18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 33

[cahn]

And, I mean, it doesn't have to be just 18th century characters, either!

(also, waiting for Yuletide!)

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Victor Amadeus II: Religion

[mildred_of_midgard]

Victor Amadeus is personally devout, but not fanatical. He's particularly not interested in theology. He believes the pope should tell everyone what to believe, and everyone should just believe it, not argue about doctrine, and move on. Symcox:

His ideal, he once remarked, was the simple faith of the charcoal-burner; this was what his subjects should cultivate, spurning divisive theological controversies.

But he comes to power at a bad time: 1684. What famous/notorious event happens in 1685? Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes, Henri IV's proclamation of religious tolerance (for which Voltaire will praise him in the Henriad). This is important for Frederician fans, because a lot of Prussians are Huguenot refugees from this period.

Louis: Hey, Savoy, while I'm busy persecuting Protestants, I see you've got some Protestants. You should persecute them!

VA: But I don't want to. They pay taxes and they're not causing any trouble.

Louis: But you're a satellite state, and I say you have to.

VA: Fine. I will exterminate the Vaudois.

The Vaudois were the "Waldensians," a sect that predated the Reformation, that lived in the Alps. They could have emigrated to the Protestant cantons of Switzerland, and some did, but they had a strong sense of identity and attachment to their community in this region of Savoy, and many of them were willing to die fighting rather than leave. So many do, some are forcibly converted (like children being taken away and given to Catholic families), and some are driven out and into Switzerland.

VA: I'm not a model of tolerance, but I dislike Louis telling me what to do. But while I'm here, a model of Machiavellianness--hey, Pope! Look at me prosecuting Protestants! You should give me money and support. Look how pious a duke I am!

Pope: Cool! Wish more princes were like that!

Fast forward to 1690, when VA has switched sides and is now allied with England and the Netherlands.

William III: So about those Vaudois, Victor Amadeus.

VA: I have to take them back?

William III: You have to take them back. Or you could take Louis back as the hegemon in your region!

VA: Okay, fine. De facto tolerance only, though. Maybe I can get them to fight in my army. They were really good at fighting against my army!

Pope: Excuse me, that's not okay, Mister Pious Duke!

VA: Fuck you, the pope doesn't tell me what to do! Tell me what to believe, sure. Tell me whatever you want about the Resurrection and the Holy Trinity and predestination and all that jazz. But you keep your nose the hell out of how I run my duchy!

A series of popes: *decades of conflict with Savoy*

VA: No Inquisition in my territory!

Popes: Yes Inquisition in your territory!

VA: Fine! But secular representatives answering to me present at every proceeding! This is not enlightenment, this is absolutism.

1696: *VA defects to France*

Louis: So about those Vaudois...

Vaudois: Fuck. We can't catch a break, can we?

VA: *expels the Vaudois again*

1703: *VA defects to the Allies*

VA: Protestants, calling all Protestants who want to move back to Savoy and fight in my army again!

At this point, I'm surprised he found any takers, seeing as how they all must have had WHIPLASH by now. But apparently he did!

Victor Amadeus had already issued a proclamation appealing for aid from his Protestant subjects on 5 October 1703; in response they raised a total of thirty-four companies of troops for him during the war. A large proportion of these troops, plus a number of other Protestant auxiliaries, were paid directly by the States-General [Mildred note: oh, yeah, another contemporary name for the Dutch that I haven't mentioned] or the British government, and even though the planned invasion in support of the Camisards never took place, the Vaudois performed valuable service, bearing the brunt of the fighting in their region after the French invaded it in the summer of 1704.

And that is our Magnificent Bastard of the day.