Chapter 3 Privacy in Death? Early Modern French Accounts of Death and Huguenots’ Last Hours

In: The Moment of Death in Early Modern Europe, c. 1450–1800
Author:
Michaël Green
Search for other papers by Michaël Green in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Type:
Chapter
Pages:
36–60
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004517745_004

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00
Add to Cart
Redeem Access Token

Abstract

The early modern period saw the rise of the concept of privacy, which manifested itself in various ways – architecture, art, personal writings and in the daily life of Europeans of the time. This chapter focuses on the relationship between dying and privacy in the setting of the French Reformed community. Based on three examples of Les dernières heures (the Last Hours) of prominent Huguenot theologians – Philippe Duplessis-Mornay, André Rivet and Pierre du Moulin, I will investigate how privacy was created and how it functioned in the last days leading to a person’s death. The results of this inquiry show that the seemingly public death, with the dying person being surrounded by many people outside of the immediate family, was in fact a carefully constructed constellation, of creating this particular setting for the dying person. It was a matter of choice and as such created the required stage for the death.

  • Collapse
  • Expand

The Moment of Death in Early Modern Europe, c. 1450–1800

Contested Ideals, Controversial Spaces, and Suspicious Objects

Series:  Intersections, Volume: 89
Cover The Moment of Death in Early Modern Europe, c. 1450–1800
E-Book ISBN:
9789004517745
Publisher:
Brill
Print Publication Date:
30 Apr 2024
Front Matter
Chapter 1 Introduction: the Moment(s) of Death in Early Modern Europe
Part 1 Approaching the Last Moments
Part 2 Ideal Deathbeds
Part 3 Objects and the Moments of Death
Part 4 Violence and Diseases
Back Matter

  • [Anonymous], De l’éducation des enfants et particulièrement de celle des princes (Amsterdam, chez Daniel Elsevier : 1679).

  • du Moulin Marie, Les dernières heures de Monsieur Rivet vivant Docteur & Professeur honoraire en l’Université de Leyden, & Currateur de l’Eschole Illustre, & College d’Orange à Breda (Breda, Jean Waesberguf: 1651).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • du Moulin Marie, Récit des dernières heures de Monsieur du Moulin, Decedé à Sedan le 10 Mars, 1658 (Sedan, François Chayer: 1658).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hulsius Antonius, Scrutinium memoriae Generosioribus dicatum ingeniis, quae liguarum Reginam, non in limine cum theologastrorumvulgo sed in intimis penetralibus salutare gestiunt (Breda, Subbingius: 1650).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hulsius Antonius, Theologiae Judaïcae pars prima, de Messia: addito breviario locorum Scripturae, quae a vanis rabbinorum glossematis repurgata veritati restituuntur (Breda, Subbingius: 1653).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lydius Jacobus, Agonistica sacra sive syntagma vocum & phrasium agonisticarum quae in S. Scriptura, imprimis vero in Epistolis S. Pauli Apostoli, occurrunt (Rotterdam, Arnold Leers: 1657).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lydius Jacobus, Florum Sparsio ad historium passionis Jesu Christi (Rotterdam: 1672).

  • Rivet Frederick, De la premiere education d’un Prince, depuis sa naissance (Rotterdam, Arnout Leers: 1654).

  • Bouchereau Samuel, Disputationum theologicarum tertia de essentia Dei et attributis illius (Leiden, Ex officina I. Patii: 1602).

  • Carol P., Republic of Women: Rethinking the Republic of Letters in the Seventeenth Century (Cambridge: 2012).

  • Daillé Jean, “Des dernières heures de Mr. Du Plessis”, in Salchi J.J. (ed.), Recueil des dernières heures de Messieurs de Mornay du Plessis, Gigord, Rivet, Du Moulin, Drelincourt & Fabri, nouvelle edition augmentée d’un Discours premininaire sur l’utilité de cet ouvrage, & sur le fondement de nôtre Salut & de nos esprérances dans la vie & dans la mort (Laisanne, Jean Zimmerli: 1725).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Albrecht R., “Konfessionsprofil und Frauen: Anna Maria van Schurman (1607–1678) und Antoinette Bourignon (1616–1680)”, Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Niedersächsische Kirchengeschichte 96 (1998) 61–75.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ariès P., Western Attitudes Toward Death from the Middle Ages to the Present, trans. by P.M. Ranum (London: 1974).

