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The revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the role of the Intendants in the Dragonnades

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 06:21 authored by Jacqueline Gratton
The notorious dragonnades that brought about conversion of the Huguenots before the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes are widely considered to have been an instrument of repression whose use was instigated by central government. This article argues, conversely, that the dragonnades were probably not a deliberate, centrally driven strategy to reduce the number of practising Huguenots but, rather, the outcome of attempts by agents at the periphery to enhance or protect their careers. The evidence suggests that it was the intendants, acting in defiance of instructions from the centre, who were responsible for the dragonnades that facilitated the Revocation. An examination of intendants’ actions, in the context of the circumstances which governed their lives, shows how the principal actors made independent and opportunistic use of their powers to billet troops. Three factors—dynasticism, patronage and place—appear to have exerted a major influence on events.

History

Publication title

French History

Volume

25

Pagination

164-187

ISSN

0269-1191

Department/School

School of Humanities

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Place of publication

Oxford

Rights statement

The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology

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