In the 16th century, on the European continent, Christian unity was broken. For the first time, the question of relations between the State and religious minorities arose. The Kingdom of France also suffered the full brunt of the shock and very quickly had to face an exceptional growth in Protestantism. This new issue of Au Risque de l’Histoire offers you a better understanding of this religious minority: what we commonly call Huguenot France. How did this minority develop? What was his ambition? How did it create a unity of views, practices and doctrines? “As surprising as it may seem four and a half centuries later, we must understand that the French Reformed did indeed believe, during the years preceding the start of the Wars of Religion, that they could convert the kingdom of France to what they considered to be the “true religion”, that is to say, to Calvinism. » explains Hugues Daussy Professor of modern history at the University of Franche-Comté. “Faced with persecution, hunted by royal officers and hostility from Catholics, the Huguenots were able to structure themselves first in hiding and then little by little in the open. Thanks to their original ecclesiastical organization, they were able to resist and temporarily obtain their integration into the body of the kingdom after fierce battles, before being rejected again after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. » says Philippe Chareyre Professor emeritus at the University of Pau.
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