Penny Roberts: Adversity and Opportunity in the Huguenot Exile Experience

Professor Roberts explores the role of exile in the French Wars of Religion. Noting that Huguenot exile has primarily been studied for the period post-1685, she highlights how the wider international networks shaped the life and opportunities of French Protestants. Chronology and scale were crucial in shaping the different visibility of the exiles: sixteenth-century exile was more sporadic and in smaller numbers. Yet the many did leave their homes for various periods of time and crossing various distances. Despite small numbers or short time periods, mobility had an impact on the Huguenot community at large. By discussing communication networks which spanned across countries, rather than focusing either on exiles in their host countries, or at the Huguenots at home, Professor Roberts brings to light their significance. Their situation abroad also offered opportunities, as they could act as go-between in those larger networks of correspondence. Studying these go-betweens from various angles, Roberts shows how perspective and timing changed acceptable practices into suspect activities and back.