A Contextual Analysis of Hotman’s Francogallia

Abstract

This thesis analyzes Francogallia, a sixteenth century text which claimed that the historical foundations of France could be traced back to the sixth century with the union of the Franks and Gauls. Composed during the French Wars of Religion, Francogallia was largely shaped by the events of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which set French Protestants against the French monarchy. Through this pseudohistorical account of French history, the author, François Hotman, constructed the idea of a distinct Franco-Gallic identity as the source of a distinctly nationalistic form of sovereignty, discrediting the claims of French kings to rule on the bases of divine right and Roman law. Much of Francogallia’s argument sought to assert the primacy of national custom over what the author regarded as foreign influences, condemning the sway of the Papacy over French affairs and labelling institutions like the parlements as subversive cultural imports. Despite Francogallia’s attempts to claim the people as the source of sovereignty in France, Hotman’s reliance on historical record to make his case exhibited critical weaknesses which undermine his argument and render it less convincing than those advanced by his Catholic opponents.