ABSTRACT
The German Reformation produced an immediate resonance in most parts of Europe. The battle for Francis's support was the focus of a tense Court struggle which lasted over two decades. Throughout Francis's reign, Paris and Strasburg became the headquarters for the struggle to develop an alliance between France and the German Protestants. The accession of Henri II meant the ultimate end of a moderate policy towards Protestants, both within France and in Germany, and the return of ultra-Catholicism to the Court. For many moderate Catholics, such as the Du Bellay brothers, political and religious peace rather than doctrinal definitions were at the forefront of their agenda. Behind the official antagonism between France and the Empire, a group of moderate theologians and politicians endeavoured to bridge the religious divide. Whilst political connections both within the French Court and between France and Germany have been obscure to historians, they seem to have been clear enough to contemporaries.
