? The answer to that question will depend both on the type of Baptist one may be considering and also upon the place in time where one ˜nds the Baptists. Seventh Day Baptists emphasize the seventh day as the time of worship. Particular Baptists in England were strongly Calvinistic in their doctrinal statements. Southern Baptists in America have empha- sized ˜nancial cooperation as a means of ful˜lling the great commission. British Baptists have normally looked with favor upon participation in the ecumenical movement with other Christian groups. Southern Baptists have been critical and skeptical of ecumenical involvement. Baptists in the American south have often dominated the culture of their communities. Baptists in Asia constitute a tiny minority. Baptists in Amer- ica and in western Europe have normally faced little persecution. The vig- orous spiritual life of Romanian Baptists has been molded by their poverty and persecution. Walter Rauschenbusch, theologian of the social gospel, belonged to an American Baptist church. Nobel Prize winner Martin Luther King came from a Black Baptist background. Evangelist Billy Graham lives in North Carolina but belongs to the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. What is a Baptist? It all depends on the time in which you live and the group with which you worship. I. WHAT IS A PURITAN? What is a Puritan? Scholars struggle to de˜ne this virile religious move- ment. The term possesses an elastic meaning that has even been used to refer to some religious leaders of the twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • The French Wars of Religion
    New Dorp High School Social Studies Department AP World History Mr. Hubbs The French Wars of Religion The French Protestants were called Huguenots and they represented only a small part of the population. Before the 1560s it was illegal for Huguenots to worship publicly. In 1562, Catherine, the Queen of France took a major step in religious toleration by allowing Huguenots to hold public worship outside the boundaries of towns. They were also allowed to hold church assemblies. Catherine was a Catholic and wanted France to remain Catholic; she also did not want a Protestant France. This began the French Wars of Religion which lasted for almost forty years and destroyed thousands of lives. Catholics began to target and kill many Huguenots. Fearing a Huguenot uprising, Catherine convinced Charles IX that the Huguenots were plotting his overthrow. On August 24, 1572, the day before St. Bartholomew's Day, royal forces hunted down and executed over three thousand Huguenots in Paris. Within three days, royal armies had hunted down and executed over twenty thousand Huguenots. The St. Bartholomew Massacre was a turning point in the history of the Christian Church. In 1576, Henry III ascended to the throne. And some Catholics formed a violent and fanatical group which was aided by Philip II of Spain who wanted to overthrow the Protestant churches of other countries. Henry III was stabbed to death and Henry IV became king. Henry IV stated that the only way France would find peace is if it were ruled by a tolerant Catholic king. On April 13, 1598, Henry IV ended the religious wars in France by proclaiming the Edict of Nantes.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion Is Special Enough
    Wayne State University Law Faculty Research Publications Law School 1-1-2017 Religion Is Special Enough Christopher C. Lund Wayne State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/lawfrp Part of the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Christopher C. Lund, Religion Is Special Enough, 103 Va. L. Rev. 481, 524 (2017) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Law Faculty Research Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. RELIGION IS SPECIAL ENOUGH Christopher C. Lund* In ways almost beyond counting, our legal system treats religion dif- ferently, subjecting it both to certainprotections and certain disabili- ties. Developing the specifics of those protections and disabilities, along with more general theories tying the specifics together andjus- tifying them collectively, has long been the usual stuff of debate among courts and commentators. Those debates still continue. But in recent years, increasinglypeople have asked a slightly different question-whether religion should be singled out for special treatment at all, in any context, for any pur- pose. Across the board, but especially in the context of religious ex- emptions from generally applicable laws, many have come to doubt religion's distinctiveness. And traditional defenses of religion's dis- tinctiveness have been rejected as unpersuasive or religiously parti- san. This Article offers a defense of our legal tradition and its special treatment of religion. Religious freedom can be justified on religion- neutral grounds; it serves the same kinds of values as other rights (like freedom of speech).
