The Duke of Anjou and the Politique Struggle during the Wars of Religion

248 Pages·2002·6.94 MB·English

by  Mack P. Holt

CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN HISTORY
Editors
J. H. ELLIOTT OLWEN HUFTON
H. G. KOENIGSBERGER
The Duke of Anjou and
the Politique Struggle during the
Wars of Religion
CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN HISTORY
Edited by Professor J. H. Elliott, The Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, Professor
y
Olwen Hufton, University of Reading and Professor H. G. Koenigsberger, King's College,
London
The idea of an 'early modern' period of European history from the fifteenth to the late
eighteenth century is now widely accepted among historians. The purpose of the
Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History is to publish monographs and studies
which will illuminate the character of the period as a whole, and in particular focus
attention on a dominant theme within it, the interplay of continuity and change as they
are represented by the continuity of medieval ideas, political and social organization,
and by the impact of new ideas, new methods and new demands on the traditional
structures.
The Old World and the New, 1492-1650
J. H. ELLIOTT
The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 1567-165 g: The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in
the Low Countries Wars
GEOFFREY PARKER
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LOUIS GREEN
Gunpowder and Galleys: Changing Technology and Mediterranean Warfare at Sea in the Sixteenth
Century
JOHN FRANCIS GUILMARTIN JR
The State, War and Peace: Spanish Political Thought in the Renaissance 75/6-/559
j. A. FERNANDEZ-SANTAMARIA
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Filippo Strozzi and the Medici: Favor and Finance in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Rome
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Rouen during the Wars of Religion
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M. E. MALLETT AND J. R. HALE
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Languedoc
WILLIAM BEIK
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THOMAS A. BRADY JR
The Duke of Anjou and
the Politique Struggle during the
Wars of Religion
MACK P. HOLT
Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Fellow in History
Harvard University
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© Cambridge University Press 1986
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First published 1986
First paperback edition 2002
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Holt, Mack P.
The Duke of Anjou and the politique struggle during the wars of religion.
(Cambridge studies in early modern history)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. France-History-Wars of the Huguenots, 1562-1598.
2. Anjou, Francois, ducd', 1554-1584. I. Title. II. Series.
DC111.H65 1986 944'.029 85-20930
ISBN 0 52132232 4 hardback
ISBN 0 52189278 3 paperback
Contents
List of maps page vi
Preface vii
Abbreviations xi
Introduction i
1 Prologue: civil war and the early years of Franqois de Valois,
1555-72 3
2 From St Bartholomew's Day to the death of Charles IX,
August 1572-May 1574 19
3 War and peace, May 1574-May 1576 45
4 The Estates-General and the renewal of civil war, May 1576-
September 1577 70
5 Overtures from the Netherlands, September 1577-January 1579 93
6 Civil war, marriage, and more overtures from the Netherlands,
January 1579-December 1580 113
7 Menage a trois: Elizabeth, Anjou, and the Dutch Revolt,
January 1581-February 1582 146
8 Turmoil in the Netherlands, February 1582-January 1583 166
9 'The ruin of France', January 15 83-June 1584 185
Appendices
A The household of the duke of Anjou, 1572-84 215
B The apanage of the duke of Anjou 219
C Income from the apanage of the duke of Anjou 220
Select bibliography 222
Index 235
Maps
1 France during the wars of religion page 8
2 Provinces of the Netherlands during the revolt 102
VI
Preface
At a time when French historical studies on both sides of the Atlantic have come
to be dominated by the methods and techniques of the Annalistes and their
imitators, the appearance of what is an essentially old-fashioned narrative history
perhaps needs some explanation. Let me say at the outset that I am one of the
keenest supporters of the 'new' social and economic history that is currently a la
mode; indeed, my next book will be a modest attempt to emulate this kind of
history on a small scale. Both types of history have much to offer, however, and
they are by no means mutually exclusive. Clearly, events such as the crown's
periodic decisions to wage war in the provinces made just as great an impact on
the lives of most sixteenth-century Frenchmen as the changing birthrate or
climatic transformations over the longue duree. Neither kind of history tells the
whole story, but each can illuminate the other. Thus, I hope readers who find
this study unfashionable may at least find it somewhat useful.
In the spelling of all place names I have followed the usual practice of using an
English form if one exists: Brussels, Antwerp, The Hague, Dunkirk, Flushing,
etc. If there is no English equivalent, I have used the form currently employed by
present-day inhabitants of the place in question: leper (rather than Ypres),
