Lyon publishing in the age of Catholic revival, 1565-1600

Abstract

This PhD dissertation focuses upon the role of Lyon's printing industry in the revival of Catholicism in the second half of the sixteenth century. Lyon was one of Europe's premier cities; booming trade and tolerant attitudes had been catalysts for its growth. It possessed one of the finest and most renowned printing industries on the continent. Reputations were turned upside down by the development of evangelical activism in the 1560s. By the late 1560s the city was once more firmly placed in the Roman Catholic camp. Lyon's presses joined in the newly found Catholic sentiment. Presses produced a vast range of texts necessary for the reconstruction of the Church. From the start, the commerce of the book and the fate of Catholic revival were closely bound together. Within a decade of the fall of the Protestant regime, Catholic authors and publishers produced steady streams of violent pamphlet literature aimed towards the eradication of the Huguenot. With a powerful combination of theological tomes and a flood of book and pamphlet literature addressed to a wider audience, Lyon's printing presses held an important role in the progress of Catholic revival. Chapter one sketches core aspects of the history of the printing industry in Lyon from its inception in the 1470s until 1600. Chapter two concentrates on the production of pamphlet literature between 1565 and 1588, the years of Catholic victory and the period leading up to the radical developments of the Holy Catholic League. Chapter three extends the survey of the period 1565 until 1588 by addressing the body of larger religious books published. Chapters four and five explore the role of pamphlet literature during Lyon's adherence to

the Leaguer, and then Royalist movement. Chapter six examines the production of larger religious books throughout the years 1589 until 1600. This study of Lyon's place in print culture demonstrates that our preconceptions of the book culture - seen through the predominantly German model - cannot be accurately imposed across European printing centres. Contrary to the German experience print culture and the Counter-Reformation were inextricably linked. Moreover, French Catholic authors were prepared to confront the evangelical movement in the medium of print. By doing so Catholic authors and publishers fully utilised the weapons that had brought Protestantism so much success, making them their own.