ABSTRACT
Contemporary perceptions of the Gondi tell us much about what French society thought of the family and more generally of the influence of Italians in France during the sixteenth century. Historians hold many views regarding the Gondi family’s participation in the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. There were widespread negative reactions to the influence of Italians in the years following 1572. The elites saw Italians as foreigners, and thus convenient scapegoats, much easier to attack than their own rulers.
