ABSTRACT
The Huguenot heartland of Montauban did not stand as a lone bastion of Protestant strength. Across southern France Protestantism had made deep inroads into the existing religious culture. Towns such as Castres, Pamiers, Montpellier, Nimes, Uzes and Anduze found themselves at the centre of local networks of Protestant churches. These towns became the focus of the Huguenot response. They communicated with one another and marshalled resources to support political programmes and military campaigns. In the heated debates of the times, their co-operation with one another led to accusations that they were intent upon separating themselves from the French state and establishing a Calvinist republic. This has been a view that has been accepted uncritically by most historians. But this course of action would not have been open to the Huguenots of southern France for two very practical reasons. The first relates to the complex cultural and political heritage of southern France. Even within the southern provinces of Guyenne and Languedoc there was a very limited sense of common consciousness, an essential prerequisite to effective state formation. Secondly, the interlacing of confessional allegiances frustrated designs for closer collaboration. This chapter will explore in greater depth these two factors before examining the accepted orthodoxy relating to the Huguenot 'state within the state' and the historiographical reasons behind the current confusion.
