The Huguenots: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West

by Geoffrey Treasure

From the author of Louis XIV, an unprecedented history of the entire Huguenot experience in France, from hopeful beginnings to tragic diaspora. Following the Reformation, a growing number of radical Protestants came together to live and worship in Catholic France. These Huguenots survived persecution and armed conflict to win—however briefly—freedom of worship, civil rights, and unique status as a protected minority. But in 1685, the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes abolished all Huguenot rights, and more than 200,000 of the radical Calvinists were forced to flee across Europe, some even farther.   In this capstone work, Geoffrey Treasure tells the full story of the Huguenots’ rise, survival, and fall in France over the course of a century and a half. He explores what it was like to be a Huguenot living in a “state within a state,” weaving stories of ordinary citizens together with those of statesmen, feudal magnates, leaders of the Catholic revival, Henry of Navarre, Catherine de’ Medici, Louis XIV, and many others. Treasure describes the Huguenots’ disciplined community, their faith and courage, their rich achievements, and their unique place within Protestantism and European history. The Huguenot exodus represented a crucial turning point in European history, Treasure contends, and he addresses the significance of the Huguenot story—the story of a minority group with the power to resist and endure in one of early modern Europe’s strongest nations.  “A formidable work, covering complex, fascinating, horrifying and often paradoxical events over a period of more than 200 years…Treasure’s work is a monument to the courage and heroism of the Huguenots.”—Piers Paul Read, The Tablet

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, France, Church History, Christianity, Politics

483 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Geoffrey (GRR) Treasure was senior master at Harrow School before his retirement.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the Huguenots is fascinating and complex, and Geoffrey Treasure seems to know every detail, going back even to before they existed. That, however, is part of the problem. He relies a lot on the reader's prior knowledge and also ability to remember a name mentioned fleetingly twenty pages beforehand; his narrative refers forward to things he hasn't explained yet; different names are used for the same person; it is all a bit bogged down in detail. Coming from a Scottish Calvinist background, I really wanted to like this book. But I struggled to read it and only made it through to the end by skimming long sections. It's a pity that by the time I got to the more interesting parts, my brain was worn out by all the detail of the first part. This is such a rich history - I kept thinking about how it would have fared in the hands of a master story-teller such as Simon Schama.

[Glenn Ledbetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The library shelves are full of books about the Huguenots, and I chose this book for personal reasons. For one thing, my wife has ancestors who were Huguenots. For another, it’s non-fiction, written by a scholar. I began reading it on the planes to New York and then Paris. Unwittingly, in May 2024, I had taken a few photos of a certain equestrian statue on a bridge over the river Seine in Paris. Then I purposely took some more photos of that same statue just a few days ago. And at the Musee Histoire De Paris Carnavalet, I saw a display of some remnants from a broken statue, including a horse’s hoof. One Friday, we took a day trip by train to the city of Nancy, about 240 miles east of Paris, near the border of Germany. How do these dots connect? Let’s see.

My wife’s ancestors fled France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The Huguenots were Calvinistic Protestants who had been persecuted by Catholics since roughly 1550. Nine religious wars were fought during a period of 36 years. That led to the proclamation by King Henri IV of the Edict of Nantes in 1598. So, the Edict was officially in effect 87 years, although it was modified and reluctantly adhered to or purposely ignored by the majority Catholics at different locales at different times. As the years passed, the modifications became increasingly anti-Huguenot. King Louis IV, who believed in the divine right of kings, finally issued the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes.

When French Kings were crowned, they took the ‘oath of the kingdom’…”I shall be diligent to expel from my land…all heretics designated by the church.” Both kings, Henri and Louis, took the oath. How could one issue an edict that tolerated the Huguenots, while the other attempted to obliterate them? The book addresses this dichotomy in great detail, and I will briefly comment here only about King Henry IV.

His father, King of Navarre, near the border of Spain, was Catholic, and his mother was Huguenot. Henri was raised Protestant. When his father died, Henri became king. Then in 1593, he became King of France and had to abjure the Protestant faith--otherwise, he could not have become king. He was consecrated and crowned at Chartres in 1594. The following year, Pope Clement VIII granted absolution to him. Three years later, he had earned enough respect and popular support to be able to risk issuing the Edict of Nantes. At last, the Huguenots had some standing, albeit restricted, in France. But Henri IV was assassinated in 1610. The assassin was tortured and executed, his body mutilated in the horrible way prescribed for regicide.

As decades passed, King Henri’s reputation grew, and his reign was viewed as a golden age of peace and prosperity. He was the model monarch, “the great king.” His wife had an equestrian statue of him installed on Pont Neuf (Ninth Bridge) in Paris. There it stood until the French Revolution in 1792. To the rebels, he was just another one of France’s oppressive monarchs, and they destroyed the statue. Later, in 1818, the statue was replicated and erected in the same location—where I photographed it in 2024 and 2025. The inscription’s title in Latin is “Henrici Magni” (Henry the Great). Remnants of the original statue, including a horse’s hoof, are on display at the Musee Histoire De Paris Carnavalet.

