Today I have a historical mystery for you, based on my novel research, with a few questions and clues to help solve it.
Who were the Huguenots?
French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism
At their peak,they made up as much as 10% of the French population
Why did they go missing from France?
The French Roman Catholic clergy could not accept the Huguenots’ increased influence and worked to deprive them of their rights
King Louis XIV believed that unity in the state was extremely difficult to maintain where two or more churches were tolerated.
The king intensified the persecution of Huguenots:
Dragonnades—soldiers were billeted in Protestant homes with permission to behave as brutally as they wished
Churches were destroyed
Certain professions were put out of their reach
Their children were taken away from their parents and brought up as Roman Catholics
On Oct. 18, 1685, Louis XIV pronounced the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which had guaranteed political and religious rights
Where did they go?
Netherlands
Switzerland
England
Ireland
Scotland
Prussia
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
America
South Africa
What was the result in France?
Huguenot persecution greatly damaged the reputation of Louis XIV abroad, particularly in England. Both kingdoms became bitter enemies and fought each other in a series of wars
Many Huguenots had been urban people in commerce and industry, so their absence hurt France in the Industrial Revolution
In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, German sociologist Max Weber, argued that the supposedly Protestant values of hard work, thrift, efficiency, and orderliness contributed to the economic success of Protestant groups in the early stages of European capitalism.
Alain Peyrefitte, the French Catholic author of Le Mal Français, argues that the absence of supposedly Protestant values (hard work, thrift, efficiency, and orderliness) caused France to lag behind other nations socially and economically.
Many novels have been written about Huguenots, and I’ll highlight one from the 19th century and one from the 21st century:
Believe it or not, the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories also wrote this novel focused on Huguenots and where some emigrated during the reign of Louis XIV. I just discovered this novel, and I look forward to reading it soon.
Based on a true story, this novel follows one French Huguenot family as King Louis XIV consolidated his power by whittling away Protestants’ rights, tolerating no political or religious opposition, impacting individuals of all ages and ranks of society.
Shows how ordinary people’s toleration of injustice on a small scale can lead, step by step, to great evil
Could have used more light moments, but, as with stories about the Holocaust era, humor and good times would not ring true with the facts of history
Hindsight shows us the tragic choices made by France’s leaders hundreds of years ago and their impact on that nation and the world. They couldn’t embrace the idea that a cultural melting pot could enrich their society.
We can learn from their mistakes and reach out to people of diverse backgrounds, breaking down stereotypes and prejudice.
I wish you peace and health in this holiday season.
We love to read novels that keep us turning pages, but what keeps you reading? Maybe it’s:
A hero/heroine you identify with and root for
A villain you love to hate
An historical personality (king, queen, pope, rebel) you enjoy observing ‘in action’
But how often does technology drive a novel’s plot, influence the story’s winners and losers, and keep us on the edge of our seats?
Maybe you’ve read a fascinating novel or seen a movie with a plot involving technology, such as:
Enigma encryption device used by Germany (and decrypted by Britain and its allies) during World War II
Wright brothers’ airplane (1903)
Printing press (1440)
Oil painting (~1410)
Compass (in wide use by 1300s)
Magnifying lenses (1200s for weak-sighted, 1500s-1600s for microscopes and telescopes)
Recently, I discovered a fascinating new novel set in the reign of England’s Henry VIII, in which new cannons designed in Italy played a central role in the plot.
King Henry VIII of England orders a new type of Italian cannon to protect his life, family, and reign. Although this novel’s premise may sound dry and technical, it develops into an intriguing plot.
The story is told from the point of view of the heroine, a young Italian woman who accompanies the cannons to England. She turns out to be a sharp-eyed sleuth who turns her attention to a mystery that proves key to Henry’s reign.
Along the way, I learned more about the motivations of Henry’s enemies, both domestic and foreign, who sought to destroy him.
The author’s well-developed portrayal of Katherine of Aragon especially intrigued me—a marked contrast from common stereotypes about her.
An interesting and enjoyable read!
Readers, please share your favorite novels involving a technological innovation!
When you hear the name of Michelangelo, what comes to mind?
Painter of the Sistine Chapel in Rome?
Sculptor of the monumental David statue, symbol of Renaissance Florence?
