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Featured book in
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Carnival In Romans, Mayhem and Massacre in a French City by
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
About this book
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The city of Romans in what was once the province of
Dauphiné in Southern France, was |
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the scene each year of a colourful and animated Mardi
gras carnival. But in 1580 the |
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winter festivities degenerated into a bloody ambush. |
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While costumed craftsmen and peasants mimed and
danced in the streets, and the |
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bourgeoisie dined at banquets and balls, Jean Serve-Paumier,
master craftsman, draper |
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and leader of the popular party
was assassinated and his supporters beaten and pursued
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by the hired mob of Judge Antoine
Guérin, leader of the most reactionary
faction of the |
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ruling party. What caused the event to deteriorate
into such mayhem ? More than a cruel |
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incident, this particular Carnival night marked the
intersection of an urban movement and |
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even larger rural settings. |
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Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie weaves a brilliant tapestry
about two crucial weeks in the |
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history of Romans: in the background are the violent
religious wars which ravaged |
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Dauphiné
and which left
man believing that Huguenot conspiracies were behind the |
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unrest. In the middle ground
is Dauphiné itself, scarred by civil warring, famine, and |
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plague. And in the foreground stands Romans, a city
of divided citizenry where even the |
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upper and lower classes are divided among themselves,
and where the final drama will be |
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played out. |
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