After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the diaspora of the Huguenots accelerated. Ironically, more Huguenots stayed than left. The author writes, “For many [emigrants] the destination would be Germany…” and also, “From Metz and Neuchatel refugees went to Germany…” Metz is 37 miles north of Nancy. Neuchatel is 177 miles southeast of Nancy.

We took the train from Paris to Nancy to see the city where my wife’s Huguenot ancestors lived and from which they fled to Germany. They were furriers. Those descendants in my wife’s direct genealogical line eventually migrated further to Maryland, then Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, California, and finally, Washington state, where we now live.

The first thing I did when I bought the Kindle edition of this fine book was look for Nancy in the index. It is not there. I decided to read the book anyway. Indeed, Nancy is not mentioned once. But I learned a lot about the Huguenots in that period of French history—enough to acknowledge the author’s scholarship with five stars. And also—very important—I obtained a lot of talking points with my wife!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a history of the Huguenot Calvinist Protestant community in France. The book looks at the context in which the Huguenots rose, their struggles, the brief era of toleration, and eventually their dispersal as tolerance ebbed. It is a very complete history. However, I wish the author had focused more on Huguenots' doctrine and beliefs, as opposed to focusing entirely on their sociopolitcal position. He provided interesting background, but mostly sees the Huguenots as similar to Calvinists in other areas. He talks at length about how French Huguenots were influenced by their refugee experience in Geneva, and how many of them fled to the English colonies (present day US and Canada) when France became more intolerant. This is interesting, but I would have liked more focus on the Huguenots actual beliefs and practices.

[Tony Jemmett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a text book in the detail it provides and the way it moves across 150 years of history. It was a heavy read but for someone like me who had little knowledge of this period of history in Europe, and France in particular, it provided enough in the detail and flow to keep me learning all the way through. To look at history from a minority community point of view brings a depth which helps with this book. I have learnt a heck of a lot and the reflections on current approaches of countries to minorities is an added flavour to the writing of Mr Treasure. It is not a story book it is a work of fact and effect so not to be started into lightly but I enjoyed the increase in knowledge it gave to me.

[Dave Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting but very detailed. Would be a good refernce book for anyone researching Huguenot history and events. This story covers an unfortunate era in French history when one religious fatih tried its best to eliminate another. The justificati0n was to execute the will of God. But, as often happens in matters of religious zealotry, the means of eliminating the opposing faith devolved into very ugly episodes of intolerance and sometimes, inhumanity.

[William Barrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huguenot French History

Superbly written detailed history of the Huguenots in France. Disappointing that only two sentences deal with the Huguenots in South Africa. Huguenots in Germany and North America also received little attention. The Netherlands and England receive some attention. For a fuller history, readers should look elsewhere.

[Seth Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. Obviously any book that covers 250 years must do so as an overview. However, I thought Geoffrey Treasure showed great care and understanding in his handling of the religious matters that plagued France for so long.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid overview of French Protestantism. Explains the ~9 distinct Religious wars in decent detail, but wish it spend more time discussing the eventual emigration (both within Europe and to the New World) and impact on those cultures.

[MasterSal]

Oct 2021

Reading the book, Bitter Greens, which is set during this period of history makes me realize how little I know of it. So adding this to my list

[Rudi Opperman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweeping and a very detailed history of the Hugenots (Protestants) and their struggle to survive in a Catholic France.

[Ztu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important read but was hard to get through.

[Heather G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry

It was much drier than the way it's described, but the facts were still interesting. Just be prepared for a much less engaging read than possibly anticipated.

[Rick Varco · Rating 2 out of 5]

FYI: There is nothing about exorcism or possession in this book. The sub-title is a mistake

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally of Huguenot descent, this was exactly the kind of history writing on the Huguenots as I was hoping for; it gives an extremely well researched and detailed view on the fall-out after Luther instigated the main church schism in 1517; the birth and subsequent fate of the protestant movement and all its myriad subdivisions is laid out in detail, rendering this an excellent go-to guide if you're interested in the origins and evolution of the reformation and how it played out in 16th and 17th century Europe. Only feature that kept this out of my favorite folder was the, at times, immense attention to detail, which can detract from the main story. Be sure to read also: The Global Refuge: Huguenots in an Age of Empire, which is a perfect companion volume as it mainly describes the fate of the Huguenots outside of Europe, in particular after the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685), better known as the infamous 'Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (of 1598) in the nascent global empires of Britain, The Netherlands and Spain.

[Daniel Polansky]

well researched, decently written, essentially not that riveting by my lights. It gives you a pretty good overview of the history of French Calvinism, from the man himself to the edict of Revocation. If this is a really specific interest of yours than have at it but in retrospect I'm not exactly sure why I decided to pick it up. I do like the Wars of Religion as a time period, I mean, not like it like I want to be in the wake of an invading Swedish army but like it like it's fun to read things about it. Also, I think I thought it would be shorter than it was.

[Autumn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written in the style of a smarmy, lugubrious schoolmaster. Fascinating material, but the author assumes the reader has an English public school education and is fluent in French and Latin. Like the other reviewer suggests, there is too much detail and it is easy to become bogged down. I couldn't finish the last 40 pages.