Justification by History

Abstract

There were neither victors nor vanquished in the historical controversy. Both Reformed and Catholic were baffled or compromised by the historical material, and both suffered irremediable losses. In the immediate political context, the Catholics had the upper hand. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes took place with little opposition, and Louis XIV remained convinced that he had done the right thing. Catholic polemicists could thus congratulate themselves for whatever effect their writings had in preparing the French for the Revocation, and the Reformed were denied all practical consolation. In the years to come, however, certain events, and the later elaboration of the debates, tended to modify the initial verdict, giving some vindication to the Protestant cause.