  • Aronson N., Mademoiselle de Scudéry (Boston: 1978).

  • Barros P. et al. (eds.), Prêcher la mort à l’époque moderne: Regards croisés sur la France et l’Angleterre (Paris: 2020).

  • Birkedal Bruun M., ‘Towards an Approach to Early Modern Privacy: The Retirement of the Great Condé’, in Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M. (eds.) Early Modern Privacy: Sources and Approaches (Leiden: 2022) 12–60.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Borvan D., Fighting for the Faith: Pierre Du Moulin’s Polemical Quest (doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford: 2019).

  • Daussy H., Les huguenots et le roi: combat politique de Philippe Duplessis-Mornay (1572–1600) (Geneva: 2002).

  • de Baar M. – Loewenstein M. – Monteiro M. – Sneller A.A., Choosing the better part. Anna Maria van Schurman (1607/1678) (Dordrecht – Boston – London: 1996).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • de Baar M., ‘Ik moet spreken’: Het spiritueel leiderschap van Antoinette Bourignon (1616–1680) (Zutphen: 2004).

  • de Baar M., “‘En onder het hennerot het haantje zoekt te blijven’: de betrokkenheid van vrouwen bij het huisgezin van Jean de Labadie, 1669–1732”, Vrouwenlevens 1500–1800. Achtste jaarboek voor vrouwengeschiedenis (Nijmegen: 1987) 11–43.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gordon Tait L., Pierre Du Moulin (1568–1658): Huguenot Theologian (doctoral dissertation, University of Edinburgh: 1955).

  • Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M., “En privé & en public: The Epistolary Preparation of the Dutch Stadtholders”, Journal of Early Modern History 24 (2020) 253–279.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Green M. – Huysman I., in collaboration with Bakić J. – Klein Käfer N. “The Low Countries, Private Life, and Privacy”, in Green M. – Huysman I. (eds.), Private Life and Privacy in the Early Modern Low Countries (Turnhout: 2023) 13–26.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Green M., “Privacy in Jewish Egodocuments of Amsterdam (1600–1830)”, in Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M. (eds.), Early Modern Privacy: Sources and Approaches, Intersections 78 (Leiden – Boston: 2022) 213–242.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Green M., “The Orange-Nassau family at the educational crossroads of the Stadholder’s position (1628–1711)”, Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies 43/2 (2019) 99–126.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Green M., An Interreligious Dialogue: Portrayal of Jews in Dutch French-Language Periodicals (1680–1715) (Lodz – Cracow: 2022).

  • Honders H.J., Andreas Rivetus als invloedrijk gereformeerd theoloog in Holland’s bloeitijd (The Hague: 1930).

  • Howels R.J., Pierre Jurieu: Antinomian Radical (Durham: 1983).

  • Kanerva K., “Restless Dead or Peaceful Cadavers? Preparations for Death and Afterlife in Medieval Iceland”, in Lahtinen A. – Korpiola M. (eds.), Dying Prepared in Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe (Leiden – Boston: 2018) 18–43.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Knetsch F.R.J., Pierre Jurieu, theoloog en politikus der Refuge (Kampen: 1967).

  • Korpiola M. ‘“At Death’s Door’: The Authority of Deathbed Confessions in Medieval and Early Modern Swedish Law”, in Lahtinen A. – Korpiola M. (eds.), Dying Prepared in Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe (Leiden – Boston: 2018) 65–104.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kuperty-Tsur N., “Charlotte Arbaleste”, Dictionnaire des femmes de l’Ancien Régime, 2003. Online edition. [Accessed 1 September 2022. <http://siefar.org/dictionnaire/fr/Charlotte_Arbaleste>].

