Paris ne vaut pas une messe! - A Huguenot IN AAR

[Grubnessul]

Another Protestant ally for the French! And a semi-Cuba crisis in the med

[Milites]

Another Protestant ally for the French! And a semi-Cuba crisis in the med

If Philip of Spain is Khrushchev who's Kennedy

[Grubnessul]

That would be the French

[dem61s]

If Philip of Spain is Khrushchev who's Kennedy

Is this AAR gonna turn into some kind of crazy role playing?

[Milites]

I hope not

Just an update [hehe] guys. I'll be in Berlin for the next week, so updates will be missing until sometimes next week.

And now to something completely different:



Chapter XXI – Paris!


***
Last of the Catholics and the Triumvirate Reform
***

Huguenot Cross

When the Marshals succeeded in keeping Sardinia safe they not brought increased stability to France (as mentioned in the previous chapter) they also increased their overall prestige throughout the kingdom. The knowledge of being ruled by a secure and confident set of rulers would prove to be the last effort needed to convince the citizens of Provence and the newly acquired provinces of the Southern Netherlands to accept the Huguenot faith. From 1613 to 1615 the majority of the provinces’ populace swarmed to the Protestant churches and converted en masse. Combined with a massive influx of Huguenot settlers from France proper, the remaining Catholics in the provinces either left for Lorraine or other Catholic states in around France, many Catholic émigrés especially left for the papal enclave of Avignon. Now, of old France it was only Paris that still remained firmly Catholic.

Conversions

The insistence of Paris on retaining the Roman faith was something the government of Sully couldn’t accept, but the prospect of force converting the city wasn’t a pleasant one either.
However, in late 1615, the duc de Rohan called a general meeting of the regency and presented one of the most cunning ideas ever seen in France, one that would allow the regency to do what Henri had not been able to accomplish – the conversion of Paris. Rohan had understood that the power of the Roman faith relied on the fact that the church had enough wealth to support its militias and followers. The wealth of the Roman bishops and monks came from the Catholic gentry and merchant’s rich gifts and papal contributions. The strength of the Parisian Catholics lay in the number by which they occupied the lower public offices of the city’s administration. If these riches were removed the Huguenots would gain the upper hand in the struggle for the faith of Paris. In the early days of Henri’s reign, the Catholics had been too strong for a direct ban on granting gifts to the Catholic Church to succeed, but in late 1615 the situation was quite another. France was now predominately following the Protestant faith and the Catholics in Paris little more than an isolated enclave. Rohan thought that by imposing high fees on granting gifts to the Catholic Church and by banning the Catholics from occupying public offices, the Huguenot faith would quickly gain strong support from the less devout Parisians, who only cared for their jobs and personal wealth. Sully and de Bonne both agreed with Rohan’s sentiment and on the first of January the laws were passed by royal decree, leaving Catholicism almost completely banned.

The Triumvirate Reform

***
The Parisian Explosion
***

At first the Catholics tried to cope with the restrictions, but their frustration became more and more aggravated when Huguenot preachers and churches gained increased support in exchange of the economical benefits from being employed in a public office. While the Catholics banded together what they could, they soon became desperate when they were unable to pay their mercenaries and private guards to protect them from Huguenot thugs moving in from the countryside. A Parisian catholic noble named Pius Garda who had been in the service of the Holy League and later served in the Spanish army decided to act before all of Paris fell to the heathenry of Protestantism.

With his personal fortune he bought as much equipment he could from catholic merchants and stored it for the fight which he knew had to come. Many frustrated and devout Parisians joined his secret army which he named the “Army of Our Holy Mother”. When New Year’s Eve passed the Catholics finally reacted. The Huguenot ministers had forced their way into the Notre Dame cathedral and had, under the protection of the Protestant garrison, proceeded to vandalize the idols and images of saints and martyrs. The banner of the Huguenot cross was flown above the Cathedral and the Catholic congregation thrown out. And like that Paris exploded. The Holy army leapt out of hiding like a crouched cat descending upon its prey and butchered the Huguenot ministers and soldiers inside the Notre Dame. Across the city, the terrible hours of St. Bartholomew’s Night were being recreated as Catholic soldiers robbed, murdered and burned the best they could. The Seine changed colour into blood red while the panicking Huguenot garrison retreated into the Bastille. It was the last stand of French Catholicism and it wouldn’t end pretty.

