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| Le Midi Libre January 18, 2015 |
Hammer of
the Huguenots: A New Novel on the Wars of Religion in France, by Douglas Bond
(P&R Publishing, 2015)
With
tantalizing descriptions of local cuisine, French Gothic cathedrals, medieval
walled cities, dark caves in the Cevennes, lush vineyards in the Côtes du Rhône,
and the salt marshes of Aigues-Mortes, there can be no doubt this book was
written in the south of France. When most Americans think of France their
limited knowledge expires with food and fashion. But American writer Douglas
Bond, author of more than twenty books, is not like most Americans. Neither is
his latest book, Hammer of the Huguenots,
like most books about France.
When
pressed, your average American may think of the World Wars, and some may even
think of Victor Hugo or Enlightenment philosophers. However, few indeed have
any meaningful knowledge of the tragic history of the 16th century Wars
of Religion.
Through
careful academic, social, and gastronomical research, Bond has sought to uncover
and convey this rich history and culture. And though set in the grim days of
the mid-sixteenth century, no book about life in the south of France can be
entirely dark. Writing on-location in 12th century La Roque-sur-Cèze, one of les plus beaux
villages de France, and other locations in the south of France, Bond captured the
quintessential warmth and atmosphere of these charming regions.
Using his
genre of choice, historical fiction, Bond captivates his readers, draws them
in, and places them into the center of a Huguenot family. Although sympathetic
to the Huguenot cause, Bond follows the history where it leads.
INSIDER INFORMATION
Perhaps, it
is best to reveal my own bias. Bond is my father. However, as one who has studied
under him in writing and history classes, proof read manuscripts, and
frequently discussed and debated
issues of politics and religion, I am well
placed to give both a predominantly objective and certainly intimate
description of the author.
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| In the Calanques, south of France |
Having
written numerous published books of
historical fiction, biography, devotion, and theology, Bond has hit his stride
as an author. For proof look no further than this book. Vivid descriptions and
authentic characters with feelings like his readers, make Hammer of the Huguenots not just a joy to read, but make it seem to
read itself—pulling the reader along as if an active participant in the living
drama unfolding on the pages.
SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL
Contextually,
this book spans the first three Wars of Religion from 1560 until 1570. Set initially
in Aigues-Mortes, the story unfolds through the
eyes of a Huguenot shipwright’s conflicted apprentice Philippe, bewildered by
the prayers of his master Monsieur Beaune’s family. Bond’s protagonist wrestles
with his confusion throughout the story: Why these drawn-out prayers over
meals? What is the real bone of contention between the medieval Church and the
Huguenots? And, why would anyone want to harm a family like his master’s?
Maurice, eldest
Beaune son, passionate and adventurous, provides a fitting counterpart to the more
introverted Philippe. Throughout the book, the young men’s relationship grows
as they are drawn together by loyalty and peril. Meanwhile, Philippe’s
friendship with Maurice’s charming sister Sophie also develops. To his
bewilderment, this peace-loving Huguenot family Philippe comes to love, are the
same people the medieval Church wanted to be rid of. As the story unfolds, the malicious designs of the enemy become
unmistakably evident:
…the silence now broken by the clattering
thunder of horses’ hooves pounding the cobblestones, the shouts and cries of
men, echoing and reechoing off the narrow houses lining the streets that
radiated from the church. Camargue horses, terrible in their whiteness, manes
flowing, teeth champing…, and with every snorting stride, their riders spurring
them on, straight toward Pastor Leclerc, the door of the church, and the
worshipers within.
Forced into a conflict he does not understand
and his friends do not want, Philippe joins the Huguenot cause out of friendship
rather than conviction. But will that change?
CONFLICT AND CHANGE
Change could
well be considered one of the overarching themes of the book. Peace changes to
war; friendship ripens into love; Confusion gives way to clarity; convictions
shift from Rome to Geneva. All of France is changed by the tumult of the Wars
of Religion nearly 500 years ago. After more than a century of bloody religious conflict, it is
little wonder that many in France today feel more comfortable with irreligious
secularism. English-speaking readers feel
the struggle of the Huguenots as if it were their own, despite the centuries
that lie between. Although Bond gives a satisfying exploration of the
historical moment, the novel probes timeless human themes.
Bond’s
historical accuracy can be seen in his portrayal of the conniving,
Italian-born, Catherine de Médici, a papal bull of March 15, 1569 calling for the annihilation
of all Huguenots, repeated royal edicts professing peace--then broken by
Charles IX, and massacres at Vassy and Sens.
WHAT WAS AT STAKE?
Deeply
concerned with discovering the heart of the Huguenot cause, Bond lets readers
hear excerpts from several sermons delivered by the oft-forgotten reformer
Pierre Viret at Nîmes and Montpellier. The setting for one message Bond recreated
by an episode from his own time exploring in Nîmes. Caught in a violent summer
rain storm, Bond, his family, and dozens of others took cover in Cathédrale
Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor de Nîmes. This real 2013 experience became the
setting for a historical sermon preached by Pierre Viret to several thousand
people there in 1561.
“All that is necessary for your salvation has
been offered and communicated to us in Jesus Christ. He alone is given to us
for our salvation, and ‘is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption.’ …I plead with you this day. Put off your
idols. Find refuge in Jesus Christ alone!”
