Several surviving houses provide an impression of Renaissance Orléans at the time of the Reformation.
The So-Called House of the Shell (7 Rue de la Pierre-Percée)
Associated notes
Jean Calvin (1509-1564)
A generation after Luther, the Frenchman Jean Calvin became the organiser of the Reformation : he organised the Church, shaped the doctrine and defined the role of the Church in state government.
St. Bartholomew’s Day (24th August 1572)
Charles IX had tried to reconcile the two religious parties, but when this failed, he was driven by the Guise family to authorize the Catholics to assassinate the Protestant leaders; the situation...
Ambroise Paré (1509-1590)
Initially an army surgeon, he made discoveries in such fields as anatomy, physiology and therapeutics.
Jacques I Androuët du Cerceau (before 1520-1585 or 1586)
The influence of his many publications on architects was immense. He refused to convert to Catholicism despite his attachment to the King of France.
The eight wars of religion (1562-1598)
In the 16th Century, France was to know a religious split : the great majority of the country remained faithful to Catholicism, whilst an important majority joined the Reformation. Coexistence of...
Le Siège d’Orléans (février 1563)
Louis de Condé (1530-1569)
Louis de Condé descended from Louis IX (Saint Louis) was the Protestant leader during the first three Wars of Religion, until the battle in Jarnac where he was wounded and...
Henri IV et la conquête du royaume (1589-1598)
En 1589, Henri de Navarre succède à Henri III sous le nom d’Henri IV. Mais la Ligue catholique, menée par les Guise, ne reconnaît pas son autorité. Pour Henri IV,...