Dévots (, ''Devout'') was the name given in France to a group, active in both politics and social welfare, in the first half of the 17th century, which took a decisive part in the Catholic reform. It represented a perspective rather than a party. They shared a resistance to Protestant ascendancy, a nostalgia for the lost unity of Christendom, and an interest in social reforms in accordance with Christian morality.

History

The "Dévots" were members of a conservative faction in France in the early part of the seventeenth century with a strong political purpose. Among the prominent dévots was Cardinal

Pierre de Bérulle Pierre de Bérulle (4 February 1575 – 2 October 1629) was a French Catholic priest, cardinal and statesman, one of the most important mystics of the 17th century in France. He was the founder of the French school of spirituality, who could c ...

, founder of the

French school of spirituality The French School of spirituality was the principal devotional influence within the Catholic Church from the mid-17th century through the mid-20th century, not only in France but throughout the church in most of the world. A development of the Ca ...

and chaplain to queen

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdo ...

.Rapley, Elizabeth. ''The Dévotes: Women and Church in Seventeenth-Century France'', McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1990, p. 75
/ref> A number of members had earlier belonged to the Catholic League. According to historian Mack P. Holt, "...the League was the conduit between the Tridentine spirituality of the Catholic Reformation and the seventeenth century devots." However, Catholic royalists were also equally involved in dévot social projects. Bérulle and the devots favored an alliance of France with Catholic Austria and Spain, and opposed

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

who wanted to undermine Habsburg influence in Europe.Wedgwood, C. V. ''The Thirty Years' War''. London: Methuen. (1981) p. 188 Although the

Day of the Dupes Day of the Dupes (in french: la journée des Dupes) is the name given to a day in November 1630 on which the enemies of Cardinal Richelieu mistakenly believed that they had succeeded in persuading King Louis XIII of France to dismiss Richelieu fr ...

(November 10, 1630), which confirmed Richelieu as prime minister, marked their political failure, the ''dévots'' nonetheless remained very influential (notably with the fervently Catholic regent

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (french: Anne d'Autriche, italic=no, es, Ana María Mauricia, italic=no; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 un ...

). The residence of Madame Barbara Acarie, whose husband Pierre had been a strong supporter of the League, became a gathering place for the distinguished and devout of Paris. Among those who frequented her home were

Keeper of the Seals The title keeper of the seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the great seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial offi ...

Michel de Marillac Michel de Marillac (October 1563 in Paris – 7 August 1632 in Château de Châteaudun) was a French jurist and counsellor at the court of Louis XIII of France, one of the leading '' dévots''. His uncle was Charles de Marillac, Archbishop of ...

, royal confessor

Pierre Coton Pierre Coton (7 March 1564, at Néronde in Forez – 19 March 1626, at Paris) was a French Jesuit and royal confessor. Life Coton studied law at Paris and Bourges, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan t ...

, and the Marquise de Maignelay (née Claude-Marguerite de Gondi, sister of

Jean-François de Gondi Jean-François de Gondi (1584 – 21 March 1654) was the first archbishop of Paris, from 1622 to 1654. He was the son of Albert de Gondi and Claude Catherine de Clermont. He was a member of the Gondi family, which had held the bishopric of Pari ...

, archbishop of Paris), among others. The Marquise was instrumental in the establishment of the

Madelonnettes Convent The Madelonnettes Convent (''couvent des Madelonnettes'') was a Paris convent in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. It was located in what is now a rectangle between 6 rue des Fontaines du Temple (where there are the remains of one of its walls), ...

, a refuge for prostitutes. Their influence was felt through the Society of the Holy Sacrament (

Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement The Company of the Blessed Sacrament (french: Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement), also sometimes referred to as the Company of the Most Blessed Sacrament, was a French Catholic secret society which included among its members many Catholic notables of the ...

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' was banned in 1664 when the ''dévots'' believed it was satirizing them for being

hypocritical Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is the ...

in their faith. Though

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

established an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...

, the ''dévots'' remained active almost until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, being very influential with two heirs to the French throne, Louis, duc de Bourgogne, grandson of Louis XIV, and Louis, Dauphin of France, son of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

, both of whom died early and never reigned.

References

Sources

* Agnès Ravel: ''Le « parti dévot » à la cour de France sous Louis XIV, Louis XV et Louis XVI'', 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Devots Political history of the Ancien Régime Religion in the Ancien Régime History of Catholicism in France 17th century in France 18th century in France