Dragonnade

Dragonnade
Protestant engraving representing 'les dragonnades' in France under Louis XIV
From: Musée internationale de la Réforme protestante, Geneva

"Dragonnades" was a French policy instituted by Louis XIV in 1681 to intimidate Huguenot families into either leaving France or re-converting to Catholicism.

Contents

History

This policy involved billeting ill-disciplined dragoons in Protestant households. With the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Louis XIV withdrew the privileges and toleration that Protestant Huguenots in France had been guaranteed under the edict for nearly 87 years, and ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closure of Huguenot schools.

With the edict revoking religious toleration, Louis XIV combined legal persecution with the policy of terrorising recalcitrant Huguenots who refused to convert to Catholicism by billeting dragoons in their homes and instructing the soldiers to harass and intimidate the occupants to persuade them to either convert to the state religion or to emigrate. As mounted infantry, the 14 regiments of dragoons in the French Army of the period were sometimes used for what would now be called internal security duties and were an effective instrument for persecuting the Huguenots[1].

Marillac

The application of selective and coercive troop quartering had been initiated by the intendant René de Marillac in Poitou, in 1681. With the permission of Louvois, Marillac systematically lodged troops with Protestants, in the expectation that the existing law exempting newly-converted from this practice would spur conversions. Billetted troops got so far out of hand that, after a series of reprimands in letters, Louvois was forced to recall Marillac from Poitou.[2]

Reaction

This persecution of Protestants caused outrage in England and created a wave of literature in protest against the inhuman treatment of Huguenots, thousands of whom fled to England to seek asylum. The dragonnades policy caused Protestants to flee France even before the religious rights granted them by the Edict of Nantes were removed in 1685. Most Huguenots fled to countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, and the German territories.

Outcome

On January 17, 1686, Louis XIV claimed the Protestant population of 800,000-900,000, had been reduced to 1,000–1,500 in France. However, the campaign turned out to be detrimental to France's economy because the Huguenots who chose to flee possessed skills such as silkweaving, clock-making, and optometry, and became a valuable addition to the economy of the countries to which they fled.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Rene Chartrand, "Louis XIV's Army", ISBN 0-85045-850-1
  2. ^ This episode is recounted in L. L. Bernard, "Foucault, Louvois, and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes", Church History 25.1 (March 1956):27-40) p. 32ff, and remarked in Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. "Louis XIV: Louis XIV and Protestants"; Musée virtuel du protestantisme français" les draghonnades.

References

  • CARBONNIER-BURKARD, Marianne et CABANEL, Patrick, "Une histoire des protestants en France XVIe-XXe siècle", Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1998, 215 pages. ISBN 2-220-04190-5.
  • DUBIEF, Henri et POUJOL, Jacques, "La France protestante, Histoire et Lieux de mémoire", Max Chaleil éditeur, Montpellier, 1992, rééd. 2006, 450 pages. ISBN 2-84062-001-4.
  • "Les dragonnades (1681-1685)" an article at the website of the Musée Virtuel du Protestantisme Français (French)

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • dragonnade — [ dragɔnad ] n. f. • 1708; de dragon (II) ♦ Hist. Sous Louis XIV, Persécution exercée par les dragons contre les protestants qui devaient les loger. ● dragonnade nom féminin Persécution utilisée, à l encontre des protestants, comme moyen de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Dragonnade — Drag on*nade (dr[a^]g [o^]n*n[=a]d ), n. [F., fr. dragon dragoon, because Louis XIV., in persecuting the Protestants of his kingdom, quartered dragoons upon them.] The severe persecution of French Protestants under Louis XIV., by an armed force,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dragonnade — index onset (assault) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • dragonnade — DRAGONNADE. s. f. On a donné ce nom aux persécutions faites sous Louis XIV aux Protestans pour l exercice de leur culte, parce qu on y employoit des dragons. On ne l emploie guère qu au pluriel. Les dragonnades des Cévennes …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • dragonnade — (dra go na d ) s. f. Persécutions exercées contre les protestants par Louis XIV, et dans lequelles les dragons furent particulièrement employés : on les mettait en logement chez les protestants, et toute licence leur était permise. •   Le… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Dragonnade — Dragonnades Le « dragon missionnaire » : Qui peut me résister est bien fort. On a donné le nom de dragonnades[1] aux persécutions dirigées sous Louis XIV contre les communautés protestantes de toutes les régio …   Wikipédia en Français

  • dragonnade — n. & v. n. a persecution by use of troops, esp. (in pl.) of French Protestants under Louis XIV by quartering dragoons on them. v.tr. subject to a dragonnade. Etymology: F f. dragon: see DRAGOON …   Useful english dictionary

  • DRAGONNADE — s. f. Il se dit Des persécutions exercées sous Louis XIV contre les protestants, pour les forcer à embrasser la religion catholique, et qui furent ainsi nommées parce qu on y employait des dragons. Il n est guère usité qu au pluriel. Les… …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 7eme edition (1835)

  • DRAGONNADE — n. f. Il se dit des Persécutions exercées sous Louis XIV contre les protestants, pour les forcer à embrasser la religion catholique, et qui furent ainsi nommées parce qu’on y employait des dragons. Il est surtout usité au pluriel. Les dragonnades …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 8eme edition (1935)

  • dragonnade — /drag euh nayd /, n. 1. one of a series of persecutions of French Protestants, under Louis XIV, by dragoons quartered upon them. 2. any persecution with the aid of troops. [1705 15; < F, equiv. to dragonne pertaining to a DRAGOON + ade ADE] * * * …   Universalium

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