ABSTRACT
Before the Protestant Reformation fully erupted into the political arena, Erasmus made the following observation about pietas patriae, the invocation of pietistic conceits in the name of national interest:
Among the French, they preach that God is on the side of the French, and he who has God as his protector cannot be vanquished. Among the English and the Spanish, they preach that this war is waged, not by the king but by God, and thus victory is certain. … What can feigned religion not achieve? 1
