Description
Book SynopsisThe course of the French Wars of Religion, commonly portrayed as a series of civil wars, was profoundly shaped by foreign actors. Many German Protestants in particular felt compelled to intervene. In Germany and the French Wars of Religion, 1560-1572 Jonas van Tol examines how Protestant German audiences understood the conflict in France and why they deemed intervention necessary. He demonstrates that conflicting stories about the violence in France fused with local religious debates and news from across Europe leading to a surprising range of interpretations of the nature of the French Wars of Religion. As a consequence, German Lutherans found themselves on opposing sides on the battlefields of France.
Trade Review“This is a great book deserving to be read widely by all who work on the Wars of Religion, religious identities, and international relations.” David Scott Gehring, University of Nottingham. In: Journal of British Studies, Vol. 60, No.2 (2021), pp. 473–474. “[Van Tol’s] study illustrates how crucial it is to understand the role of emotions in diplomacy, therefore opening a door to an innovative political history of emotions.” Stefanie Freyer, Universität Osnabrück. In: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 3 (Fall 2021), pp. 996–998.
Table of ContentsList of figures Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction I. Connections The manifold ties linking France and the German Rhineland II. Interconfessional relations Lutheran-Reformed tensions on the eve of the French Wars of Religion III. Explanations Competing narratives about the nature of the French Wars of Religion IV. Solutions German proposals for restoring peace in France V. Conspiracy The escalation of European confessional conflict VI. Intervention The military campaigns of 1567-1569 Epilogue The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre Bibliography
