Local Politics in the French Wars of Religion: The Towns of Champagne, the Duc de Guise, and the Catholic League, 1560–1595 (review)

This book by Professor Konnert is an extension of a previous one, Civic Agendas and Religious Passions: Châlons-sur-Marne during the French Wars of Religion, 1560-1594(1997) when he examined the links between local and national politics and concluded from the case of Châlons that civic elites were not just instruments in the hands of powerful nobles but more often than not acted as free agents. In Local Politics, Konnert continues to explore the role of local secular concerns played in the course and outcome of the wars but this time and therein lies its originality, by focusing on the whole province of Champagne, adding new dimensions and giving us a rich and varied perspective. Organized around the question of how urban cities responded to the Catholic League, often seen as a movement to protect urban autonomy from absolute monarchy, Konnert looks at the experiences of eleven towns of varying size (among them, Reims, Troyes, Châlons, Mézières, Epernay and Chaumont) over a period of three decades. Konnert's chronological analyses of these decades show that before 1588 and the murder of the Guises in Blois, most urban cities' allegiance or not to the League was determined by local concerns and agendas. For instance, he shows that even in cities like St Dizier, totally loyal to the Guise, tensions emerged when the agenda of the League — having an entrance that bypasses the city gates — conflicted with that of the city council — controlling its city's defence. The lack of influence of the League and the Guises was further undermined by the fact that the Guises did not make much effort to mobilize the influence of the cities' councils, relying instead on ineffective patronage. After 1588, repulsed by the murder of the Guises, most of the towns joined in the rebellion of the Guise against Henri III and the then Huguenot Henri de Navarre. Arguing that the principal motivation for the cities of Champagne to support the League were religious, Konnert concludes that after Henri IV converted to catholicism, the League became redundant and little by little all the cities of Champagne began to pledge allegiance to the king. Konnert has thoroughly and meticulously examined the municipal archives as well as reading many manuscripts and primary sources. The evidence of his impressive scholarship is a well-written book that not only provides a convincing argument but also weaves a lively story full of fascinating detail that makes reading it a pleasure.