Mechelen (rather than Malines), Aalst (rather than Alost), etc. A similar practice
has been adopted for the spelling of all personal names. If an accepted English
form exists, I have used it: Henry III, Philip II, William of Orange, etc.
Otherwise, I have used the spelling employed by the person in question.
Comparing sixteenth-century currencies is always a problem. The basic unit
of account in France was the livre tournois, which was composed of 20 sous (and
each sou consisted of 12 deniers). In 1579 the ecu was introduced as a new unit of
account at the rate of 1 ecu = 3 livres = 60 sous. To keep all French currency
uniform, I have usually converted all figures to livres after 1579 (and I have
always noted such conversions in the footnotes). The standard English currency
throughout the period was the pound sterling of 20 shillings each, while the basic
unit of currency in the Netherlands was the gold florin of 20 pattards each.
Comparisons are relatively simple for the second half of the sixteenth century, as
the livre tournois was roughly equivalent to the florin in value, and both were
roughly one-tenth the value of the pound sterling. Thus, a general guide for the
period is £1 = 10 livres tournois =10 florins.
vn
Preface
In France the New Year began on 25 March until 1567, when 1 January was
adopted as the beginning of the calendar year. I have converted all dates prior to
1567 to the new style as if the year began on 1 January. Thus, the duke of Anjou's
birthday is rendered 18 March 1555, not 1554 as it would have been to his
contemporaries. In citing some English sources, however, I have used the form
'ioMarch 1575/6'to refer to the year being observed in England as 1575 and in
France as 1576, as England refused to adopt the new-style calendar, with the
New Year beginning on 1 January, until much later. Moreover, when Pope
Gregory XIII added ten days to the Christian calendar in 1582, many Protestant
states (like England) refused to comply. I have nevertheless adopted the
Gregorian calendar for all dates after December 1582 when it went into effect,
although in citing some English sources I have occasionally used the form' 10/20
March 1583/4' to refer to the day observed as 10 March 1583 in England and 20
March 1584 in France.
A number of scholars have very kindly and generously shared their expertise
and have made numerous suggestions during the preparation of this book, and I
am grateful to them all. Primus inter pares is Professor J. Russell Major, who
supervised the Emory University Ph.D. thesis from which this book has derived.
Without his advice, his encouragement, and above all his friendship, this book
would never have been completed. Only his other students (and there are
many) can really appreciate what knowing him has meant. Dr Jonathan Powis
and Professor Geoffrey Parker have both contributed to this study in countless
ways. The former has read virtually every draft of the book (each time adding to
its improvement), and has been a constant source of criticism and encourage-
ment. The latter not only corrected a number of errors regarding Anjou's
sojourn in the Netherlands, but also kindly introduced me to the archives in
Brussels and The Hague, which has substantially strengthened the second half
of the book. A number of other scholars have graciously either offered
suggestions, answered queries, corrected errors, or read parts of the manuscript
at various stages. And, although some of them may not agree with all of my
interpretations, their disagreement has made this a better book: Dr Simon
Adams, Professor Brian G. Armstrong, Dr Joan Davies, Professor Robert M.
Kingdon, Dr H. A. Lloyd, Professor Hugo de Schepper, Professor N. M.
Sutherland, Professor K. W. Swart, and the late Dr Frances A. Yates.
I am also grateful to my editors, Professors J. H. Elliott and H. G. Koenigs-
berger, not only for correcting countless errors and making a number of useful
suggestions, but also for setting such high standards of scholarship with their
own work. I also wish to thank Richard Fisher and Sarah Barrett of Cambridge
University Press for seeing the book through production so conscientiously.
The staffs of the many archives and libraries where I worked were all
exceedingly helpful, but I would like to single out especially the staff of the
Cabinet des manuscrits of the Bibilotheque Nationale in Paris, where most of the
viii
Preface
research for this book was carried out. And I also must thank Emory University
for awarding me a graduate fellowship from 1978 to 1981, which enabled me to
carry out the bulk of the research. And I am also grateful to the Organized
Research Committee of West Texas State University for providing funds to help
cover the costs of preparing the index.
The table in Appendix A was first published in my article, 'Patterns of clientele
and economic opportunity at court during the Wars of Religion: the household
of Francois, duke of Anjou', French Historical Studies, XIII (Spring 1984),
305-22; and I wish to thank the editors of that journal for permission to include
it here.
Finally, I wish to thank my wife, Meg, and my parents, all of whom have
supported me when I most needed it. They know better than anyone else that I
would have never finished this book without their continuous enthusiasm and
encouragement. I dedicate it to them.
July 1985, Paris M.P.H.
IX