Seán Alexander Smith - Fealty and Fidelity: The Lazarists of Bourbon France, 1660-1736

SEN ALEXANDER SMITH

First published 2015 by Ashgate Publishing

Published 2016 by Routledge

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Copyright Sen Alexander Smith 2015

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Smith, Sen Alexander.

Fealty and fidelity : the Lazarists of Bourbon France, 16601736 / by Sen Alexander Smith.

pages cm. (Catholic Christendom, 13001700)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4724-4478-3 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-3155-8204-7 (ebook) ISBN 978-1-3171-3620-0 (epub)

1. Vincentians France History 17th century. 2. Vincentians France History 18th century. I. Title.

BX3770.Z5F837 2015

ISBN 9781472444783 (hbk)
ISBN 9781315582047 (ebk-PDF)
ISBN 9781317136200 (ebk-ePUB)

Catholic Christendom, 13001700 counter-balances the traditional, still-influential understanding of medieval (or Catholic) and reformation (or Protestant) religious history that has long resulted in neglect of the middle ground, both chronological and ideological. Continuities between the middle ages and early modern Europe remain overlooked or underestimated, in contrast to the radical discontinuities, and in studies of the later period especially, the identification of reformation with various kinds of Protestantism too often leaves evidence of the vitality and creativity of the Catholic church, whether in its Roman or local manifestations, out of account. The series therefore covers all varieties of religious behavior, broadly interpreted, not just (or even mainly) traditional institutional and doctrinal church history, and is to the maximum degree possible interdisciplinary, comparative and global, as well as non-confessional. The goal is to understand religion, primarily of the Catholic variety, as a broadly human phenomenon, rather than as a privileged mode of access to superhuman realms, even implicitly.

The period covered, 13001700, embraces the moment which saw an almost complete transformation of the place of religion in the life of Europeans, whether considered as a system of beliefs, as an institution, or as a set of social and cultural practices. In 1300, vast numbers of Europeans, from the pope down, fully expected Jesuss return and the beginning of His reign on earth. By 1700, very few Europeans, of whatever level of education, would have subscribed to such chiliastic beliefs. Pierre Bayles notorious sarcasms about signs and portents are not idiosyncratic. Likewise, in 1300 the vast majority of Europeans probably regarded the pope as their spiritual head; the institution he headed was probably the most tightly integrated and effective bureaucracy in Europe. Most Europeans were at least nominally Christian, and the pope had at least nominal knowledge of that fact. The papacy, as an institution, played a central role in high politics, and the clergy in general formed an integral part of most governments, whether central or local. By 1700, Europe was divided into a myriad of different religious allegiances, and even those areas officially subordinate to the pope were both more nominally Catholic in belief (despite colossal efforts at imposing uniformity) and also in allegiance than they had been four hundred years earlier. The pope had become only one political factor, and not one of the first rank. The clergy, for its part, had virtually disappeared from secular governments as well as losing much of its local authority. The stage was set for the Enlightenment.

THOMAS F. MAYER
Founding Series Editor

In recognition of her counsels and assistance during the completion of this book, I wholeheartedly thank Alison Forrestal, who supervised the PhD thesis from which this volume is distilled. I acknowledge the generous support of the Republic of Irelands Higher Education Authority and its Strategic Innovation Fund, as well as grants from the Mellon Foundation, in producing this book. I also thank Dominique Deslandres, Megan Armstrong, Rev. Edward Udovic CM, Rev. John Rybolt CM and Patrick Ryan for their help along the pilgrims journey. I extend my special thanks to the archivist of the Congregation of the Mission in Paris, Rev. Claude Lautissier CM, for his unfailing kindness. I am also grateful to Tom Gray and the editorial staff at Ashgate Publishing. To Marian, Stephen, Jacqueline, Cassie and Viola, I express my gratitude and love. I dedicate this book to my grandparents Alexander, Beryl, Mary and David. Finally, I thank the editors of French History for permission to reproduce material from volume 27, issue 3 (2013), 35170.