CAMISARDS, kilmq-ziirdz (Fr.. from OF. camise. smock, less probably from Fr. namisarle, attack by night). The active participants in the Protestant revolt of 1702 in the Cevennes, a mountainous region in Southern France, against the persecutions that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. (See NANTES, EDICT OF.) The ennlisards belonged to the Romance-speaking people of Gothic descent, who took part in the earliest movements toward religious reform. Calvin was warmly welcomed when he preached at Nimes. and Montpellier became the chief cen tre for the instruction of Huguenot youth: but it was in the triangular mountainous plateau called Crivennes, and chiefly among the small farmers, the cloth and silk weavers, and the vine dressers, that Protestantism was most widely diffused. These people. who were of a hardy and inflexible titanic-ter, not unlike the Covenanters of the Scottish Highlands, were imbued with the stern principles of Calvinism. readily kindled to the exhortations of their preachers. and were capable of a stubborn resistance. The Edict of Nantes of 1598 and the moderate and conciliatory policy of Richelieu had brought France relief from religious strife, but a new policy was intro duced under Louis NAV., who, conceiving that the internal political exigencies of the realm de manded a uniformity of worship throughout its extent. concluded i ha t would no longer tolerate heresy. A policy of gradually destroying the priv ileges of the dissenters was begun. They were shut out from public- offices and trade corporations ; t hey were forbidden to marry with Boman Catholics, and the conversion of their children seven years old and upward was encouraged and almost en forced. in ()midair. WWI. the Edict of Nantes was finally revoked. All dissenting ehurches Were to be 110.trt)yed, religions meetings were forbidden under pain of imprisonment and eon fiseation of property; all pastors who would not stop preaching at mice and change their bath were to be banished within fifteen days: exemp tion from taxes and increased salaries were promised to converted ministers. Huguenot were suppressed, and all ehildren were to be baptized and brought no in the Roman Catho lic faith. All 11 uguenot s, except ministers, were prohibited from going abroad, and the property of those who had already gone was declared forfeited unless they returned within four months. in carrying out this harsh de cree the most savage persecution was indulged in. Torture, hanging, insults worse than death to women, the galleys and imprisonment for life were the ordinary occurrenees for the next sixty years. (See DnAcosmizs.) The number of 1 I ugnvnot s who fled from France at this period has been estimated as high as 600,000; but a more eOnSerVatiye and reliable figure would place it at 250,000.
In the C(vennes, however, the people were too poor to escape, and all over Languedoc the Hu guenots assembled for purposes of worship in secret. A religious ecstasy ran through the country. and so-called prophets appeared among the people. lit conneetion with this phase of the exeitenwnt, there were noted those abnormal physical and mental eonditions which always follow prolonged fasting and vigils muler strong religions excitement. Louvois, Louis N1V.'s War Minister, determined to put down this move ment in an exemplary manner. An army of 40, 000 was raised. and forts were erected at Mines, Saint Hippolyte, Alais, and Andnze. The
du Chaila, a Roman Catholic missionary from Siam. had been appointed inspector of missions in the Cre-ennes. lie heeame an object of Par ticular aversion to the fanatics on account of his repressive measures in retaliation for their ex cesses and bold defiance. His assassination. July 23, 1702, was the first Moo; in the war. There was to have been a general massacre of Roman Catholic priests, hut the plan failed, and the originator. Esprit Sc-guier. soon fell. lle was succeeded by La Porte, an old soldier, who, as his forces inereased, assumed the title of Colonel of the Children of God, and named his country the ('amp of the Eternal. His captains were selected from those on whom the prophetic in Ilnence had fallen, suet] as the forest ranger, Castanet, the wool-carders. CondMv and Alazel, and the soldiers. Catinat. .loam•, and Ravenel; but the most famous were Roland and Jean Cavalier, the baker's boy (see ('AvALIEtt, •EAN). For three years the Camisards held out. Against them was sent an army of 60.000 men. among them an Irish brigade. wide)] had just re turned from the persecution of the Vaudois. A policy of extermination was commenced, and in the upper ('(venues alone 466 villages were burned, and nearly the entire population put to (lie sword. The insurgents, on the other hand, indulerd in acts of violence against the Catho lic population and priesthood, of whom more than 4000 are estimated to have perished. Catholic churches were burned in large num bers. Clement NI. issued a hull against the "execrable race of the ancient prom ising remission of sins to the holy militia which was now formed among the Roman Catholic population under the name of Cadets of the Cross. The formidable force brought against them induced Cavalier to listen to proposals, and he finally assented to a surrender on being guaranteed liberty of conscience, the right of assembly outside of walled towns, the liberation of all his people then in durance, and the res titution to emigrants of their civil rights and property. .Still the greater part of the army, under Roland, Ravenel, and Joany, refused, and ;nsisted upon the complete restoration of the Edict of Nantes. The Camisards continued the war until the beginning of 1705. at which time their leaders had been killed or dispersed, and they had become disorganized. In 1711 all out ward signs of the Reformed religion had disap peared, and on March 8, 1715. a few months be fore his death, Louis XIV., by a special medal and by proclamation. announced the entire extinction of heresy. Fourteen years afterwards. in spite of the strictest surveillance, aided by military occu pation, there had been organized in Languedoc 120 churches, which were attended by 200.000 Prot estants. Persecution could not utterly suppress them; but it was not until 1775 that the last gal ley slave from Languedoc was liberated, and not until 1789 that the National Assembly repealed all the penal laws against Protestantism. Con sult: Baird, "The Camisard Uprising," in Pa pers of the American Society of C'hurelt History, Vol. II. (New York, 1890) ; Bray, The Revolt of the Protestants of the Cevennes (London, 1870) ; Smiles, The Huguenots in France After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (London, 1477) ; Goitlon (ed.), Relation historique de la re'•olte des fanatiques on des Camisards (Mmes. 1874) : Louvreleuil, Le fanatistne re/tofu:06 (Avignon, 1702-07). See CEVENN Es.