Dragonnade

Protestant engraving representing 'les dragonnades' in France under Louis XIV
From: Musée internationale de la Réforme protestante, Geneva

"Dragonnades" was a French policy instituted by Louis XIV in 1681 to intimidate Huguenot families into either leaving France or re-converting to Catholicism.

History

This policy involved billeting ill-disciplined dragoons in Protestant households. With the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Louis XIV withdrew the privileges and toleration that Protestant Huguenots in France had been guaranteed under the edict for nearly 87 years, and ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closure of Huguenot schools.

With the edict revoking religious toleration, Louis XIV combined legal persecution with the policy of terrorising recalcitrant Huguenots who refused to convert to Catholicism by billeting dragoons in their homes and instructing the soldiers to harass and intimidate the occupants to persuade them to either convert to the state religion or to emigrate. As mounted infantry, the 14 regiments of dragoons in the French Army of the period were sometimes used for what would now be called internal security duties and were an effective instrument for persecuting the Huguenots^[1].

Marillac

The application of selective and coercive troop quartering had been initiated by the intendant René de Marillac in Poitou, in 1681. With the permission of Louvois, Marillac systematically lodged troops with Protestants, in the expectation that the existing law exempting newly-converted from this practice would spur conversions. Billetted troops got so far out of hand that, after a series of reprimands in letters, Louvois was forced to recall Marillac from Poitou.^[2]

Reaction

This persecution of Protestants caused outrage in England and created a wave of literature in protest against the inhuman treatment of Huguenots, thousands of whom fled to England to seek asylum. The dragonnades policy caused Protestants to flee France even before the religious rights granted them by the Edict of Nantes were removed in 1685. Most Huguenots fled to countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, and the German territories.

Outcome

On January 17, 1686, Louis XIV claimed the Protestant population of 800,000-900,000, had been reduced to 1,000–1,500 in France. However, the campaign turned out to be detrimental to France's economy because the Huguenots who chose to flee possessed skills such as silkweaving, clock-making, and optometry, and became a valuable addition to the economy of the countries to which they fled.

See also

• French Wars of Religion
• Religions in France
• Camisard
• Persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV

Notes

1. ^ Rene Chartrand, "Louis XIV's Army", ISBN 0-85045-850-1
2. ^ This episode is recounted in L. L. Bernard, "Foucault, Louvois, and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes", Church History 25.1 (March 1956):27-40) p. 32ff, and remarked in Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. "Louis XIV: Louis XIV and Protestants"; Musée virtuel du protestantisme français" les draghonnades.

References

• CARBONNIER-BURKARD, Marianne et CABANEL, Patrick, "Une histoire des protestants en France XVIe-XXe siècle", Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1998, 215 pages. ISBN 2-220-04190-5.

• DUBIEF, Henri et POUJOL, Jacques, "La France protestante, Histoire et Lieux de mémoire", Max Chaleil éditeur, Montpellier, 1992, rééd. 2006, 450 pages. ISBN 2-84062-001-4.
• "Les dragonnades (1681-1685)" an article at the website of the Musée Virtuel du Protestantisme Français (French)