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Introduction

Early in the thirteenth century, a French merchant named Valdez converted to Christ and paid to have the Bible translated into French. A reform movement arose and French merchants spread it across western Europe. Its followers were essentially Protestant in outlook centuries before the Reformation. Some were known as Waldenses. Those in the south of France were called Vaudois. By any name, the Catholic Church persecuted them severely for centuries. With the rise of the sixteenth century Reformation, the Parliament of Aix determined to stamp out these heretics, as they considered them, once for all. Today’s quote is a summary of a decree they passed on this day 18 November 1540 to achieve that end. Fortunately for the Vaudois, the president of the Parliament of Aix managed to delay implementation of the edict for five years. However, Baron d’Oppede and the Cardinal Tournon finally enforced it in 1545, utterly destroying twenty-two god-fearing towns and villages, killing over seven hundred men in one town and burning their wives and daughters alive in a barn. The people could have saved themselves by converting to Roman Catholicism, but refused to surrender their beliefs.