. A short history of the Italian Waldenses who have inhabited the valleys of the Cottian Alps from ancient times to the present. followed,thirty-one years later, by another, whichresulted in the total exile for three yearsand a half of the Waldensian people. CHAPTER XII THE GLORIOUS RETURN IN 1689 The glorious return of the Waldenses to theirhomes in the Piedmontese valleys was anepisode in the great war which, in 1689,convulsed the continent of Europe. Led bythe pastor-hero Henri Arnaud, who acted onthe counsels of Joshua Janavel, they availedthemselves of a fortunate moment, whenboth of thei
. A short history of the Italian Waldenses who have inhabited the valleys of the Cottian Alps from ancient times to the present. followed,thirty-one years later, by another, whichresulted in the total exile for three yearsand a half of the Waldensian people. CHAPTER XII THE GLORIOUS RETURN IN 1689 The glorious return of the Waldenses to theirhomes in the Piedmontese valleys was anepisode in the great war which, in 1689,convulsed the continent of Europe. Led bythe pastor-hero Henri Arnaud, who acted onthe counsels of Joshua Janavel, they availedthemselves of a fortunate moment, whenboth of their persecutors, Louis XIV. andVictor Amedeus II., were occupied elsewhereto escape from their kind entertainers inSwitzerland. Three years and a half before,Louis XIV., le Grand Monarque, to satisfyan uneasy conscience, became the championof the Papacy, persecuted the French Protes-tants by revoking the Edict of Nantes, andurged the Duke of Savoy to drive out theWaldenses from Piedmont, threatening tosend fourteen thousand French soldiers intothe valleys, and reducing him to the alter-native of seeing his kingdom invaded by. The Glorious Return in 1689 87 foreigners, or of persecuting the hereticshimself. Victor Amedeus II. preferred the latter, andordered the Waldenses to cease the exerciseof their religion immediately and religious meeting was prohibited onpain of loss of life and property; all ancientprivileges were abolished; the churches mustbe demolished; pastors and teachers mustembrace the Catholic faith or leave the coun-try within fifteen days; and children must begiven within eight days after birth to thecurates, on pain for the mother of being pub-licly whipped, and for the father of five yearsin the galleys. This was war to the knife. O messa, o morte, — Go to mass or youdie. Three times the victims sent humblesupplications for mercy to Turin, but receivedno answer, for their sovereign, placed betweentwo fires, refused to listen to their cry, andsoon
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidshor, booksubjectwaldenses
