Beneath the Cross: Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris

Beneath the Cross: Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris by Diefendorf, Barbara B.. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780195070132.

Presenting an original interpretation of the religious conflicts that divided sixteenth-century France, this unique new text traces the escalating cycle of violence that culminated in the bloody massacre on Saint Bartholomews Day in 1572 and explains its social, political, and spiritual roots. Diefendorf combines narrative history with subtle analysis of the competing messages from the Catholic and Protestant pulpits, and gives fresh insights into the underground Protestant community in Paris, the radicalization of the Catholic message under the pressure of civil war, and the progressive division of the city into moderate and extremist Catholic factions. Drawing on a wide variety of published and unpublished sources, including previously unknown archival materials and published Catholic sermons, this book will be invaluable for courses in Reformation history, early modern history, and French history.