The Clamors of His Afflicted People’ : Sensory Experiences of the City under Siege during the French Wars of Religion

Intervention dans le cadre du 61e congrès de la Renaissance Society of America, organisé à l'Université Humbold, Berlin, du 26 au 28 mars 2015.

Résumé de la communication

Hundreds of French cities experienced blockades and prolonged sieges during the French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629. In this paper, I will explore the sensory experience of French cities during sieges using contemporary manuscript and printed siege narratives. Urban spaces and civic society were transformed during sieges, as alluring visual and sonic displays of artillery fire and mine explosions captivated and terrified city residents. Numerous news sources communicated information about sieges and religious warfare through royal edicts, parlementaire arrêts, gazettes, political pamphlets, religious pamphlets, and treatises to multiple ‘publics’ that could access these media. My paper will interpret this evidence on sensory experience, suggesting that the new sensorial landscapes of siege warfare transformed the urban space and civic identities of city-dwellers during the French Wars of Religion, defining a new form of urban culture in early modern France.

Brian Sandberg préside en outre le 27 mars de 10h15-11h45 la séance

Networks and Connectivity in the Irano-Mediterranean Frontier Zone II: Texts and Individuals, organisée par Megan C. Armstrong, Université McMaster, et Colin Mitchell, Université Dalhousie