The Reformation Of Geneva
THE REFORMATION OF GENEVA
The origins of Geneva go back to a settlement established in Roman times. Its geographical location helped it become one of the many crossroads of Europe, at which traders from northern Europe met their colleagues from the south, especially Italy. Four international trade fairs were held annually from 1262. So important was Geneva as a trade center that the immensely wealthy Medici family even reckoned it worth establishing a bank in the city. Yet Geneva was not a free city, enjoying the privileges of the great “imperial cities,” such as Strasbourg. It was part of the duchy of Savoy, a territory high up in the French Alps. Its affairs were directed from the city of Annecy some distance to the south. The citizens of Geneva did not like this arrangement, but there was little that they could do about it.
Yet many in Geneva were looking enviously to the east, where the Swiss Confederation was growing in power and prosperity. The Swiss Confederation came into being in the fourteenth century, as a means of defending the political and economic liberties of the region against the Austrians. By the early sixteenth century, the Swiss cities of Zurich, Basel, and Berne had established themselves as important regional centers of economic growth and political influence. Many in Geneva became interested in developing closer links with the Swiss Confederation, which was not far to the east of Geneva. This seemed to offer the hope of economic and political liberalization.
It was not, however, something that Geneva's masters in Savoy were prepared to allow. When some leading citizens of Geneva arranged an alliance with the Swiss city of Fribourg in 1519 without permission from their political masters, the pact was promptly annulled by Savoy. The leader of the delegation that negotiated the pact was publicly executed shortly afterward.
But this merely increased many Genevans' longing for independence, and gave new momentum to finding ways of breaking free from foreign control. In 1526, Geneva—again, without Savoy's permission—entered into a pact with the Swiss city of Berne. This was a major development. Not only was Berne a major economic center, it also possessed a large standing army, which it was perfectly prepared to deploy in support of its allies.
Religious matters had not played any significant role in the life of Geneva up to this point. The situation changed radically in 1528. After a public debate, the hitherto Catholic city of Zurich had accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1523, largely through the efforts of the leading Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531). From Zurich, the Reformation rapidly spread to other Catholic cities in the region. Typically, a public disputation was arranged by the city councils, with representatives of the Reformation being pitted in debate against their Catholic opponents. A binding vote was then taken within the city's ruling body as to whether the city should accept the principles of the Reformation. In 1528, Berne voted to accept the Reformation.
Geneva now found itself in an interesting position. The Berne it had allied with in 1526 was Catholic; in 1528, it became Protestant. More than that; it actively campaigned for its allies to accept the Reformation. The winds of religious change began to blow through Geneva. Berne was a German-speaking city, whereas the dominant language of Geneva was French. Berne, therefore, recruited a small group of French-speaking reformers and sent them to Geneva. Their brief was simple: win over the Genevans to the Reformation. In 1534, a public debate took place within Geneva. Although the result was not clear-cut, the city lurched decisively in a Protestant direction. In 1535, the city declared its independence from Savoy, and its public adoption of the principles of the Reformation. Coins were minted, proudly bearing the slogan of the new republic: post tenebras lux—”after the shadows, light!”
Savoy was alarmed, and promptly sent an army to sort out their rebellious colony. By January 1536, the city was surrounded and cut off from its neighbors. Capitulation seemed inevitable. However, Berne was determined to support its ally, and simultaneously extend its own influence in the region. By February, Bernese armies had swept westward, occupying every Savoyard possession in their path. Geneva was now free from the rule of Savoy; in practice, it would remain a vassal of Berne for years to come.
By the summer of 1536, Geneva was settling down to its new status as a Protestant republic. There had been a massive outflow of Catholic professionals in the aftermath of the revolution of 1535 and the siege of January 1536. The city needed lawyers. It also needed help with the consolidation of the Protestant revolution initiated the previous year. It was at this point that the link between Geneva and one of its most famous inhabitants was created.