The Huguenot party in the test of the revolt of Conde (1615-1616)

Riddled by internal quarrels from the time of the political assembly held in Saumur in 1611, the Huguenot party was strongly shaken by Conde's second rebellion, which began in August 1615. At this time, a particularly tense political context, brought about by the remodeling of France's foreign policy by a regent who had created the conditions for open conflict between the great Reformed lords, divided as to what attitude to adopt. While some committed themselves to Conde's cause, others opted, entirely pragmatically, for moderation, thus laying bare to the whole kingdom the fault lines running through the French Reformed nobility. This breakdown of Huguenot unity, publicly exposed by the revolt, was also a symptom of political exhaustion on the part of a minority struggling to adapt to changes in royal politics and the way in which the kingdom was governed.