The French Huguenots and Wars of Religion: Three Centuries of Resistance for Freedom of Conscience is an effective realization of the “modest aim” that Stephen M. Davis describes in his introduction, namely a book that functions “more as a primer than a scholarly tome” and provides an overview of “some of the major personages and events surrounding three centuries of violence and resistance in French Huguenot history” (xvii). He views this history through the lens of the Huguenots, seeing them as symbolizing the fight for freedom of conscience—that is, the freedom to worship God in the way that they saw fit without (in the context of France) needing to follow the state-established Catholic tradition. As a “primer” more than a “scholarly tome,” this book might be of more interest to undergraduates or the general public, especially those interested in Protestant history. I often had questions about assertions that a longer and more scholarly volume would have provided answers for, but given that Davis intended to only introduce the topic, the book fulfills its stated purpose.
This volume is a work of historical theology, adopting an approach to the study of history that asserts that we, and especially religious communities, can learn something from that history for today. This appears not only in the research Davis has done, but also in William Edgar’s foreword, which draws parallels between issues facing the early modern Huguenot refugees and our debates about immigration and refugees today. Davis argues that the key lesson for today’s world from the history of the Hugenots is the importance of freedom of conscience. In the Huguenots’ fight to worship as they wished, Davis sees a model we can learn from. The conclusion makes this clear in its critique of the secularism of France, the radicalization of some Muslims in France, and the French government’s efforts to curb this—efforts which also affect evangelical Christians.
The main body of the text is divided into eight chapters that provide an overview of the history of Huguenots from the Protestant Reformation through the French Revolution, showing ebbs and flows in the freedom and toleration they received from the French state. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the historical context and the initial effects of the Reformation in France. In chapter 2, Davis examines the three key Reformers—Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin—specifically in relation to their influence in France, while chapters 3 and 4 provide an overview of the Catholic—and by extension, the French state’s—response to the Reformation, leading up to the time of the Wars of Religion.
Chapter 5 covers these wars in chronological order, giving an overview of the events for each. The difficulty with this chapter is that the dizzying array of names included in this overview makes it somewhat difficult to follow who is on each side of the conflict. This narrative of the wars finishes in chapter 6 with a discussion of the Edict of Nantes—both its provisions and immediate effects, including efforts to undermine the freedoms it provided to Huguenots. These efforts culminated in the revocation of the edict under Louis XIV, which is discussed in chapter 7, along with Huguenot forms of resistance in response. In this chapter, Davis also briefly discusses two “Huguenot heroes” that he thinks are worth remembering: Antoine Court and Marie Durand. The final chapter briefly examines freedoms allowed to Huguenots by the French Revolution, which is portrayed as the realization of freedom of conscience after three centuries of suffering. Davis draws a direct line between the persecution of Huguenots and the French Revolution’s rejection of monarchy. Unfortunately, he does so without engaging with some of the well-known scholarship on religion and the French Revolution, such as that by historian Dale Van Kley.
Davis relies mostly on secondary scholarship in this history, especially work done in French by Protestant historians. In fact, when citing work by non-Protestant historians, like that by the eminent French historian Jean Delumeau, Davis explicitly identifies him as a “Catholic historian” (61), which contrasts to the way he references Protestant scholarship. While making such French scholarship more accessible to an English-speaking audience is an important contribution, as much of the scholarship about religion in early modern France is still done in French, the lack of direct engagement with primary sources provides less support to his overall claims about freedom of conscience. His argument relies more on the existence of the Huguenots and their desire for their own freedom of worship than any of their own arguments for that freedom.
The issue I had with this text is that it is not—as Davis himself admits—an unbiased reading of Huguenot history. He sees the survival of the Huguenots as the result of God’s providence (109). In the introduction, Davis engages with some scholarship on bias in the study of history, admitting that his “evangelical sensibilities will become readily apparent” and that his recounting of certain events might be disputed (xviii-xix). There are instances of anti-Catholic bias in some of his recounting of events, such as his willingness to repeatedly defend the Huguenots’ recourse to violence, yet claim that “any unbiased reading of history reveals” that the Catholic Church and the French monarchy were more at fault (25). Given the violence that occurred throughout Europe during the Reformation, one wonders if these positions would not have been reversed if the Huguenots also had the power of the French state behind them. Because of this bias, I would not recommend this for use in classes at either Catholic or secular schools. Readers will enjoy this text more if they already believe that the Huguenots were “faithful witnesses to the truth of God’s word” (22).
Elissa Cutter is an assistant professor of religious studies and theology at Georgian Court University.
Elissa Cutter
Date Of Review:
September 27, 2024