Catholic activism in south-west France, 1540-1570

Examining Catholic activism in the south-west of France during the middle decades of the sixteenth century, this book argues ? contrary to prevailing views ? that the phenomenon was both widespread and militant even before the formation of the Catholic League in 1576.

Whilst recent research has provided a far greater understanding of the Huguenot struggle for security and legitimacy, there has not been a correspondingly thorough investigation into the grass-roots Catholic reaction to this, and by dismissing episodes of pre-League Catholic militancy as limited and ephemeral, a distorted picture of French confessional conflict and rivalry is painted.