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Labrousse E., “Marie du Moulin éducatrice”, Bulletin de la Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français 139 (1993) 255–268.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Labrousse E., Pierre Bayle: Tome 1: Du Pays de Foix à la Cité d’Erasme, 2nd edition (Dordrecht – Boston – Lancaster: 1985).

  • Lahtinen A. – Korpiola M., “Introduction: Preparing for a Good Death in Medieval and Early Modern Norther Europe”, in Lahtinen A. – Korpiola M. (eds.), Dying Prepared in Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe (Leiden – Boston: 2018) 1–17.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lahtinen A. – Korpiola M. (eds.), Dying Prepared in Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe (Leiden – Boston: 2018).

  • Margulis S.T., “Privacy as a Social Issue and Behavioral Concept”, Journal of Social Issues 59/2 (2003) 243–261.

  • Merlin-Kajman H., “‘Privé’ and ‘Particulier’ (and Other Words) in Seventeenth-Century France”, in Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M. (eds.) Early Modern Privacy: Sources and Approaches (Leiden: 2022) 79–104.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Mornay P.D., De sacra evcharistia, in qvatuor libros (Hanover, Claude Marnius: 1605).

  • Mornay P.D., De la verité de la religion Chrestienne: cotnre les Athées, Epicuriens, Payens, Juifs, Mahumedistes, & autres Infidels (Antwerpen, Christofle Plantin: 1581).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Nauta D. (ed.), “Hulsius, Antonius”, in Biografisch lexicon voor de geschiedenis van het Nederlands protestantisme, vol. 2 (Kampen: 1983) 266–269.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Niderst A., Madeleine de Scudéry, Paul Pellisson et leur monde (Paris: 1976).

  • Nørgaard L.C., “Making Private Public: Representing Private Devotion in an Early Modern Funeral Sermon”, in Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M. (eds.), Early Modern Privacy: Sources and Approaches, Intersections 78 (Leiden – Boston: 2022) 378–400.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Opstal A.G., André Rivet: Een invloedrijk hugenoot aan het hof van Frederik Hendrik (Hardewijk: 1937).

  • Rang B., “Letters Across the North Sea: A Dutch Source of John Locke’s Letters Concerning Education”, Roding J. – van Voss L.H. (eds.), The North Sea and Culture (1550–1800): Proceedings of the International Conference held at Leiden 21–22 April 1995 (Hilversum: 1996) 378–395.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Regent-Susini A., “How to Make Exemplarity with Secret Virtues: Funeral Sermons and Their Challenges in Early Modern France”, in Green M. – Nørgaard L.C. – Birkedal Bruun M. (eds.), Early Modern Privacy: Sources and Approaches, Intersections 78 (Leiden – Boston: 2022) 179–193.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schapira N., Un professionnel des lettres au XVIIe siècle. Valentin Conrart: une histoire sociale (Seyssel: 2003).

  • Stanwood O., The Global Refuge: Huguenots in an Age of Empire (Oxford: 2020).

  • Strickland F.C., “Building a Library in the Dutch Golden Age: André Rivet and His Books”, in der Weduwen A. – Pettegree A. – Kemp G. (eds.), Book Trade Catalogues in Early Modern Europe, Library of the Written Word 93 (Leiden – Boston: 2021) 161–192.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • van Ruymbeke B. – Sparks R.J. (eds.), Uncertain Brotherhood: The Huguenots in the Dutch Republic (Columbia, SC: 2003).

  • Wheeler K.J.-L., “Rabaut Saint-Étienne and the Huguenot Fight for Religious Freedom”, in Messer P.C. – Taylor W.H., Revolution as Reformation: Protestant Faith in the Age of Revolutions, 1688–1832 (Tuscaloosa, Al.: 2021) 96–112.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wunderli R. – Broce G., “The Final Moment before Death in Early Modern England”, The Sixteenth Century Journal 20/2 (1989) 259–275.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yardeni M., Le refuge huguenot: Assimilation et culture (Paris: 2002).

  • Yardeni M., Le refuge protestant (Paris: 1985).

Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 95 54 2
Full Text Views 15 9 0
PDF Views & Downloads 26 16 1