ABSTRACT
Discourses of self-representation constituted an indispensable component of the survival tactics deployed by Catholic Utrechters. Exploring the petitions which repressed and tolerated Catholics submitted to the politico-judicial authorities, this chapter sheds light on how they perceived and used the concepts of ‘public’, ‘private’, and ‘conscience’, paying attention to four rhetorical elements: denial and deceit, jurisdiction, social status, and conscience. It also identifies several factors that shaped potential discourses for Catholic survival, such as their social status and the amount of support they received from their defenders. In order to defy persecution and win toleration, Catholic Utrechters mobilized various discourses of self-representation, drawing on their continuity with medieval thought and adopting the new, early modern idea of freedom of conscience.
