ABSTRACT
In the 1560s, Catholic theologians discredited the myth of the Huguenot martyr with accusations of political insurrection. In March 1560, at Amboise, Protestant plotters attempted to rid the Court of the Guises' influence. The 'tumult of Amboise' marked the time when French Protestants started to be called 'Huguenots' and were irremediably associated with civil disobedience. One of the most outspoken authors to use the idea of a conspiracy was Jean de la Vacquerie. The fear that Protestants were infiltrating the Parlement of Paris was very real and inspired the purge that culminated with the execution of Anne du Bourg in March 1560. These accusations posed a considerable problem to Protestant writers who, once more, fell back on a comparison with the early Church martyrs. After the outbreak of the first War of Religion, numerous Catholic pamphlets were written on the theme of Protestant violence and particularly iconoclasm.
