HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE-L Archives

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Subject: Re: [HWE] Unidentified subject!
Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 07:10:06 -0800

Phyl wrote:
> Jacques Lefrve was burnt at the stake by the Catholics for sugesting the
> people of the time had the right to read and own the Bible.

Ah yes folks were put to death for a whole host of reasons during those times, indeed just prior to some were even executed for merely having books.

I am slightly troubled with one persistnet thought and that is the one about our forefathers "fighting" for religious freedoms that we accept today.

It would be remiss of me to suggest how members of other families approached their Huguenot belief and so I will only mention my own ancestors briefly.

The strange situation of part of the family way back then taking up the Protestant belief and remaining in Brittany or western Normandy. The other brothers continuing their Romanist belief and then of course the ancestors who left for England and a new life.

This LEROY family were divided on the whole issue. I wonder if the Huguenot ancestors of others had a similar situation ? The only ones that we are aware of that actually fought for their belief were 4 brothers. Three for the Protestant side and one for the Catholic. Fortunately they were never to meet on the field of combat.

I often wonder just how the family ever came to reunite as for those four there must have surely been great bitterness.

And so the thought of our forefathers "fighting" for religious freedoms is not necessarily a factual comment in many ways. Yes, many of our ancestors spoke up at the risk of being beheaded, burnt at the stake, disembowled, drawn and quartered or simply stabbed, not all at the same time I suspect. But the fact that they opted to leave France suggests that chose life instead of valour.

Is that a conviction to their faith ? I don't know the answer to that. Are martyrs the true freedom fighters or were those who fought with COLIGNY or CONDE the ones of whom it can be said "fought" for their, and others, religious freedom ?

I have yet to read of tales of others ancestors who did fight with the Huguenot army. Surely we must have some on this most wonderful of lists ?

Kind Regards,
Peter Leroy

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