Germany and the French Wars of Religion, 1560-1572

The 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. Cover Halftitle Title Copyright Dedication Contents Figures Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Connections: The Manifold Ties between France and the German Rhineland Interconfessional Relations: LutheranReformed Tensions on the Eve of the French Wars of Religion Explanations: Competing Narratives about the Nature of the French Wars of Religion Solutions: German Proposals for Restoring Peace in France Conspiracy: The Escalation of European Confessional Conflict Intervention: The Military Campaigns of 1567– 1569 Epilogue: The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre Bibliography Index