The Religious Origins of the French Revolution – From Calm to the Civil Constitution, 1560–1791 (Paper): From Calvin to the Civil Constitution, 1560-1791 - Softcover

Van Kley, Dale

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300080859 ISBN 13: 9780300080858

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Although the French Revolution is associated with efforts to dechristianize the French state and citizens, it actually had long-term religious-even Christian-origins, claims Dale Van Kley in this controversial new book. Looking back at the two and a half centuries that preceded the revolution, Van Kley explores the diverse, often warring religious strands that influenced political events up to the revolution. Van Kley draws on a wealth of primary sources to show that French royal absolutism was first a product and then a casualty of religious conflict. On the one hand, the religious civil wars of the sixteenth century between the Calvinist and Catholic internationals gave rise to Bourbon divine-right absolutism in the seventeenth century. On the other hand, Jansenist-related religious conflicts in the eighteenth century helped to "desacralize" the monarchy and along with it the French Catholic clergy, which was closely identified with Bourbon absolutism. The religious conflicts of the eighteenth century also made a more direct contribution to the revolution, for they left a legacy of protopolitical and ideological parties (such as the Patriot party, a successor to the Jansenist party), whose rhetoric affected the content of revolutionary as well as counterrevolutionary political culture. Even in its dechristianizing phase, says Van Kley, revolutionary political culture was considerably more indebted to varieties of French Catholicism than it realized.

About this title

Synopsis

Although the French Revolution is associated with efforts to "dechristianise" the French state, it actually had religious - even Christian - origins, claims this text. Looking back at the centuries preceding the revolution, it explores the religious strands that influenced political events.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300080859
• ISBN 13: 9780300080858
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 390