29 July 2026
Pierre Matthieu (1563-1621), considered for a long time to be a marginal Catholic League member, was in fact a jurist, historian, and playwright who was one of the most eloquent figures of exclusivist Catholicism.
The latter movement, widespread in France during the Wars of Religion, was too often wrongly conflated with the Catholic League. Investigating Matthieu’s works, his culture, and his connection to the city of Lyon reveals his engagement and the political culture of the French Catholics in the second half of the sixteenth century. It brings to light the existence of an activistic Catholicism, not necessarily linked to the League but instead of transnational scope and wrought in the same spirit as the Counter-Reformation. From this point of view, the end of the French Wars of Religion no longer appears to be the triumph of political autonomy, but rather a successful religious restoration, endeavoured by most of the Catholics.
Collection: Cahiers d’Humanisme et Renaissance
Lorenzo Comensoli Antonini
Licenced under Creative Commons CC BY-ND-NC