Architect whose vision led to the completion of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome?
Poet who wrote more than 300 sonnets and madrigals about death, shortness of life, faith, love, etc.?
Michelangelo’s creations showed his genius,
but make us wonder*:
Was he born with these artistic gifts?
If not, how did he develophis talent?
How did he come up with his revolutionary new approaches to sculpture, painting, and architecture?
Was Michelangelo a model of how to develop or become a genius?
Was there a downside to his genius?
Powerful people virtually forced him to work on projects and in places he wouldn’t have chosen
As a rock star of his era, he attracted fans, but had few true friends. His peers (artists like Raphael and Bramante) were jealous of his success.
Did his success make for a happy life?
Michelangelo was a complex character with a complicated life.
Although he created masterpieces demanded by popes, hebelonged to a group of independent-thinking lay people, called spirituali, who embraced some of Martin Luther’s religious ideas, such as emphasis on the Bible as the only source of truth, and faith as the only way to salvation.
Did he secretly follow Luther? We can’t know, but his spirituality shines through in this passage from a poem he wrote 10 years before he died:
“Neither painting nor sculpture will be able any longer to calm my soul, now turned toward that divine love that opened his arms on the cross to take us in.”
(from Sonnet, poem 285, 1554, translated by James M. Saslow)
*For answers to these questions, I recommend The Giant, a recent novel by Laura Morelli, which approaches the complexities of Michelangelo’s personality through his friendship with fellow artist, Jacopo Torni. In contrast to Irving Stone’s Agony and the Ecstasy, which covers Michelangelo’s life story (1495-1564) in depth, The Giant is told from the perspective of Jacopo Torni, and focuses primarily on Michelangelo’s creation of the David statue (1501-1504).
This month, I’m excited to share an interview about The Giant with the author, Laura Morelli.
Q: Was there an event that triggered your decision to tell the story of Michelangelo’s creation of his monumental David statue?
Laura Morelli: The Giant: A Novel of Michelangelo’s David, was originally intended to be a nonfiction book in the spirit of Ross King’s Brunelleschi’s Dome. But then I put the project away for nearly twenty years! It was only after I pulled my old book proposal out of a drawer that I knew it was meant to be a novel instead.
For three decades, the story of Michelangelo’s David pestered me nearly as much as real-life Jacopo, the protagonist of THE GIANT, pestered his genius friend. I kept putting this project away, but it wouldn’t let me go. The story kept coming back to me over years.
Q: How did you discover a new angle that hadn’t been written about?
LM: I have always wondered what it was about Michelangelo’s David that changed the course of art history. How did that happen? How did a single man–and a single sculpture–have the power to transform the course of art history? As I began to look for answers in traditional art history research, I discovered a drama so incredible that you could not make it up! (Well, OK, I made a few things up… It’s a novel.)
As I looked for the right person to tell the story of Michelangelo’s gigante, I came across historical references to a Florentine fresco painter called Jacopo Torni, also known as L’Indaco.
The sixteenth-century art historian Giorgio Vasari tells us that L’Indaco lived “in close intimacy” with Michelangelo, and that Michelangelo found L’Indaco the funniest and most entertaining of his friends. We also know that Michelangelo invited L’Indaco to work with him on the Sistine Chapel in 1508. According to some sources, it was a friend who convinced Michelangelo to return to Florence to take on the David commission in 1501, and I like to think it was L’Indaco.
Michelangelo is one of the most notoriously temperamental artists in history, and I wondered about this relationship of seeming opposites. It is this push and pull of two creative friends, in combination with the creation of two of the most seminal works of art history—the David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling—that drew me to this story and made me want to explore this complicated friendship further.
Q: What sources helped you fill in the details and context for this story?
LM: I always start with primary sources—things written at the time. For the Italian Renaissance, there are so many great primary sources! My personal favorites are legal accounts. Sometimes the laws are so weird! And consider that laws are only made when someone does something considered egregious at the time; it really helps you understand what a culture valued and what they condemned.
For The Giant, I started with the fascinating primary accounts of Michelangelo’s David, then added the scant yet tantalizing known details of Jacopo Torni’s life.
Q: Did you discover any surprises while researching this novel?