    [Show full text]
  • The Idea of Medieval Heresy in Early Modern France
    The Idea of Medieval Heresy in Early Modern France Bethany Hume PhD University of York History September 2019 2 Abstract This thesis responds to the historiographical focus on the trope of the Albigensians and Waldensians within sixteenth-century confessional polemic. It supports a shift away from the consideration of medieval heresy in early modern historical writing merely as literary topoi of the French Wars of Religion. Instead, it argues for a more detailed examination of the medieval heretical and inquisitorial sources used within seventeenth-century French intellectual culture and religious polemic. It does this by examining the context of the Doat Commission (1663-1670), which transcribed a collection of inquisition registers from Languedoc, 1235-44. Jean de Doat (c.1600-1683), President of the Chambre des Comptes of the parlement of Pau from 1646, was charged by royal commission to the south of France to copy documents of interest to the Crown. This thesis aims to explore the Doat Commission within the wider context of ideas on medieval heresy in seventeenth-century France. The periodization “medieval” is extremely broad and incorporates many forms of heresy throughout Europe. As such, the scope of this thesis surveys how thirteenth-century heretics, namely the Albigensians and Waldensians, were portrayed in historical narrative in the 1600s. The field of study that this thesis hopes to contribute to includes the growth of historical interest in medieval heresy and its repression, and the search for original sources by seventeenth-century savants. By exploring the ideas of medieval heresy espoused by different intellectual networks it becomes clear that early modern European thought on medieval heresy informed antiquarianism, historical writing, and ideas of justice and persecution, as well as shaping confessional identity.
    [Show full text]
  • John Jay and Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin Was Born in 1706 in Boston to a Lower-Class Family and Was the 15Th out of 17 Children
    John Jay and Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston to a lower-class family and was the 15th out of 17 children. Franklin never received a formal education past the age of 10. He became a printer’s apprentice and eventually moved to Philadelphia at the age of 17 to continue his trade. John Jay was born in 1745 in New York to a moderately wealthy family and was the 8th of 10 children. He received a good education and was taught by tutors before attending King’s College at the age of 14. After graduating, he became a successful lawyer. Huguenot Cross John Jay and Benjamin Franklin both descended from ancestors who came to America seeking religious freedom. Jay’s ancestors were French Huguenots while Franklin’s family were Puritans. The stories of their ancestor’s religious persecution had a huge impact on both men and is reflected in many of their beliefs. John Jay’s grandfather, Augustus Jay, was a French Huguenot who came to America in the 1680s. Augustus and his family had to leave France in order to flee the religious persecution of Huguenots after the King of France revoked the Edict of Nantes. The Edict had protected French Protestants from religious persecution in the heavily Catholic country and without it, Huguenots were no longer safe in France. The oppression and pursuit of religious freedom that his ancestors endured had a lasting effect on Jay and his beliefs. He strongly believed that there should not be a national religion and that it was important to enforce a strong separation between religion and government.
    [Show full text]
  • Violence in Reformation France Christopher M
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Maria Dittman Library Research Competition: Library (Raynor Memorial Libraries) Student Award Winners 4-1-2010 Quel Horreur!: Violence in Reformation France Christopher M. McFadin Marquette University, [email protected] Undergraduate recipient (Junior/Senior category) of the Library's Maria Dittman Award, Spring 2010. Paper written for History 4995 (Independent Study) with Dr. Julius Ruff. © Christopher M. McFadin 1 Quel horreur! : Violence in Reformation France By Chris McFadin History 4995: Independent Study on Violence in the French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 Dr. Julius Ruff November 9, 2009 2 Oh happy victory! It is to you alone Lord, not to us, the distinguished trophy of honor. In one stroke you tore up the trunk, and the root, and the strewn earth of the heretical vermin. Vermin, who were caught in snares that they had dared to set for your faithful subjects. Oh favorable night! Hour most desirable in which we placed our hope. 1 Michel de Roigny, On the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, 1572 The level of sectarian violence that erupted in Reformation France was extraordinary. Otherwise ordinary Catholics tortured their Huguenot neighbors to death and then afterwards mutilated their corpses, sometimes feeding the disfigured remains to farm animals. Catholic children elicited applause from their coreligionists as they killed adult Huguenots by tearing them to pieces. Huguenots assaulted Catholic priests during the Mass, pillaged Catholic churches, and desecrated the Host. Indeed, as the sectarian duel increased in frequency and intensity, a man could be killed for calling someone a Huguenot; both sides used religion to rationalize the assassinations of dukes and kings.
    [Show full text]