Blood and religion : the conscience of Henri IV, 1553-1593

In Blood And Religion Ronald Love Explores The Symbiosis Of Religion And Politics In The Early Career Of Henri Iv Of France, Examining The King's Strong Religious Beliefs--imbibed In Early Youth From His Mother, Jeanne D'albret, Queen Of Navarre--and The Profound Effect They Had Not Only On His Private Conscience But On His Political And Military Decisions As Huguenot Leader And French Monarch. Fundamental Aspects Of Henri's Developing Character, His Motivations And Leadership, And The Contemporary Conditions Under Which He Laboured Are Scrutinized From His Birth In 1553 To The Opening Years Of His Reign. Love Places These Matters In Context Against The Broader Background Of Endemic Civil War, Contemporary Religious Culture, And The Many Responsibilities Imposed Upon Henri By His Royal Rank And Political Role. Blood And Religion Concludes With A Close Analysis Of Henri's Conversion To Catholicism In July 1593, Including The King's Crisis Of Conscience As He Struggled To Secure His Crown And Preserve His Soul. Love's Fresh Interpretations Of The Influence Of Religion On Henri Iv's Political And Military Choices Challenge Much Of Modern Scholarship On This Important French Monarch And Cast New Light On The Motivations And Worldview Of Sixteenth-century Sovereigns In An Age When Religion And Politics Were Inseparable. Introduction: Interpreting Henri Iv -- 1. Mother And Son, December 1553 To August 1572 -- 2. The Counterfeit Catholic, August 1572 To February 1576 -- 3. Blood, Belief, Behaviour, And The Shaping Of A King, February 1576 To June 1584 -- 4. The Years Of Uncertainty, June 1584 To August 1589 -- 5. The Years Of Uneasy Balance, September 1589 To October 1591 -- 6. The Years Of Despair And Diminishing Choices, November 1591 To April 1593 -- 7. Conversion And The Conscience Of The King, May To July 1593 -- Conclusion: Reinterpreting Henri Iv. Ronald S. Love. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [415]-449) And Index. In Blood and Religion Ronald Love explores the symbiosis of religion and politics in the early career of Henri IV of France, examining the king's strong religious beliefs - imbibed in early youth from his mother, Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navarre - and the profound effect they had not only on his private conscience but on his political and military decisions as Huguenot leader and French monarch. Fundamental aspects of Henri's developing character, his motivations and leadership, and the contemporary conditions under which he laboured are scrutinized from his birth in 1553 to the opening years of his reign "Ronald Love places Henri IV's reign in context against the broader background of endemic civil war, contemporary religious culture, and the many responsibilities imposed upon the king by his royal rank and political role. Blood and Religion concludes with a close analysis of Henri's conversion to Catholicism in July 1593, including his crisis of conscience as he struggled to secure the crown and preserve his soul."--Résumé de l'éditeur "Ronald Love places Henri IV's reign in context against the broader background of endemic civil war, contemporary religious culture, and the many responsibilities imposed upon the king by his royal rank and political role. Blood and Religion concludes with a close analysis of Henri's conversion to Catholicism in July 1593, including his crisis of conscience as he struggled to secure the crown and preserve his soul."--BOOK JACKET. A detailed study of the relationship between religion and politics in sixteenth-century France, as reflected through the early career of King Henri IV. This book concludes with a close analysis of Henri's conversion to Catholicism in July 1593, including the king's crisis of conscience as he struggled to secure his crown and preserve his soul.