루이 13세의 라 로셸(La Rochelle) 점령과 위그노의 약화

The Capture of La Rochelle by Louis ⅩⅢ and the weakening of Huguenot

This thesis is about the investigation on the process of Huguenot power weakening rapidly right after La Rochelle’s fall by Louis ⅩⅢ. The most successful Reformation took place in La Rochelle, where A Reformed church was established in 1558 and a majority of the population was won to the new faith by the early 1560s. Furthermore, La Rochelle was located in the west coast. Due to its geological isolation and the autonomy approved by French Rulers, many Huguenots hided there. Despite of all these factors, La Rochelle had refused to intervene the religious wars in other areas of France. Because they already had the political autonomy, the commercial privileges and exemption through the negotiations with the king. But when Louis ⅩⅢ had decided to place an royal garrison in La Rochelle in 1568, the Rochelais allied to French religious wars to defend their autonomy. In 1614, the bourgeois coup d’etat took place and the rebels conquered La Rochelle’s corps de ville. They performed the different policy from the previous d t. That is, they refused the compromise with the king and depended on the armed force to resist the king. Furthermore, they came to exclude the king and his officials from civil administration. The rebels’s policies couldn’t not avoid conflicting the policies of Louis ⅩⅢ. Because at that time, Louis ⅩⅢ tried to restraint the atmosphere of the revolt of the west region and moreover desired to fulfill his coronation oath as defender of the Catholic faith. Accordingly, Louis ⅩⅢ surrounded La Rochelle and the rebels strongly resisted. La Rochelle had resisted the king’s armed force for 15 months but finally, without any help from the outside, it got to capitulate because of the great loss of people. As La Rochelle, the hiding place for huguenots had fallen, the other protestant regions who were against the king simply had surrendered. Louis ⅩⅢ had decided to issue the Edit de Ales to amnesty huguenots and La Rochelle citizens. But at the same time he destroyed the fortresses and walls to paralyze their defense system. After that, defenseless huguenots could obtain the religious freedom only through the grace of the king. Therefore, to be different from the early huguenots who gained the Edit de Nantes through 8 times of religious wars, they got weakened and they were getting changed to be the faithful people to the king for his grace.