Dimensions
140 x 216 x 36mm
The thrilling story of how the winter carnival of 1580 in Romans degenerated into a bloody ambush.
The city of Romans, in what was once the province of Dauphine in Southern France, was the scene each year of a colourful and animated mardi gras carnival. But in 1580 the winter festivities degenerated into a bloody ambush.
While costumed craftsmen and peasants mimed and danced in the streets, and the bourgeoisie dined at banquets and balls, Jean Serve-Paumier, master craftsman, draper and leader of the popular party was assassinated and his supporters beaten and pursued by the hired mob of Judge Antoine Guerin, leader of the most reactionary faction of the ruling party.
What caused the event to deteriorate into such mayhem? More than a cruel incident, this particular Carnival night marked the intersection of an urban movement and even larger rural stirrings.
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie weaves a brilliant tapestry about two crucial weeks in the history of Romans: in the background are the violent religious wars which ravaged Dauphine and which left many believing that Huguenot conspiracies were behind the unrest.
In the middle ground is Dauphine itself, scarred by civil warring, famine, and plague. And in the foreground stands Romans, a city of divided citizenry where even the upper and lower classes are divided amongst themselves, and where the final drama will be played out.
