For Altar and Throne: The Rising in the Vendee

by Michael Treharne Davies

It is a matter of regret that very few English-speaking Catholics know anything whatsoever about the events that took place in the Vendee region of France during the French Revolution of 1789. The aim of this book is to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Vendee, where the people remained faithful to the Vicar of Christ and attached to their parishes and their priests, in spite of the cruelty of persecution to which they were subjected during the French Revolution. There is no more noble or inspiring story in the history of the Church than that of the heroic struggle of the people of the Vendee to defend their altars and their King.

Genres: Catholic, History, European History

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Treharne Davies (1936-2004) was a convert from Anglicanism to the Catholic Church in the 1950s, and was a Catholic writer who authored various works following the Second Vatican Council, in addition to unifying Una Voce America, a conservative group. He went on to compose such works as The Liturgical Revolution, The Order of Melchisedech, Partisans of Error, For Altar and Throne,, and The Wisdom of Adrian Fortescue. Upon Davies' death in 2004, Pope Benedict XVI called him a man of deep faith who was ready to embrace suffering

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Nous n’avons qu’un honneur au monde,
C’est l’honneur de Notre Seigneur,
Nous n’avons qu’une gloire au monde,
C’est la gloire de Notre Seigneur!’

‘We have only one honour in the world,
It is the honour of Our Lord,
We have only one glory in the world,
It is the glory of Our Lord.’ -A Vendéan hymn

This is my nineth* historical book about the French Revolution (not counting three novels and a short story) in the past few months and I’m working on three more, but this is the first book solely about what happened in the “Vendée.” Others have mentioned it and Victor Hugo’s novel, Ninety-Three, even tells a story set in that locale during 1793 when some of the worst fighting occurred.

If you are a Roman Catholic, a Christian, a historian or someone who cares, this is a book you should read. Even Catholics don’t hear much about these martyrs, but they were faithful to their king, church and most of all to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ during dangerous times. They did not want the practice of their ancient faith taken away from them and they weren’t afraid to suffer unspeakable atrocities in order to defend that right. The French Revolution was supposedly all about the people’s ‘rights’ but there were some rights it did not care about, or rather felt threatened by, and one of these was the right to freely practice one’s own religion.

The “Vendée” is an area located on the western coast of France and had been evangelized early in the 18th century by the great preacher, St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, author of two of the greatest and long-lasting Catholic classic works: True Devotion to Mary and The Secret Of The Rosary. The robust faith of these peasants was then kept alive by his followers. Their excellent relations with their curés and the aristocracy led them to oppose several measures introduced by the Revolution. First and foremost, the execution of their beloved monarch, King Louis XVI, later the oath required for their curés and ultimately compulsory recruitment of their sons to fight for the Revolution.

In protest, the peasants went to their local landlords and begged them to lead them in battle against the revolutionary forces. Each of these aristocrats in turn told them the same thing, ‘Be sensible. Return to your homes! You cannot win this! You will die; your families will also die—horrible deaths. They will burn down your homes and churches, destroy everything you own, and you will be left with nothing!’ And the men (and some women) answered, ‘We know, but we will have our honor! The honor of having fought and died for our king, and our faith!’ “Vive la Religion! Vive le Roi!” was their answer to the revolutionary cry of Vive la Nation! The nobles also realized they would never return to their homes or families ... and they didn’t either. The suffering and losses of all the Vendéan people was indeed horrible:

‘Between two hundred fifty thousand and three hundred thousand Vendéans died, together with a vast number of republican troops. The true extent of the republican losses was never revealed. Not all the Vendéans who died were killed in the fighting or the massacres. Thousands died as a result of the hardship, penury and epidemics resulting from the war. This was the final act in the Last Crusade, the war of the giants. It was Napoleon himself who had described the Vendéans as such. They were giants who saved the honour of Catholic France. They were giants whose enormous sacrifices show the extent to which every Catholic should go to uphold his Faith–to the very limit and beyond. They were giants who realized that the only victory that matters is that of doing what we know to be right, cost what it may. The last words of Bon-champs summarize the spirit that animated the giants of the Vendée, and they should inspire every Catholic who loves the Faith to emulate him: “I have not fought for human glory. I have not succeeded in restoring the altars and the throne, but I have at least defended them.”’ (p. 117).

If I could not suffer what they did, I can serve as a witness by my words. It is poor echo but it was still an honor to read this book. Ten stars if I could.

* The French Revolution: A History (3 Volumes)
MARIE ANTOINETTE
Desmoulins (novel)
The Life of Mirabeau
The Giant of the French Revolution: Danton, A Life
To Quell the Terror: The True Story of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne
To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette
The Oxford History of the French Revolution
Ninety-Three (novel)
An Episode Under The Terror (short story)
French Revolution: A History From Beginning to End
A Tale of Two Cities (novel)

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good short history book. A trifle confusing at places, but overall fairly well written. It was nice to have some illustrations. Actually I should have liked it to be longer. I will definitely consider reading more from this author.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unknown and worthwhile historical topic, the French Revolution's deliberate slaughter of the Vendee, covered with admirable passion. Two problems mar it, however. First is the organization, which jumps all over the place from covering the Vendean leaders to their battles and back again. A chronology at the end helps, but the organizational issues mar the presentation. The second one is fairly simple: a lack of maps. A single map detailing the region, cities and battles would have done wonders.

Despite these caveats, it is a solid introduction to the subject, one which shows the late Michael Davies' mastery of disparate sources.

[Sandra Cianci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad we were never taught this!

But so wonderful we finally know of the courage and faith of these heroes. We need to learn from them.
That is their legacy to us. Show us what courage and faith really look like.
I know this book and the truth has been around a long time but I am only learning now as many are especially young people. Their story will give us strength for the battle ahead.

[Atlasgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was short and well written. It is the only book written about this French genocide that I'm aware of. Kudos to the late Michael Davies for spreading the truth about the atrocities committed against the peasants and Catholic Church.

[Joe Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book on the Catholic uprising against the new formed French Republic in 1793. This book is good for a primer due to its shortness and that covers the political and violent acts against the Catholic community in France as well as a brief outlines of the Vendee leadership in addition to short descriptions on the battles.

My main complaint is that author was a bit too simplistic and repeated several things where they probably didn’t needed it.


Currently, I am quarter of the way through, “Fighting the French Revolution: The Great Vendee Rising of 1793,” by Rob Harper. This book is far more detailed on the military operations, uniforms, and tactics of the uprising, but light on the background events / violence committed against the Catholics which lead to the Uprising. So, I think by reading this book first, it really does help in giving the information that is missing in, “Fighting the French Revolution.”

[Luis-Esteban Latorre · Rating 5 out of 5]

what really happened in the french revolution

this is the first book I have read
which gives a complete pictyre of the atrocities of tge french revolution .. it was a master plan of the freemasons and deists who tried to destroy Catholic France. michael davis is an excellent historian.