Many Vaudois, to escape the last persecutions, had withdrawn from their
country to Merindol, Cabrieres, and Lormarin, in Provence, where they
lived undisturbed until 1534; when the bishops of this country, making
researches for heretics, seized these unhappy people, and finding them
to be Piemontese, wrote to the inquisitor and to the archbishop of
Turin, at whose instigation the Duke consented to appoint Pantaleon
Bressour, lord of Rocheplatte, director of the war against the Vaudois.
Bressour, provided with letters patent, went to examine the Vaudois
prisoners in Provence; and from them learned not only who were the
barbes who came from the valleys to instruct them, but the names of
almost all the families there. From this information, he formed two
lists., viz. one of declared, the other of suspected heretics, which he
presented to the inquisitors; he was soon armed with fresh powers, by
the edict of Quiers, (dated August, 1535,) to seize all whom he knew
to be Vaudois, and to force them to enter into the Catholic faith, or
undergo the punishments they deserved. Civil and military officers, and
all other subjects were enjoined to obey the requisition of Bressour for
assistance, under a heavy penalty.
Having chosen 500 men from the Duke's whole army, this leader attacked
the Vaudois, who had not the slightest suspicion of the violation of
the peace, and massacred them without any distinction of age or sex,
spreading consternation throughout the valleys. The following day, as
they marched into the Val de Luzerne, with the intention of continuing
the carnage, our Vaudois suddenly attacked them in front, rear, and
flank, and succeeded in destroying most of these assassins, the rest
took to flight, abandoning their prisoners and booty. Perrin (the
historian) attributes this victory, in great measure to the slings,
which the Vaudois used at that time with the greatest dexterity, and
which formed their principal weapon. Blanche, countess of Luzerne and
Angrogna, complained in vain of this perfidious invasion: two days
afterwards appeared letters from the Duke, forbidding the inhabitants of
the valleys to assemble in arms, under a penalty of one hundred silver
marks. Bressour, however, contented himself with seizing those Vaudois
who were mingled among the Catholics in Lower Piemont, and soon filled
his castle, the prisons and Convents at Pignerol, and the inquisition at
Turin, with prisoners. After they were tried by the inquisitors, vicar,
and assessors, part of them were condemned to the flames, and the rest
to several years imprisonment. There were some indeed whose fate was
never known.
The Duke, seeing that these persecutions made no impression, and having
remarked that, in open warfare, "the skin of a Vaudois always cost
fifteen or twenty of his best Catholics," by his letters, forbid them to
be further molested on any pretence whatever.
My readers will see that he was here actuated by a political motive*
Francis the First, king of France, having demanded a passage for his
army destined for the reconquest of the Milanese, the Duke thought
proper to refuse, and consequently to employ all his forces to protect
the frontiers. It was therefore necessary to engage the Vaudois to
defend their passes, through which the French could have directly
penetrated. However, notwithstanding all resistance, the enemy soon
forced their way through Savoy into Piemont; and, after bearing their
part in the sufferings of the war, the Vaudois remained under the
government of the French for twenty-three years.
They were during that time little disturbed on account of their faith,
although some individuals occasionally fell victims to the fanaticism
of the inquisition. Catelan Girardet, of St. Jean, was burnt at Revel
in 1535; as he was led to execution he took up two pebbles, and,
rubbing them together, thus addressed his persecutors: "You hope by
your persecutions to destroy our churches; you will no more obtain your
object than I can destroy these two stones in my hands." After which
he submitted to his fate with admirable resignation. In 1536, the barbe
Martin Gonin, of Angrogna, as remarkable for his learning as for his
piety, was seized at Grenoble, on his return from Geneva, and thrown
into the Isere for his perseverance in the faith.
The Vaudois at this time resolved on publishing the Bible, having
only the New Testament and some books of the Old, which were sparingly
scattered among them, This they accomplished at the expense of 1500 gold
crowns, paid to the printer at Neuchatel, who undertook the work. The
translation was made by the barbe Robert Olivetan, with the assistance
of his relation the celebrated Calvin. Though some say, that the version
of Lefevre d'Estaples, prepared a few years before, served them for a
model; it is certain that this translation of Olivetan's was used as the
basis for almost all those since published. It was revised and reprinted
by the academy of Geneva, in 1588.