Paris converts and the Holy Army attacks

***
Holy War
***

While thick black streams of smoke engulfed Paris, the Marshals assembled the needed force. The Triumvirate had been in Marseille when the uprising began in early 1616 and directed the campaign from there. Command went to Guillaume d’Ornano who was eager to redeem himself after his catastrophic Rhine campaign in 1609.

d’Ornano quickly took command of the experienced Army of Flanders and marched on Paris. Seeing the royal army nearing, Pius ordered his men to abandon the fruitless siege of the Bastille and instead arranged the Catholic army outside the walls of Paris. Guillaume d’Ornano ordered the charge of the infantry in order to save the city from canon bombardment and quickly locked the inexperienced Catholic army in a deadly melee. The Huguenot cavalry proved its worth once again as the squadrons forced the enemy horse of the field. By then the Catholics were retreating towards the coast leaving more than 7,000 dead behind.

Guillaume d’Ornano breaks the siege of Paris

D’Ornano left only a small garrison to guard the capital before he followed the retreating rebels into the province of Caux. Again Garda tried to hold the line against the Huguenot onslaught. But to no avail. The royalist army now vastly outnumbered Garda’s own force, and within a few hours, the Catholic centre was in disarray while the Protestant horse harried the flanks. When the sun was about to set, the attackers swept the Catholics aside in one massive offensive which left literally the field strewn with dead rebels. Only Garda himself and few survivors managed to escape to a small coastal village where they succeeded in bribing a captain to take them to Spain. Alongside the last of the French Catholics was a young clergyman named Armand, who would later rise as a star in the Catholic struggle against French Protestantism.

The Catholic revolt is crushed

But never the less, France had fought its last of the Wars of Religion.
And Catholicism was broken.

Religion 1616

[dem61s]

At last! I am very sorry king Henri did not live to see it happen.

[Grubnessul]

Congrats with the victory!

[Delex]

Got to say very good AAR and also the graphic. A question do you personally have something against the Spanish or it just came to the situation of the war between you and them lol?

[Lord Strange]

Huzahh, France is converted, Lets go kick some Hapsburg Arse

[asd21593]

Yay! Rome is defeated! Take that, Pope!

Great update(s)!



asd

[Irenicus]

Armand-Jean du Plessis, soon-to-be Savior of Spain?

You started the AAR with a very big bang named Henry IV, and now with France's honeymoon with the Reformation ended she'll soon have to take on the Herculean task that the Habsburgs failed in: leading Europe to a new era, while facing vengeful enemies, jealous allies, and new foes looking for a spotlight in the sun whenever France stumbles.

This will be interesting. It was already quite epic, mind you, with an excellently written and thoroughly plausible alternate history, combined with really beautiful maps. Mmm, maps.

[Enewald]

This time that way.

The final battle of religion in France, I hope.

[Milites]

I'm sitting here in an apartment in Spandau, Berlin, Germany.. enjoying my lovely holiday..

And I just discovered something really strange/funny. I was chatting with my grandmother just now and mentioned that I was writing this piece on Protestant France.. well it turns out that I'm of Huguenot roots myself
That's like really weird..



dem61s: Yes, Henri would have loved to see the day.. But at least he played the ultimate part in making Huguenot (and Bourbon) France possible

Grubnessul: Thanks a lot, I'll continue to do my best.

Delex: Heheh, no I don't have anything against the Spaniards. It's just hard to make my in-game arch enemy look like a charming fellow

asd21593: Glad you liked it! It was fun to write ^^

Irenicus: Yup the would-be-Cardinal will play an important role in the coming years.. And thank you very much for the kind words.

Enewald: It looks like it, although Girona is still Catholic.

[Lord Valentine]

Wow the world turns quickly in this AAR! A unified and protestant Ireland, a French triumvirat putting the once so proud Spanish in their place and finally the complete destruction of Catholicism in France! I must say I am amazed!

Also I of course hope you enjoy your holiday in the glorious (well at least it was before the War\Cold War ) capital of my home country!

~Lord Valentine~

[Milites]

Well I am finally back from Berlin and should be able to post the next update sometime tomorrow. In the meantime enjoy some shots I took from the great German capital:

[Enewald]

Well I am finally back from Berlin and should be able to post the next update sometime tomorrow. In the meantime enjoy some shots I took from the great German capital:

Are you sure that this is allowed in the forum rules?
No, I am just mean.

But nice pics!

[dem61s]

Are you sure that this is allowed in the forum rules?

I have to agree with you here. I guess Blade! would not like to see his grandma turned into a bronze statute.

Milites, I hope you had a nice holiday. Glad to have you back in this AAR though.

[Delex]

Whats actually the difference between the protestants and reformists.

[Grubnessul]

Crudely said the difference is between the followers of Calvin (Reformed in EU) and Luther (Protestant in EU). Calvinists are as far as I know more stern with a "work hard & be modest" mentality.

[Milites]

Maybe I should use a chapter to completely explain the theological differences?