Abstract
When considering the historiography of the French Reformation, one is struck by the scarcity of information about the early spread of the new religious ideas. Moreover, it is clear that comment is largely confined to the familiarity of leading (and literate) officials, lay and clerical, with Protestant teaching.1 Almost nothing appears to be known, or knowable, about the general comprehension of Reformation views in society. On rare occasions when information is available it usually illustrates the beliefs of Protestant sympathizers. In the light of the excellent work done by Diefendorf and Davis, highlighting popular religious ideas in Paris and Lyon - especially stressing the strongly held and violently anti-Protestant opinions of many Catholics - one should attempt to identify the views of Catholics on Protestantism from the earliest possible date.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 451-477 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | French History |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 1995 |