0. General Information
Dear readers,
Saint Bartholomew's Eve - A Tale of the Huguenot Wars by G. A. Henty with illustrator H. J. Draper was published in 1894. The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre was a horrible event that began on August 23 1572 where 5,000 to 30,000 Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) were killed because of their religious belief.
The content on this website is made possible courtesy of Project Gutenberg. Their volunteers have done a tremendous job of digitizing tens of thousands of books and then making them available for free download. I've selected some of the books and formatted them on my websites for easy reading from iPhone, Android, and similar mobile phones.
The images on this website are taken from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20092/20092-h/20092-h.htm.
Please use the Comments page for any suggestion. Thank you.
K. C. Lee
Mobile Story Enthusiast
May 20, 2012
From Project Gutenberg: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net.
Map of France in 1570.]Preface
It is difficult, in these days of religious toleration, to understand why men should, three centuries ago, have flown at each others' throats in the name of the Almighty; still less how, in cold blood, they could have perpetrated hideous massacres of men, women, and children. The Huguenot wars were, however, as much political as religious. Philip of Spain, at that time the most powerful potentate of Europe, desired to add France to the countries where his influence was all powerful; and in the ambitious house of Guise he found ready instruments.
For a time the new faith, that had spread with such rapidity in Germany, England, and Holland, made great progress in France, also. But here the reigning family remained Catholic, and the vigorous measures they adopted, to check the growing tide, drove those of the new religion to take up arms in self defence. Although, under the circumstances, the Protestants can hardly be blamed for so doing, there can be little doubt that the first Huguenot war, though the revolt was successful, was the means of France remaining a Catholic country. It gave colour to the assertions of the Guises and their friends that the movement was a political one, and that the Protestants intended to grasp all power, and to overthrow the throne of France. It also afforded an excuse for the cruel persecutions which followed, and rallied to the Catholic cause numbers of those who were, at heart, indifferent to the question of religion, but were Royalists rather than Catholics.
The great organization of the Church of Rome laboured among all classes for the destruction of the growing heresy. Every pulpit in France resounded with denunciations of the Huguenots, and passionate appeals were made to the bigotry and fanaticism of the more ignorant classes; so that, while the power of the Huguenots lay in some of the country districts, the mobs of the great towns were everywhere the instruments of the priests.
I have not considered it necessary to devote any large portion of my story to details of the terrible massacres of the period, nor to the atrocious persecutions to which the Huguenots were subjected; but have, as usual, gone to the military events of the struggle for its chief interest. For the particulars of these, I have relied chiefly upon the collection of works of contemporary authors published by Monsieur Zeller, of Paris; the Memoirs of Francois de la Noue, and other French authorities.
G. A. Henty.