Savoyard Crusade against the Valdesi, 1655




The Valdesi (in German : Waldenser, in French : Vaudois) were adherents of an early reformatoric movement which settled in remote Alpine valleys, in parts of Switzerland and Tyrol, in Savoy, Piemont and even in Calabria.
In 1532 the Valdesi declared to join the Calvinist Reformation. In April 1655 Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy-Piemont sent his forces, 700 men commanded by the Marchese di Pianezza, into the Valdesi valleys located within his domains (i.e. Savoy, Piemont); 8,000 Valdesi were massacred on April 24th to 27th (Piemontese Easter). On the request of Oliver Cromwell, Duke Charles Emmanuel issued an Edict of Grace (August 18th), and the operation was terminated. However, pressure on the Valdesi continued, Valdesi lands were confiscated, children of Valdesi abducted to be raised in Catholic faith. The Valdesi, lead by Giosue Janavel (Gianavello), held on to their mountain valleys in a guerillla war that lasted until 1665. Torre Pellice served as a 'Valdesi capital'. In 1655 the Valdesi confirmed their Confession of faith, a document of central importance to all surviving Valdesi communities.
In 1685, with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (in France), the Vaudois both in France and in Savoy-Piemont were expelled.



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Waldenser, from Website der Familie Pattenge, in German
Il Massacro dei Valdesi, 1655, from Cronologia, in Italian
I Valdesi, from Cronologia, in Italian
Le Pasque Piemontesi, from Nulla sia piu forte della vostra fede: i luoghi della sofferenza, in Italian
I Valdesi - la Storia, from Pinerolo Cultura, in Italian
History of the Waldenses, by J.A. Wylie
Le choix de la repression 1655-1686, from Vaudois et Protestants dans les Etats de Savoie-Piemont du XVIe au XVIIIe Siecle, in French
DOCUMENTS Compendio degli editti concernenti i Valdesi (1740) (Excerpts of Edicts concerning the Valdesi, 1596-1655), from Nulla sia piu forte della vostra fede: i luoghi della sofferenza, in Italian
Confessione di Fede 1655, from Chiesa Evangelica Valdese, in Italian
Le Istruzione di Gianavello (The Instructions of Gianavello), from Nulla sia piu forte della vostra fede: i luoghi della sofferenza, in Italian
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on March 12th 2004, last revised on November 19th 2004

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