La France et le Concile de Trente (1518-1563) by Alain Talion (review)

BOOK REVIEWS461 gion, but they conformed throughout the turbulent stages of the Reformation in the interest of social harmony and emerged with an eclectic type of Protestantism based on time-honored moral values and good Christian fellowship. The author does not take kindly to extremist interpretations (Christopher Haigh), but highlights recent work on lay creativity, dogmatic flexibility, and local negotiation. The argument stresses the coexistence of tolerance and intolerance , the attractions as well as burdens of pre-Reformation practices, and the need to differentiate between religious radicals and a much more pragmatic majority. The author is acutely aware of the delicate problems of terminology, source material, and scholarly preconceptions. Above all, his account is balanced , at times painfully so. It would be impossible to accuse him of failing to see both sides of an argument. And yet, no such undertaking can hope to give equal weight to all facets of the topic. This is predominantly a work of early modern social history. Marsh is not so much trying to look into people's souls, but at their collective experience in a period of religious and social upheaval. In his assessment, "continuity" prevailed even in liturgical practice,parish administration, and religious dissent. Given the loss of intercessory institutions, increasing government interference, and an ever more fragmented confessional spectrum, medievalists remain to be convinced. Overall, however, Marsh has provided us with a most useful and entertaining survey (it is probably the only work on the subject in which former Ireland soccer manager Jack Charlton merits a footnote). For undergraduates, it will become an invaluable tool to discover the world of sixteenth-century grass-roots religion. The balance between continuity and change remains a bone of contention , but Marsh has put his case with vigor, authority, and enormous sensitivity to the complexity of the issues. Beat Kümin University ofBern La France et le Concile de Trente (1518-1563). By Alain Talion. [Bibliothèque des Écoles Françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, Fascicule 295.] (Rome: École Française de Rome. 1997. Pp. vii, 975.) In this massive volume,Alain Talion has made a major contribution to the history of the early-modern world. His contribution is in the form of a stunningly comprehensive survey of the ecclesio-political history of France during the era of the Council of Trent. He based this history upon vast collections of archival material held in France, Italy, and the Vatican. His work belongs in every research library with a serious collection in early-modern history, or in the history of conciliar thought. The book is divided essentially into three parts. The first is on the conciliar policies of the French crown across the entire Tridentine period, from the con- 462BOOK REVIEWS cordât between Francis I and Leo X in 1516 to Trent's conclusion in 1563. This is the largest part of the book, spanning no less than 417 pages. The second part, some 135 pages long, covers French concepts concerning church councils and their work. The third part, an additional 352 pages, treats the attitudes and activities of French prelates and theologians atTrent. The volume also contains five appendices: diplomatic instructions for French ambassadors to the Council, a list of French participants at the Council, the 1 563 list of French demands at the Council (along with commentaries on the list), a list of theological authorities and key texts cited by French prelates at the Bolognese phase of the Council, and a table indicating which prelates during the final phase of the Council voted in favor of positions expressed by Charles de Guise, Cardinal of Lorraine. A review in this space, covering a book of this length, can only begin to scratch the surface. Talion argues that despite the fact that the idea of reform animated some French prelates long before the Council of Trent began, the French monarchy and the Council seemed to have two different, parallel histories . Francis I, Henry II, and Catherine de' Medici never accepted the idea of placing the monarchy under the decisions of a deliberative assembly, and sought outcomes that would remain under the administrative authority of temporal powers. Within France, he shows, there were multiple protagonists...