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| 12th century village where a good deal of HH was written |
Along with
vernacular preaching, another emblem of the Huguenots was their public Psalm-singing
in French. True to history, at great risk, the Beaune family boldly sings—often louder than
Philippe deems prudent:
Let God arise in all His might,
And put the troops of hell to
flight,
As smoke that sought to cloud the
skies
Before the rising tempest flies.
It is only
natural that Bond gives the psalm singing its due place in the story of the
Huguenots—Bond, a writer of hymns for the new reformation, has written six
books about hymnody, and was a consultant for the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation’s God’s Greatest Hits
2012 television series. When not writing or speaking at conferences, Bond teaches
at a classical Christian high school in America, and for his teaching of
writing was awarded the regional “2005 Teacher Award.”
Additionally, Bond and
his wife Cheryl have led historical study tours in Europe since 1996—a source
of many lasting friendships, several of which aided significantly with this
book. One of these—a veritable modern-day Huguenot—Pastor Lionel Jauvert, direct
descendent of Huguenots from the Cévennes, hosted the Bond family in his ancestors’
house, built in 1485, another source of inspiration for Hammer of the Huguenots.
WRITTEN WHERE IT HAPPENED
Many
episodes in the book were written in either the exact location or a similar
setting to the historical location. For example, one chapter has the protagonists
taking refuge—as so many Huguenots were forced to do—in a cave in the Cévennes.
Without the aid of road signs or trail markers, Jauvert led Bond to a remote
cave where hundreds of Huguenots sought refuge to worship in safety. High above
the village of Saint-Jean du Gard in the dark recesses of that cave, Bond
drafted a fictional episode based on painfully genuine occurrences in that very
cave five-hundred years prior.
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| Montpelier's Cathedral: where Viret preached |
Another acquaintance,
Gérard Mignard, resident of La Roque-sur-Cèze, and correspondent
for Le Midi Libre, offered invaluable
insight that helped Bond
capture the local charm of his village, Provence, and the Côtes du
Rhône. In addition to his regional
expertise, Mignard introduced Bond to his local friends, gaining him entrance
to a 12th century private chateau, yet another genuine setting for an episode
in the book.
Food plays a
central role in Hammer of the Huguenots.
Bond and his family enjoyed many of the regional culinary delights of France,
as evident throughout the book:
It was a meal he would never
forget—steamed legumes; chevre cheese, blended with herbs and garlic; roast
wild boar, killed that day in the hills above the farmhouse, dripping with herbes de Provence and butter sauce.
Their host uncorked a bottle of local Grenache
Noir; its dry complexity with a hint of spice lingering on the palate made
Philippe wonder if miracles had ceased after all.
Although there are many delightful and even a few humorous episodes, the book’s historical context is grim and dark, indeed. Though France’s Wars of Religion have often been thought of as civil wars, Bond demonstrates otherwise. While King Charles IX rallied his forces against the Huguenots (influenced by his mother Catherine de Médici and his ruthless uncles, Duke of Guise and Cardinal of Lorraine), Bond makes the case that the conflict was not simply French against French, but far more the Holy Roman Empire with its multi-national mercenary army arrayed against France‘s Huguenot population, by some estimates, fully 40% of 16th century France’s population. Threatening severe censure against France, Emperor and King of Spain, Philip II was a significant force behind the violence against the French Huguenots. Not to be outdone, Pope Pius V, determined to end the conflict, issued a papal bull in 1569 calling for a crusade to exterminate all the French who aligned themselves with the Huguenot cause.
COMMENTARY ON RELIGIOUS CONFLICT TODAY
Like radical Islamists today, the mercenary armies of the empire ruthlessly engaged in their murderous holy war. Bond depicts historical accounts of Huguenot congregations attacked while singing in Sens and Vassy, surrounded and fired upon by François, Duke of Guise’s men. Volleys from arquebuses left scores of men, women, and children dead or wounded in Huguenot temples.
As hammer blows fell upon the beleaguered Huguenots, Bond demonstrates how, for a time, they grew stronger. “Tant plus à me frapper on s’amuse, tant plus de marteaux on y use!” It is from this well-known saying that Bond took the title Hammer of the Huguenots. Many Huguenots, to their
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| 15th century chateau: lived and wrote an episode here |
As Bond recounts the tragic history of France’s Wars of Religion, his bewildered protagonist continues wrestling with the questions that torment him. What he longs for is his Libération: escape from the complexity of life in a war-torn country. But, he realizes that he so desperately wants cannot be achieved by himself. Freedom—will Philippe ever find it? Perhaps in a manner he never anticipated.
Delicately weaving fact with fiction, Bond pulls his readers effortlessly through some of the most beautiful landscapes in France, places them at tables filled with traditional delicacies, and walks them through the valley of the darkest days in France’s history. How could a people be so cruel toward one another? How can someone be so sure in her belief that she would rather die than renounce her faith? What would make two young men care so much about a few captured Huguenot preachers that they would risk their lives to rescue them?
Read Douglas Bond’s Hammer of the Huguenots. These questions and more are explored in the captivating way that only well-crafted historical fiction can accomplish. This uncommon American writer has penned a refreshingly uncommon book for all to read.
Cedric C. M. Bond, a juris doctor candidate at Oklahoma City
University School of Law, is son of Douglas Bond, author of Hammer of the Huguenots.
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