Anti-Italianism in sixteenth-century France / Henry Heller.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In an examination of the Italian presence in France under the Valois and Bourbon monarchs, Heller links the cultural, moral, and political aspects of anti-Italianism with the rise of economic nationalism among the emergent French middle class.

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CHOICE Review

Heller (Univ. of Manitoba) provides the first systematic examination of the powerful anti-Italianism in France during the late 16th century. To show its causes, he explores the extent of Italian involvement in the French economy, politics, and church, and notes that prior to the St. Bartholomew's Massacre an anti-Italian riot occurred in Paris, and Italians, not Huguenots, easily could have been the victims in August 1572. Heller then turns to the vast anti-Italian literature during the 30 years of religious war. All three factions--Huguenots, moderate Catholics, and Catholic Leaguers--blamed the Italians, led by Queen mother Catherine de Medici, for the civil wars and heavy tax burden. When the Italians lost their principal protector with her death in 1589 and many had intermarried with French families, French anti-Italianism began to disappear. The book demonstrates the strength of ethnocentric hostility toward a successful foreign minority and shows how similar anti-Italian rhetoric was to that used against Jews. Based on an impressive range of primary sources, the book has valuable insights into 16th-century French economic, fiscal, and political systems and the French people's self-understanding. With extensive notes and bibliography, this is a major contribution to the study of ethnic relations. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. F. J. Baumgartner Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University