LM: We know just enough about Jacopo to make him an incredibly interesting character: he was in Michelangelo’s inner circle, he worked on the Sistine ceiling, he may have invented a way to inhibit mold on fresco, he was funny, lazy, a practical jokester. Giorgio Vasari gives us one anecdote to hint at the complicated friendship he had with Michelangelo. Little more. What an interesting character! He’s the perfect protagonist for a historical novel, especially woven into the rich tapestry of the known facts around the creation of Michelangelo’s David.
Building out Jacopo’s character gave me the chance to delve into parts of Florentine history I didn’t know about before—life in the taverns, Renaissance card games, and (spoiler alert) what it was like to be in jail in 16th-century Florence. There were lots of fascinating surprises down each of those research rabbit holes!
Q: How much did you have to deviate from history to create a satisfying story? (What’s the ratio of fact to fiction?)
LM: For me, the fun of historical fiction is taking the facts as far as they go, then realizing there’s a whole lot of stuff we don’t know. It’s like putting together a complex jigsaw puzzle with a bunch of missing pieces. You make up the rest. For this period, there are so many rich sources that there was always at least a hint to get started.
Q: How did the events and changes happening at this time in Renaissance Florence impact the lives of your characters?
LM: It’s incredible to realize that while Michelangelo was sculpting his David, just down the street, Leonardo da Vinci was painting his famous Lisa. You can’t make that up! And that’s just one small thread in the rich tapestry of Renaissance Florence.
Q: What were the most challenging aspects of writing your novel?
LM: Honestly, this book was a long slog! Whenever you write about a real historical person—especially a “giant” like Michelangelo—you feel the burden of responsibility to do justice to your subject. I thought about this a lot as I was writing.
Q: What did you enjoy most about writing The Giant?
LM: I enjoyed living vicariously in Florence circa 1500 for many years—if only in my head.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away after reading The Giant?
LM: My readers tell me they read historical fiction to transport themselves to the past—and to learn something new. They don’t want to be hit over the head with a textbook but they want to come away smarter. I hope they also come away entertained and enriched by an armchair trip to Renaissance Italy.
Reader, would you want to be a genius if you had to go through what Michelangelo experienced?
Health and peace to you in these uncertain times! Since life has changed and many of us must spend our days isolated from people and our normal activities, I’m offering suggestions of some of my favorite titles of historical fiction set in Europe. Fortunately, these novels are available as ebooks you can access from home free through your local library or purchase them online.
I just finished reading a terrific novel published last fall, The Last Train to London, by Meg Waite Clayton. What made it so special?
The author cleverly structures this historical novel so that even readers familiar with the Kindertransports prior to World War II will find it suspenseful.
She humanizes her characters so we root for them, even as we see their flaws. Given the dark times in which this novel is set, readers can assume that not all the sympathetic characters will survive, but which ones?
She masterfully interweaves several plot threads in fast-paced scenes with life-and-death stakes, compelling readers to the conclusion to find out who will live to see another day.
Clayton’s notes reveal her impressive research to achieve historical accuracy, including her meticulous study of the autobiography of one of the main characters (a real historical figure).
I
highly recommend this novel, with the warning that it will be hard to put down.
My favorite historical novels set in Europe:
These books encompass a wide variety of locations, topics, and points of view, so I’d suggest reading a blurb or sample to see if a title suits your taste. I’ve included only one book per author, although I’ve enjoyed multiple novels by several of these authors.
Gutenberg’s Apprentice, by Alix Christie (Germany, late 1400s)
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel (England, 1500s)
Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier (Holland, 1600s)
Trial of Sören Qvist, by Janet Lewis (Denmark, 1600s)
Suite Française, by Irène Némirovsky (France, World War II)
The following novels are set in Renaissance Italy:
The Agony and the Ecstasy, by Irving Stone
Painter’s Apprentice, by Laura Morelli
Secret Book of Grazia dei’Rossi, by Jacqueline Park
Second Duchess, by Elizabeth Loupas
Birth of Venus, by Sarah Dunant
Thanks to reader Pam S.! She responded to last month’s question and reminded me of a fascinating novel about quarantine set in the Hawaiian Islands: Moloka’i, by Alan Brennert.
Readers, what are your favorite novels set in Europe that you’d add to my list?