We have mentioned the commencement of the persecutions of the Vaudois in
Provence, in 1534; they were revived in 1540, by the parliament of Aix
citing the inhabitants of Merindol to appear before them; when they
refused to do so on account of, the danger they would be exposed to,
they were condemned to the loss of their lives and possessions. The
execution of this barbarous sentence was deferred till 1545, when
Cardinal Tournon obtained permission to proceed by force of arms;
Minier, president of the parliament and lieutenant of the king, was the
principal executioner; having marched from Aix on the 16th of April, he
commenced by burning the villages of Pepin, La Motte, and St. Martin,
and massacred all the inhabitants, sparing neither age nor sex. On
the 17th, he ravaged and burnt Lormarin, Ville-Laure, Treizemenes, and
Genson. On the 18th, he set fire to Merindol, when he put to death a
child, the only one remaining of its inhabitants. And, finally, on the
19th, this monster destroyed the town of Cabrieres, where 800 victims
scarcely satiated his thirst for blood. The assassins under Minier's
command even extended their cruelties to infants yet unborn, in a manner
too shocking to relate.
Those who escaped from this horrible carnage fled to the valleys and
to Geneva; but, after some years, returned to take possession of their
property. While these scenes were acting in the south of France,
Pope Paul III. excited the parliament of Turin to similar acts in the
valleys, then under the French dominion. To a petition for mercy, the
only answer returned by Francis the First was, that if they did not
conform to the laws of the Roman communion he would punish them as
obstinate heretics, since he did not burn such persons in France to
tolerate them among the Alps. They were then enjoined to send away their
barbes and receive Roman Catholic priests to celebrate the mass.
The Vaudois replied courageously, that it was impossible for them to
obey such commands; that they were always ready to render unto Caesar the
things which belonged to Caesar; but that they would render unto God
what pertained to him, however dearly such obedience might cost them. No
doubt, at another time, this would have excited a general persecution,
but Francis had too much to do to employ his forces against them. The
parliament, therefore, contented itself with individual persecution, and
ordered all judges and magistrates vigorously to assist the officers of
the inquisition, and to commit to the flames all the Vaudois who might
fall into their hands. In consequence many suffered, and among them one
Hector, a bookseller, who was burnt 1555, in the square of the castle at
Turin, and behaved with great heroism.
Until this time the houses of the barbes had served for the churches
of their flocks; but they were now considered as too small, and it
was decided to build temples:* the first erected was St. Laurence, at
Angrogna; but others were built in val Luzerne and val St. Martin in
the same year, 1556. It was also about this time that they began to send
students to foreign universities, which relieved the barbes, who were
much employed now, but also decreased the number of young divines, as
comparatively only a few could support the expense.
* Temple is the word always used by the Vaudois for church.
The number of pastors having at length greatly diminished, recourse was
had to Switzerland to fill up vacancies.
Two commissioners were sent this year, on the part of the king, to
command all to go to mass; but after a tour in the valleys they were
convinced that their threats and promises were equally ineffectual, and
returned with the intelligence that the Vaudois were determined to
resist to the last extremity. This information was transmitted by the
parliament to Francis, whose answer was received the year after, 1557,
and consisted of a peremptory order to all the Vaudois to receive the
mass, under penalty of confiscation and death; and to send twelve of the
principal inhabitants and all the pastors immediately to the prisons of
Turin, to receive the condemnation they deserved. The Vaudois to this
replied much as before, with unshaken resolution. And though the
parliament of Turin cited a great number by name to appear before them,
none presented themselves.
Two barbes perished this year by the hands of the executioner. Sartoris,
who was seized and burnt at Aosta, and Varaille, who suffered the same
horrible fate at Turin. He was the son of Varaille who commanded
the troops against the Vaudois in 1488, and had been a monk and
a missionary; but the arguments used by his opponents, during his
discussions with them, having at length made a strong impression upon
his mind, he renounced the Catholic faith, though he was in the suite of
a nuncio in France, retired to Geneva to complete his studies, and then
served as pastor the church of St. Jean, till, yielding to an invitation
to visit the brethren at Busque, he was seized at Barges on his return.
The intercession of the Protestant princes of Germany procured repose
for the Vaudois till 1559.
When peace was signed and Duke Emanuel Philibert regained most of his
territories, and concluded a marriage with Margaret of France, sister to
King Henry. They at first seemed favourably disposed to the Vaudois,
who now again fell under the Piemontese dominion. But the Duke was
so pressed by the Pope's nuncio, the King of Spain, and some Italian
princes and prelates, that a fresh edict was obtained from him against
our ancestors.