Bellievre, excusas: Rudolf Gwalthers Reaktion auf Pomponne de Bellièvres Rechtfertigungsrede der Bartholomäusnacht

Abstract

The essay gives a broad outline of how Rudolf Gwalther reacted to Pomponne de Bellièvre’s speech for the defence of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre. Gwalther had received information on the slaughter from different sources, and had read a copy of Ambassador Bellièvre’s speech. In contrast to other reformers such as Theodor Beza and Heinrich Bullinger, Gwalther did not write an official answer himself, instead declaring his resentment in two poems which are edited and commented in this essay. Both texts were distributed anonymously to avoid risking Gwalther’s good relationship with Bellièvre.